Abstract:

Online learning is increasingly becoming part of the mainstream in grades K-12. More and more organizations are reaching out to diverse learners around the world, due to the emphasis on globalization and the continuous improvement of online delivery systems. In light of the growing population of learners from various cultural backgrounds engaged in online education, there is an urgent need to understand how culture affects online learning. This research examines Hofstede's framework of cultural dimensions and Edmundson's cultural adaptation process (CAP) model to assess the need to translate, localize, modularize or originate K-12 online courses for Spanish-speakers in Latin America. It also draws implications for the instructional design process, taking into account explicit culture-based considerations. The authors will propose modifications to the cultural adaptation process (CAP) model to accommodate K-12 online courses. The goal is to ensure that e-learning courses targeted for Spanish America are culturally adapted and learners can meet their learning outcomes.

Instructional systems are influenced by the cultures of the individuals involved in their development. Hofstede defined culture as “the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another” (2001, p.9). Dunn and Marinetti (2007) stated that culture influences instructional systems regardless of the model employed to deliver instruction—“self-paced e-learning, synchronous or asynchronous computer-based learning activities or online communities of learners” (p. 255). The impact of culture is more apparent when instruction is transferred across cultures. Much attention has been given to e-learning technologies deployed globally to organizations with staff around the world. However, the purpose of this paper is to bring attention to the needs for e-learning adaptation for culturally and linguistically diverse learners, specifically Spanish-speakers in grades K-12 in Latin America.

References

Dunn, P., Marinetti, A. (2007). Beyond Localization: Effective Larning Strategies for Cross-Cultural E-Learning. In A. Edmundson, Globalized E-Learning Cultural Challenges (pp.255-65). Hershey,PA: Idea Group Inc.

Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture's consequences. Comparing values, behaviors, institutions and organizations across nations (2nd ed), Sage.

Keywords:

Culture, cultural adaptation process, CAP, hofstede, cultural dimensions, globalization, Spanish, K-12, cross-cultural, instructional design, localization.