Cultural Values in the Multicultural Classroom

Five Values Dimensions Help Clarify Cross-cultural Communication

May 4, 2009

Teachers need to be aware that underlying values are one of the most important causes of cultural clashes and misunderstandings.

In a multicultural classroom, the potential to make space for variations in cultural values of different groups means that not only the immigrant and minority students’ learning can be enhanced, but also that students from majority cultures can benefit from exposure to the dimensions of cultural values.

Hofstede’s Research Uncovers Five Values Dimensions

Dutch anthropologist Geert Hofstede has researched cultural values in more than 50 countries [1] and claims that every culture can be plotted along five continua of values, and that the five together give the distinctive form, or “programming” of a national culture. The five dimensions are:

It is important to realize that these are not “either-or” dimensions, but are continua, along which a culture may be positioned near an extreme, or nearer to the center. Moreover, it is important to keep in mind that these are dimensions of culture, not of individuals’ personalities or preferences. Any one individual may act in accordance with the values of his or her own culture, or may differ from them in a variety of ways.

Importance of Cultural Values for Teachers

As communities become more culturally diverse, through immigration, intermarriage, and strengthened ethnic identification, classrooms also fill with students of varying cultural backgrounds. Teachers find that a wider variety of teaching techniques and more flexible values are needed to respond to students and parents in multicultural situations. Each of Hofstede’s values dimensions gives useful clues for approaching students of varying cultures.

Power Distance

Hofstede defines the cultural dimension “Power Distance” as “The extent to which [people] expect and accept that power is distributed unequally” (page 98). That is, people value hierarchy as a proper way of ordering society. In societies where hierarchical organization is valued, teachers receive great respect, and students and even their parents hesitate to question or disagree with teachers. Teachers can learn to recognize when cultural assumptions about power distance seem to be interfering with learning, and find ways to communicate their own expectations without devaluing those of the student.

Uncertainty Avoidance

Hofstede defines this dimension as: “the extent to which members of a culture feel threatened by uncertain or unknown situations” (page 161). This dimension affects the need people feel for clear rules of conduct in all situations. In the classroom, children are expected to obey their teachers, and education is concerned with ascertaining facts. In cultures where uncertainty avoidance is low, education is seen as a voyage of discovery, with unknowns not necessarily perceived as threatening.

Collectivism

In some cultures, people see themselves primarily as part of a group: clan, caste, or ethnic group, while in others people place their personal identity first, and belong to groups only by choice. The USA and Canada are among the countries with the strongest individualist identity, and people from most other parts of the world take their group membership much more seriously. In more collectivist cultures teachers seldom single out one child, but address questions to groups, and give praise and rewards to the group, rather than the individual.

Masculinity

Hofstede defines this dimension as “a society in which gender roles are clearly distinct: men are supposed to be assertive, tough and focused on material success; women are supposed to be more modest, tender and concerned with the quality of life” (page 297). This is the one dimension where the USA and Canada differ greatly, the USA is said to be more “masculine” than Canada. In more masculine countries, school failure is a disaster for a child, and teachers tend to praise the best students more. In more feminine countries, school failure is not so important, and teachers give praise to the weaker students to encourage them.

Long Term Orientation

This dimension is the tendency of some cultures to place more emphasis on planning and saving for the future. Cultures with a high long-term orientation tend to emphasize thrift and to encourage their children to work hard in school. Both the USA and Canada are fairly low on this scale, but not as low as some African countries, where living for the moment is more highly valued.

These five values dimensions can give teachers new ways of looking at their students from other cultures than their own. Each culture may differ to a greater or lesser degree on each dimension, so the resulting picture can have great complexity. Teachers are urged not to over-simplify the varieties of cultural differences that may be encountered in classrooms today.

[1] Hofstede, Geert. Culture’s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions, and Organizations Across Nations. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications. 2001.

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