Survey about how culture affects the requirements for teaching offers
To some extent students of different origin assess the same lecture in different ways. We hypothesize that cultural origin has an impact on the way one learns and also what this person requires when it comes to supervision and communication with fellow students and tutors. This is the topic we want to tackle in the following survey.
We would like to thank you very much for your participation. Susann Kowalski and Maria Eugenia Salcedo Rojas
Section A: Learning habits & motivation of studying
1. It is easier for me to study, if (two answers maximum)
…I have the content written in front of me
…I can discuss the content with others
…I can experiment and try things myself
…I explain the content to someone else or I read it out loudly
2. It is easier for me to comprehend things, if… (two answers maximum)
…I listen to a speech / talk about the topic
…I can look at a picture or diagram
…I can pose questions about the topic to others
…I hold a model or replication in my own hands
3. What drives your motivation to study? (three answers maximum)
if I feel the gained knowledge has use to me in the future
if it gives me the opportunity to get a job or I have better chances to keep my job
if I get better chances to find a job
if I have chosen the topic myself
if I have an exam soon
if my employee / parents have asked me to do so
others:
4. How many hours do you study with the computer on average per week? hours
5. When do you normally study? (two answers maximum)
in the morning around lunch time in the evening at night
6. Where do you find the right setting to study in peace? (two answers maximum)
at home in a public library, internet-café etc.
at work at school / university
others:
7. How important is it to you to learn the following things? (one answer per line)
very important not important
basic principles / working methods
practical applications
clear facts
how to solve a certain problem
8. How do the following statements match your behaviour? (one answer per line)
true not true
It is best if I can learn facts by heart.
I want to learn by imitating how others did the same thing.
I want to try out things myself to get to a solution.
9. What downsides do you expect from using electronic media with regards to the way you learn in your life? (two answers maximum)
none lack of communication, isolation
drop in interest technical problems, too high technical effort
higher expenditure of time others:
10. What benefits do you expect from using electronic media with regards to the way you learn in your life? (two answers maximum)
none bettering of success of learning
more self responsible learning mobility
less effort temporal flexibility
more fun while learning others:
Section B: Exposure to learning materials, results, type of tasks
11. In what way would you like to receive the result / score of your work? (two answers maximum) I would like to…
receive my result personally without any comments.
have a personal comment of the tutor together with my result.
know how I perform compared to the rest of the group.
compare my results with each member of the group individually.
others:
12. How do you think an evaluation of the learning success should take place? (two answers maximum)
individually, with an individual grade also
group wise, but with individual grades
group wise, with same grade for all group members
others:
13. How often do you think should an evaluation of the learning success take place? (two answers maximum)
whenever I want it at the end of the course
on a regular basis, short intervals (e. g. weekly) no evaluation at all
on a regular basis, longer intervals
others:
14. What kind of evaluation of the learning success do you prefer? (two answers maximum)
self evaluation machine controlled (e. g. a learning-system)
oral exam written exam
others:
15. An ideal working team has ___members. (two answers maximum)
1 (individual work) 3-4 (small group)
2 (partner work) 5 and more (group)
others:
16. What is your rating fort he following evaluation type? (one answer per line)
makes sense does not make sense
Multiple Choice
open questions
creative tasks
co-operative tasks
Tasks, where result is word or number.
Tasks, where I can compete against others.
others:
17. What matches you with regards to the outcome of your learning achievements? (one answer per line)
that’s it not me
At any point in time I want to know how much I have
accomplished and what still needs to be done.
I only want to know about what I am doing at a time.
Keeping my anonymity is important to me.
18. How do the following statements match with regards to the guidance within the learning materials? (one answer per line)
true not true
The guidance within learning materials should be as easy as
possible and guide me in that way so that I don not get lost.
Trying all possible combinations motivates me to read further.
The optical design of learning materials is not very important to me.
Section C: Need for communication
19. What kind of support do you want from your tutor? (three answers maximum)
Answers to technical questions Help to find the right information
Answers to specific questions Feedback on where I stand
Support in organisation of learning Help in preparation for exam
others:
20. What kind of role do you think the tutor should have? (three answers maximum)
He should be / have
…an expert …an authority
…an example …a „knowledge broker“
…a coach …a strong personality
…a moderator …a friend
others:
21. How important are the following options to you with regards to the communication with a tutor? (one answer per line)
very important not important
personal
e-Mail
online/chat
newsletter
telephone or Internet-phone
others:
22. Would you be satisfied if you had only electronic contact with your tutor? (one answer)
yes, totally not at all
23. How important is it to you that the tutor… (one answer per line)
very important not important
…gives feedback to you in a personal manner?
…compliments your work?
…criticizes you only for the content?
…always comments on your individual input if you had group work?
…motivates you to start working?
others:
24. How important are the following ways of communication with your fellow students to you, solve a problem? (one answer per line)
very important not important
personal
e-Mail
online/chat
forum
telephone or Internet-phone
others:
25. How do you handle discussions? (three answers maximum)
I agree for the opinion of another person’s strong personality.
I try to bring my point across
I choose the opinion that I can emotionally understand best
I go for the opinion of the entire group
I get my opinion across
I select the opinion that I understand best from a rational point of view
others:
Section D: Personal situation, environment, computer accessibility
26. Sex
female male
27. What is your age? years
28. In what country were you brought up?
In which country do you normally stay?
29. If you do not live in the country you were brought up, how do you handle the different habits and customs? (two answers maximum)
I have adopted the customs of the country I live in now.
I keep up the customs of the country I was brought up.
In public I live the customs of the country where I stay mostly. In private life I live the
customs of the country I was raised.
I try to combine the best of both countries.
others:
30. What is your current education? (one answer only)
none higher education (university, grad school)
school doctoral programme or other
professional training others:
31. What is your major field of study / work? (two answers maximum)
business / economics
natural science / engineering (e. g. maths, nautical engineering)
medical sector (physician, physiologist, psychiatrist)
social sciences / humanities (e. g. literature, history, sociology)
art (music, painting, dance, design)
others:
32. What is your mother tongue?
33. The environment (region, country, society), that I was raised in, is dominated by: (one answer only)
Buddhism Judaism
Christianity Konfuzianism
Hinduism Taoism
Islam others:
34. I live…
in a town on the country side
35. Do you have a computer available whenever you need to work / study with it? (one answer only)
Yes, always no, only very rarely
36. What kind of computer do you use for your studies? (two answers maximum)
own computer computers at university
computer of family computer in internet-cafe
computer at work others:
Thanks again for your participation and contribution.
If you have an interest in the findings of this survey, please give us your e-mail address and we will come back to you: