Cultural diversity in the adoption of open education in the Mediterranean basincollectivist values and power distance in the universities of the Middle East

  1. Romina Cachia 1
  2. Mohammed Aldaoud 2
  3. Ayman M. Eldeib 3
  4. Omar Hiari 2
  5. Adiy Tweissi 4
  6. Daniel Villar Onrubia 5
  7. Katherine Wimpenny 5
  8. Isidro Maya-Jariego 6
  1. 1 University of Malta
    info

    University of Malta

    Imsida, Malta

    ROR https://ror.org/03a62bv60

  2. 2 German Jordanian University
    info

    German Jordanian University

    Ammán, Jordania

    ROR https://ror.org/02jgpyd84

  3. 3 Cairo University
    info

    Cairo University

    Guiza, Egipto

    ROR https://ror.org/03q21mh05

  4. 4 Princess Sumaya University for Technology
    info

    Princess Sumaya University for Technology

    Ammán, Jordania

    ROR https://ror.org/01jy46q10

  5. 5 Coventry University
    info

    Coventry University

    Coventry, Reino Unido

    ROR https://ror.org/01tgmhj36

  6. 6 Universidad de Sevilla
    info

    Universidad de Sevilla

    Sevilla, España

    ROR https://ror.org/03yxnpp24

Mostrar afiliaciones +
Revista:
Araucaria: Revista Iberoamericana de Filosofía, Política, Humanidades y Relaciones Internacionales

ISSN: 2340-2199,  1575-6823

Año de publicación: 2020

Título del ejemplar: Monográfico I. Sofistas. Monográfico II. La evolución del pensamiento estratégico desde el Renacimiento

Volumen: 22

Número: 44

Páginas: 53-82

Tipo: Artículo

DOI: 10.12795/ARAUCARIA.2020.I44.03 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openDialnet editor

Otras publicaciones en: Araucaria: Revista Iberoamericana de Filosofía, Política, Humanidades y Relaciones Internacionales

Objetivos de desarrollo sostenible

Resumen

In this paper, we examine how open education is adopted in the Middle East region in the context of a European-funded project for capacity building in Higher Education. Basing our study on Hofstede’s model, we examine how culture, in particularly collectivism and power distance influence the adoption of open education. In addition, we look at the relationship between internationalisation of tertiary education and open education. Based on indepth interviews, focus group, and participatory action research with experts in the fields from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine, our findings suggest that beyond the technical aspect and the development of content, adoption of open education in the Middle East region is influenced by cultural aspects, which needs to be taken into consideration. As an emerging sub-culture, open education has the potential to transform and change some cultural barriers related to both power distance and collectivist cultures.

€ Ver financiación

Información de financiación

This work was supported by the European Commission Erasmus+: Higher Education – International Capacity Building Programme, under Grant Agreement Number – 2015–3166/001-001 and Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union [Project number: 561651-EPP-1-2015-1-IT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP] (October 2015–October 2018).

Financiadores

  • Erasmus+
    • 2015–3166/001-001
    • 561651-EPP-1-2015-1-IT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP

