Cross-Cultural Learning in Adults

Terminology

Cross-cultural is sometimes replaced by intercultural or multicultural. Both of these terms are used in various fields, such as education, communication, psychology, and anthropology, to refer to the exchange between two cultures or interaction between two or more differing cultures. All of these terms may also refer to the inclusion of multiple cultural groups. Multicultural has also been used in particular sociopolitical and educational contexts in Europe to describe a specific type of integration within communal policy and guidelines for community development programs. The term cross-cultural is generally used to designate that which extends beyond one set of cultural norms, traditions, boundaries, and unspoken givens and is applicable and relevant across differing cultures or in varying cultural contexts. Hence, cross-cultural learning for members of one culture involves the inclusion of familiar and given elements in their own culture coupled with unfamiliar elements of other cultures, challenging them to travel outside their cultural conventions and personal comfort zone into unknown territory. The metaphor of “exploration” captures the essence of this type of learning experience, however, not into utter wilderness but into foreign terrain, inhabited and valued by others.

Basic Elements

The striking aspect of cross-cultural learning is that it involves the convergence of knowledge acquisition and transferable skills and competencies, which cannot be viewed as separate entities. This type of cognitive and behavioral learning is neither provincial nor static. In contrast to traditional learning assessment in academic settings, cross-cultural learning cannot be measured by standardized tests or the amount of material successfully memorized. Effective cross-cultural learning entails critical inquiry and the subsequent transfer of theory and concepts into praxis. In other words, people develop and learn new concrete skills and competencies based on their newly acquired knowledge, experiences, and understanding.

At the micro or individual level, there are at least four components to cross-cultural learning. Initially, assumptions and facts about cultures are explored. Generally, people—students or participants—first need to understand the significance of culture and become aware of their own cultural scripts and boundaries, including common ethnocentric tendencies, assuming the universality of one cultural system.

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