The Development of a Cultural Assessment Tool [electronic resource] : Paving the Way to a Culturally Comfortable Classroom / Joanne Tootla and Patricia Vint.
In a multicultural classroom it is the seemingly small issues, such as classroom informality or interpersonal relationships between male and female students, that can cause misunderstandings and problems. This paper delineates a simple assessment tool to determine what behaviors might be a source of...
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| Format: | Electronic eBook |
| Language: | English |
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2001.
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| Summary: | In a multicultural classroom it is the seemingly small issues, such as classroom informality or interpersonal relationships between male and female students, that can cause misunderstandings and problems. This paper delineates a simple assessment tool to determine what behaviors might be a source of potential discomfort in the classroom. The tool is based on Giger and Davidhizar (1995) criteria that determine a culturally unique individual. The assessment tool analyzes aspects of six cultural phenomena: communication, personal space, social organization, time, environmental control, and biological variation. The tool is divided into three sections: the first section consists of 18 questions focusing on cultural perceptions regarding time, personal space, interpersonal communication, touch, and select social issues such as food that have implications in the classroom setting; the second section contains 32 "yes or no" questions focusing on select areas of cultural beliefs and values; and the third section asks for brief demographic data such as sex, age, religion, occupation, and country of birth. The tool was piloted with a population of 35 individuals ranging in age from 12 to 59 years old, of diverse religions and nationalities, and enrolled in middle school, high school, community college, or university. The cultural assessment tool is appended. (BT) |
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| Item Description: | ERIC Document Number: ED456092. |
| Physical Description: | 17 pages. |