Referencias bibliográficas

  • Abdallah, M. M. (2017). Towards improving content and instruction of the ‘TESOL/TEFL for Special Needs’ course: an action research study. Educational Action Research, 25(3), 420-437.
  • Abeywardena, I. S. (Producer). (2012). The Re-use and Adaptation of Open Educational Resources (OER): An Exploration of Technologies Available. Retrieved from https://oerknowledgecloud.org/sites/oerknowledgecloud. org/files/ExplorationOfTechnologiesAvailable_OER.pdf
  • Affouneh, S., Wimpenny, K., Ra’fat Ghodieh, A., Alsaud, L. A., & Obaid, A. A. (2018). Reflection on MOOC Design in Palestine. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 19(2).
  • Al-Harthi, A. S. (2005). Distance Higher Education Experiences of Arab Gulf Students in the United States: A cultural perspective. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 6(3).
  • Al-Qura’n, M., Haikal, A. A., Razeq, A. M., Shalabi, M., Fathi, N., Ghoush, A. S., & Majdalawi, T. (2001). The development and implementation of a sixth grade geology unit through collabrative action research. Educational Action Research, 9(3), 395-411.
  • Alcorn, N. (2010). Knowledge through a Collaborative Network: A CrossCultural Partnership. Educational Action Research, 18(4), 453-466. doi:1 0.1080/09650792.2010.524783
  • Anakwe, U. P., Kessler, E. H., & Christensen, E. W. (1999). Distance learning and cultural diversity: Potential users’ perspective The International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 7(3), 224-243. doi:doi:10.1108/ eb028901
  • Andrade, A., Ehlers, U., Caine, A., Carneiro, R., Conole, G., Kairamo, A., . . . Holmberg, K. (2011). Beyond OER: Shifting focus to open educational practice (OPAL Report 2011). Retrieved from https://oerknowledgecloud. org/sites/oerknowledgecloud.org/files/OPAL2011.pdf
  • Archers, M. S. (1979). Social origins of educational systems. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
  • Asgharzadeh, A. (2008). The Return of the Subaltern: International Education and Politics of Voice. Journal of Studies in International Education, 12(4), 334-363. doi:10.1177/1028315307308137
  • Auyeung, P., & Sands, J. (1996). A cross cultural study of the learning style of accounting students. Accounting & Finance, 36(2), 261-274. doi:10.1111/ j.1467-629X.1996.tb00310.x
  • Bulger, M., Bright, J., & Cobo, C. (2015). The real component of virtual learning: motivations for face-to-face MOOC meetings in developing and industrialised countries. Information, Communication & Society, 18(10), 1200-1216. doi:10.1080/1369118X.2015.1061571
  • Butcher, N., & Hoosen, S. (2014). Harnessing OER to drive Systematic Educational Change in Secondary Schooling. Journal of Learning for development, 3(1).
  • Cachia, R., & Maya-Jariego, I. (2018). Opening education in the MENA region: In-depth interviews and Focus Group data with experts in open education in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Palestine. Retrieved from: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1283114
  • Castaño-Muñoz, J., Kreijns, K., Kalz, M., & Punie, Y. (2017). Does digital competence and occupational setting influence MOOC participation? Evidence from a cross-course survey. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 29(1), 28-46.
  • Castaño Muñoz, J., Redecker, C., Vuorikari, R., & Punie, Y. (2013). Open Education 2030: planning the future of adult learning in Europe. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 28(3), 171-186. doi:10.1080/02680513.2013.871199
  • Dunn, R. (1983). Learning style and its relationship to exceptionality at both ends of the spectrum. Exceptional Children, 4(6), 496-506.
  • Ember, C. R., & Ember, M. (2009). Cross-cultural research methods. Lanham: AltaMira Press.
  • Forsman, L. (2012). Investigating the cultural dimension in foreign language education – from transmission of facts to dialogical uptake. Educational Action Research, 20(4), 483-496. doi:10.1080/09650792.2012.727602
  • Garson, K. (2016). Reframing internationalization. The Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 46(2), 19-30.
  • Gervedink Nijhuis, C. J., Pieters, J. M., & Vogt, J. M. (2013). Influence of Culture on Curriculum Development in Ghana: an undervalued factor? Journal of Curriculum Studies, 45(2), 225-250.
  • Hatakka, M. (2009). Build it and They Will Come? – Inhibiting Factors for Reuse of Open Content in Developing Countries. The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, 37(1), 1-16. doi:10.1002/j.1681-4835.2009.tb00260.x
  • Heine, S. J. (2011). Cultural psychology. New York: WW Norton.
  • Herbert, S. (2006). The challenges of designing and implementing a a cross‐cultural unit of work. Educational Action Research, 14(1), 45-64. doi:10.1080/09650790600585269
  • Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture’s consequences: International differences in work-related values. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
  • Hofstede, G. (1986). Cultural difference in teaching and learning. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 10, 301-320.
  • Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviours, institutions, and organizations across nations. California: Sage Publications.
  • Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing Cultures: The Hofstede Model in Context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1).
  • Hofstede, G., & Bond, M. H. The Confucius connection: from cultural roots to economic growth. Organizational Dynamics, 16, 4-21.
