Cultural Diversity

While exploring around the topic of cultural diversity, I came across a report by Ho, Holmes & Cooper (2004) which reviews and evaluates the international literature on managing cultural diversity in the classroom.

The authors acknowledge that different cultures have different norms, values, expectations which impact on educational practices. The report identifies two frameworks: the collectivist-individualist framework and the dialectic-dialogic framework. These two frameworks are used to explore broad differences and similarities in value orientations, learning and communication styles in different cultures within the tertiary education setting (Ho et al, 2004).

The authors note that New Zealand culture is often classified as individualist and its mode of education as dialogic, with an emphasis on independent, self-directed and critical thinking, but it is recognised that there is much more diversity in New Zealand’s educational values and practices. These have been influenced by Maori and Pasifika communities, who have a more collectivist approach, and more recently by East Asian students (Ho et al, 2004).

The authors go on to examine ways of assessing students bearing in mind the cultural diversity now seen in tertiary education. They suggest considering the following strategies:

• Examine prior assumptions and expectations about assessment tasks
• Analyse the appropriateness of the tasks being set
• Help students to succeed
• Provide clear, explicit, and fair criteria
• Provide adequate, timely, and helpful feedback
• Set examinations to accommodate diverse students’ needs.

The report examines cultural diversity with a particular focus on ethnicity, however cultural diversity also refers to diversity in sexual orientation, gender, age, religion etc. Our challenge is to be mindful of differing ways of knowing, learning and perceiving when designing and delivering our courses.

In the School of Midwifery we have seen an increased number of Maori and Pacific Island students (although these numbers remain small percentage-wise) with the expansion into the lower North Island. In discussion with the Pacific Island students particularly, some have identified the desire for more face to face contact, as they recognise that this is the way they individually learn best. With a blended learning model, this is a challenge, as along with face to face sessions, practice experience on shift or with Follow Through women, there is content on Moodle and tutorials delivered on Adobe Connect.

We have seen that most of the Pacific Island students excel when doing tasks such as midwifery skills assessments. Although expressing a preference for face to face learning (and therefore we might assume face to face assessment), one student particularly enjoyed a new assessment introduced last year called VAMPS. This is a Video Assessment in the Midwifery Practice Skills course and was designed by Carolyn McIntosh (and influenced by work in the OP School of Veterinary Nursing). The Pacific Island students reported that they especially liked the repetition involved in perfecting the skill, and then being able to see the results on screen before submitting the assessment for marking.

Whilst this assessment does not give a choice of format, which one could argue is not therefore flexible, it can provide an opportunity for students to explore another way of learning. Being creative in designing assessments and providing a variety of assessment formats may provide an opportunity for students, with preferences for a certain learning style, to excel. 

References

Ho, E., Holmes, P. & Cooper, J. (2004, December). Review and evaluation of international literature on managing cultural diversity in the classroom [Report]. University of Waikato, for Ministry of Education & Education New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.minedu.govt.nz/~/media/MinEdu/Files/EducationSectors/InternationalEducation/ProvidersOfIntEd/InternationalismClassRoomStrategies.pdf.