Dear Colleagues
What do you suggest to measure cross cultural differences? Do you suggest a questionnaire?
May be first it depend on what differences we are targeting? for example are we interested in cross cultural difference in eating habbit, in methods of treatment, ..etc...
Next, the data collection method could be questionnaires, interviews, qualitative approach. It could happen that people from different cultures are living in the same area, or one can use Internet to collect data from different countries.
Although the questionaire could be used as a shortcut, but it has its own flaws of answering the same question with a different way, in different times, based on a momentary emotional status of the human being. Regarding the variables to measure the cross cultural differences, I could suggest a sum-total of gender, education, religion, as a combination to have a much salid outcome, rather than randomizing techniques.
May be first it depend on what differences we are targeting? for example are we interested in cross cultural difference in eating habbit, in methods of treatment, ..etc...
Next, the data collection method could be questionnaires, interviews, qualitative approach. It could happen that people from different cultures are living in the same area, or one can use Internet to collect data from different countries.
I think the selection of a procedure depends on what the goal or purpose of the investigation is. Before designing a project, the investigator has to learn something about the culture. I have used questionnaires cross-culturally when I was investigating social attitudes of college students in Canada and the United States. However, I have also used individual interviews when working with schoolchildren. I've also done field interviews. In some investigations, government statistics might be appropriate. So, I conclude the choice of the measuring instrument depends upon the problem or question being investigated. Of course, studying the literature first is a big help.
I actually do agree that first identifying the particular aspects of culture that is intended to be measured or studied should be a starting point to the enquiry. Also checking the literature for related views that border on the context of study can be of big help as it would assist to determine whether quantitative measurement or qualitative investigation would be the right approach for originality reasons. of course you could have quantitative elements tin the literature hat would be useful in developing the research area. and if if this is the case, I would suggest that largely, qualitative enquiry such as focus groups and interviews could be used as an extended reseach strategy as figures alone may be limited in interpreting real life human phenomena of culture.
Nevertheless, this does not rule out the possibility for quantitative research approach if the main focus of the research is to measure, anyway. although measuring cultural issues could be challenging as culture is dynamiic and results could be influenced by the research population country (developed or transition) and the level of exposure of participants.
Dear Waleed,
By its nature examination of cross-cultural issues is pretty sensitive to indigenous, in-the-field context so I would definitely recommend you something more related to qualitative methods, such as ethnomethodology with its wide range of “soft tools” such as in-depth interviews, participant observations, discourse analysis etc.
Perhaps you can also find the following links useful:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1080/00207597608247359/pdf
http://people.seas.harvard.edu/~reinecke/culture/
Good luck with your research!
Hello there,
More details on the context of cross-cultural differences would be welcome. Then suggestions could be well tailored to specifics.
Best wishes
I think that one avenue for collection of rich data for such studies could be from conducting focus group interviews. This form of interactive interview allows for respondents to feel more confident in a group to express what they really feel.
It depends on which cultures you want to compare. If the persons concerned are used to paper and pencil, then a questionnaire might be useful. We have done a study with a forced-choice questionnaire, based on Thurstone's Law of Comparative Judgment, to assess lifestyle preferences cross-culturally. We are running another, more complex study now with a questionnaire based on a very different approach (the Family Identity Test). However, due to globalisation, you should be aware that not everything labelled "cross-cultural" really is what it says. Societies worldwide are approximating progressively to a global, standardised industrial culture. So maybe you are just comparing subcultures of that global culture. Also, be cautious with regard to the subjects. If you have students fill out the questionnaire, their results might contrast sharply with the results of the majority of the population, especially in less industrialised countries.
Hello,
Some researchers agree that qualitative research is building interesting hypothesis you can test using quantities. Perhaps this is some indication of what you could do. Mixed methods would be a viable option in my opinion.
Regards
I completely agree with @Witold Orlik, amixed method study can see different aspects of cultural differences richly.
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