Culture And Education

Individualistic vs Collectivist Cultures in Schools

As a female American teacher reports to an immigrant Latino father that his daughter is doing well in class - speaking out, expressing herself, taking an active role - he looks down at his lap and does not respond. Thinking that perhaps he has not understood, the teacher again praises his daughter's ability to speak out in class and explains that it is very important for children to participate orally. Looking even more uncomfortable, the father changes the subject. The teacher gets the impression that this parent is not interested in his daughter's school success, and she feels frustrated. Toward the end of the conference, the father asks with concern, "How is she doing? She talking too much?" The teacher is confused. This parent does care whether his daughter is doing well, but why doesn't he understand what she has been telling him?

What is blocking communication here are differences in culture; tacit yet deep-seated beliefs about what matters in life and how people should behave. The teacher is reporting behavior she assumes any parent would be glad to hear about. But it may be behavior the father doesn't condone: he has taught his daughter not to "show off" or stand out from the group. Exchanges like this, not just between adults but also between teachers and students, occur in classrooms every day, as teachers face greater cultural diversity than at any time since the turn of the century. In the past two decades, U.S. schools have absorbed waves of students from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and the Philippines.

It's not only immigrant students whose cultural values may differ from those underlying most classroom practice. U.S.-born students from a variety of backgrounds - Native American, African-American students, Latino students whose families have lived here for generations - may also feel alienated by common classroom practices.

Teachers in these diverse school settings quickly discover the need for social understanding that goes beyond the superficial aspects of culture often addressed in multicultural education, such as major holidays, religious customs, dress, and foods. What's missing, teachers report, is a deeper kind of understanding - of the social ideals, values, and behavioral standards that shape approaches to child-rearing and schooling, first in one's own culture and then in the cultures of one's students.

Culture is like the air we breathe, permeating all we do. And the hardest culture to examine is often our own, because it shapes our actions in ways that seem second nature. So a critical step in making schools places where all children can learn is for educators to first see how their own cultural values operate in the classroom - from how they expect children to take part in discussions to whether they expect classroom materials to be shared or used individually.

In comparing American parents to those of other cultures, even those of other industrialized nations, the goal U.S. parents overwhelmingly stress is making their children independent -- socially and economically. Collectivist societies, however, point their children in a different direction. Many immigrant parents from traditional cultures, for example, see their children's primary role as being contributing members of the family unit. Children are expected to understand and act on a strong sense of responsibility toward the group, the family, and the community. In sharp contrast, young people in individualistic societies are typically expected to make educational and occupational choices that develop their own potential -- not necessarily with any consideration for how their success would benefit their families.

Teachers are finding that this framework helps them rethink daily school-related behavior, their own and that of their students and students' parents. Using it as a tool, teachers can generate their own solutions, make effective instructional decisions, and work with parents as true partners.

Collectivistic societies are quite hierarchical, and social interaction is defined by age and gender. Children in such societies are less likely to be asked to formulate and share their opinions or to talk about what they are learning in school. The role of sharing opinions and knowledge is reserved for people with higher status, and children are taught to respect their elders as the sources of knowledge and wisdom for their community.

Individualistic societies do not see knowledge and wisdom as the special province of designated elders. The self-expression children commonly exhibit toward adults in much of American society would be interpreted as a lack of proper respect in a collectivistic society.

Parents in collectivistic cultures tend to cultivate both more psychological and physical closeness with their children. Children are held more and often sleep with their parents when small; infants are carried or otherwise physically close to mothers or other caretakers at all times. In contrast, parents in more individualistic cultures often encourage children to amuse themselves independently and discourage them from requiring constant adult attention.

The collectivistic orientation also extends