  • Jones, M. (2007). Hofstede Culturally Questionable? Paper presented at the 2007 Oxford Business and Economics Conference, Oxford, UK.
  • Knowles, R. V. (2017). A translocal approach to dialogue-based art. (PhD Thesis), Plymouth University.
  • Knox, J. (2014). Digital culture clash: “massive” education in the E-learning and Digital Cultures MOOC. Distance Education, 35(2), 164-177. doi:10 .1080/01587919.2014.917704
  • Leeds, B. (2014). Temporal experiences of e-learning by distance learners. Education + Training, 56(2/3), 179-189. doi:doi:10.1108/ET-11-2012- 0114
  • Lenartowics, T., & Roth, K. (2001). Does Subculture within a Country Matter? A Cross-Culture Study of Motivational Domains and Business Performance in Brazil. Journal of International Business Studies, 32(2), 305-325.
  • Lesko, I. (2013). The use and production of OER & OCW in teaching in South African higher education institutions (Case Study). Open Praxis, 5(2), 103-121. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.5944/openpraxis.5.2.52
  • Marcus, A. (2000). International and intercultural user-interface design. In C. Stephanidis (Ed.), User interfaces for all. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum.
  • Maya Jariego, I. (2017). Localising Open Educational Resources and Massive Open Online Courses.
  • Maya Jariego, I., & Santolaya, F. J. (2016). Comparison of cultural causal attributions in European and Arabic regions in the Mediterranean. Erasmus+ OpenMed Program. Paper presented at the Open up education in South-Mediterranean countries. UNIMED, Mediterranean Universities Union, May 3-4, 2016., Coventry, United Kindgdom.
  • Minkov, M., & Hofstede, G. (2012). Hofstede’s Fifth Dimension: New Evidence From the World Values Survey. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 43(1), 3-14.
  • Nasif, E. G., Al-Daeaj, H., Ebrahimi, B., & Thibodeaux, M. S. (1991). Methodological Problems in Cross-Cultural Research: An Updated Review. MIR: Management International Review, 31(1), 79-91.
  • Nelson, K. G., & Clark, T. D. (1994). Cross-cultural issues in information systems research: A research program. Journal of Global Information Management, 2(4), 19-29.
  • OECD (Producer). (2012). Education at a Glance 2012. Retrieved from http:// www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/download/9612031e.pdf?expires=1520 588106&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=EB2A41FD7A674049CE0 B963FA5688CA1
  • Ramburuth, P., & McCormick, J. (2001). Learning diversity in higher education: A comparative study of Asian international and Australian students. Higher Education, 42(3), 333-350. doi:10.1023/a:1017982716482
  • Richter, T., & McPherson, M. (2012). Open educational resources: education for the world? Distance Education, 33(2), 201-219. doi:10.1080/015879 19.2012.692068
  • Roberts, D. M., Brown, A. M. B., & Edwards, L. (2015). Participatory Action Research in Two Primary Schools in a Rural Tanzanian Village: An Exploration of Factors to Cultivate Changes in Teaching and Learning. Educational Action Research, 23(3), 366-382. doi:10.1080/09650792.20 15.1009925
  • Schkade, L. L., Romani, S., & Uzawa, M. (1978). Human information processing and environmental complexity: An experiment in four cultures. Journal of Management, 8, 56-63.
  • Schribner, S., & Cole, M. (1981). The psychology of literacy. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press.
  • Signorini, P., Wiesemes, R., & Murphy, R. (2009). Developing alternative frameworks for exploring intercultural learning: a critique of Hofstede’s cultural difference model. Teaching in Higher Education, 14(3), 253-264. doi:10.1080/13562510902898825
  • Søndergaard, M. (1994). Research Note: Hofstede’s Consequences: A Study of Reviews, Citations and Replications. Organization Studies, 15(3), 447- 456. doi:10.1177/017084069401500307
  • Sugahara, S., & Boland, G. (2010). The Role of Cultural Factors in the Learning Style Preferences of Accounting Students: A Comparative Study between Japan and Australia. Accounting Education, 19(3), 235-255. doi:10.1080/09639280903208518
  • Tang, K. C. C. (1993). Spontaneous Collaborative Learning: A New Dimension in Student Learning Experience? Higher Education Research & Development, 12(2), 115-130. doi:10.1080/0729436930120201
  • Thomas, A. (2008). Focus groups in qualitative research: culturally sensitive methodology for the Arabian Gulf. International Journal of Research & Method in Education & Training, 31(1), 77-88. doi:10.1080/17437270801919941
  • UNESCO. (2012). The 2012 Paris OER Declaration. Retrieved from http:// www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/CI/WPFD2009/ English_Declaration.html
  • Venter, K. (2003). Coping with Isolation: the role of culture in adult distance learners’ use of surrogates. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 18(3), 271-287. doi:10.1080/0268051032000131035
  • Villar-Onrubia, D., & Rajpal, B. (2016). Online international learning. Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education, 20(2-3), 75-82. doi:10.1080/13603108.2015.1067652
  • Yemini, M., & Sagie, N. (2016). Research on internationalisation in higher education – exploratory analysis. Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education, 20(2-3), 90-98. doi:10.1080/13603108.2015.1062057
  • Zualkernan, I. A., Allert, J., & Qadah, G. Z. (2006). Learning Styles of Computer Programming Students: A Middle Eastern and American Comparison. IEEE Transactions on Education, 49(4), 443-450. doi:10.1109/TE.2006.882366
Fuente de los datos: Dialnet