In this presentation, first results from the Learning Culture Survey are presented and comparatively discussed, considering the contexts of higher education in South Korea and Germany. The presentation was held at the annual Internet-based conference Global Learn 2012 of the AACE.

1. Institut für Informatik und
Wirtschaftsinformatik (ICB)
Culture Matters:
Learner‘s Expectations Towards Instructor Support
Global Learn Asia Pacific 2012 conference Thomas Richter
Picture:
Winding-tower, Essen
Pictures:
University of Duisburg Essen

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Previous Research: Obstacles in using learning
contents from other contexts (OER)
1. OPAL Project (EC funded LLL): International survey on Open
Educational Practices (500 samples) – Success factors and
obstacles (online survey)1
o Findings: One of the major challenges to adapt contents from other
(foreign) contexts is the missing awareness on possible (cultural)
conflicting potential
2. Investigation on German school teachers on special challenges
related to the use of OER (group-interviews)2
o Findings: German teachers almost exclusively use German learning
contents because they are not aware on how to determine cultural
adaptation needs and thus, they fear to cause conflicts
3. Study with e-Learning professionals in Germany, Austria, and
Switzerland on special skills, learners need for e-Learning3
o Findings: Motivation revealed being the core success-factor
1. Andrade, A., et al. (2011). Beyond OER – Shifting Focus to Open Educational Practices: OPAL Report 2011. Due-Publico, Essen.
2. Richter, T., & Ehlers, U.D. (2011). Barriers and Motivators for Using Open Educational Resources in Schools. eLearning Papers, No. 23,
March 2011.
3. Richter, T. & Adelsberger, H.H. (2011). E-Learning: Education for Everyone? Special Requirements on Learners in Internet-based
Learning Environments. In: T. Bastiaens & M. Ebner (Eds.), Proceedings of the World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hyper-
media and Telecommunications 2011, (Lisbon, Portugal), Chesapeake, VA: AACE, pp. 1598-1604

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Open Questions after Previous Research …
What can instructors do to keep learner’s motivation
high?
Do not ‘destroy’ their initial motivation1
Instructor-based services play a central role for
student satisfaction2
Our claim: Know and meet the learners’
expectations regarding instructor-based
services!
1. Bowman, R.F. (2007). How can students be motivated: A misplaced question? Clearing House, 81(2), pp.81-86.
2. Bekele, T.A. (2010). Motivation and Satisfaction in Internet-Supported Learning Environments: A Review. Educational Technology &
Society, 13(2), pp.116–127.
3.

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Survey Questions
(Demands for Instructor-based Services)
What do you consider being the lecturer’s/professor’s
tasks and responsibilities in the learning process? A
lecturer’s/professor’s tasks and responsibilities base on …
1. giving support according to technical matters, which are
relevant for the learning process (e.g. in case of computer
problems or installation of soft-ware).
2. providing well-selected contents and contextual information.
3. giving support according to organizing the learning process.
4. assisting within the individual student’s process of finding
information.
5. giving feedback on my knowledge base, working results and
general professional development.

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Survey Settings
n Survey with university students from Bulgaria, Germany, South Korea,
Turkey, Ukraine: July 2010-May 2012
n Questionnaire using 4 point Likert-scale
n Only fully (100%) completed questionnaires were evaluated
n Settings per country:
o Bulgarian students: online survey; language Bulgarian; link distributed
through local students’ associations; 30 evaluated sample elements;
response-rate unknown
o German students (in-depth study): online survey; language German; full
investigation in 3 universities; 1817 evaluated sample elements; response
rate: 2-5%
o South Korean students (broad study): paper survey; random path algorithm
for choice of sample-elements; students from 39 universities in and around
Seoul; 286 evaluated sample elements; non-response rate 50%
o Turkish students: online survey; language Bulgarian; link distributed
through local students’ associations; 40 evaluated sample elements;
response-rate unknown
o Ukrainian students: online survey; language Bulgarian; link distributed
through local students’ associations; 53 evaluated sample elements;
response-rate unknown

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Survey Results
Displayed here: % positive answers (fully agree & agree);
No significant differences between male and female students were found.
!

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Spectrum versus Absolute Values
n General Question resulting: At which amount of difference to the
expected setting/services do learners experience a conflicting
situation?
n Recommendations in literature1 considering the answer-spectrum
instead of absolute mean values:
n Spectrum of answer variety within a cultural context represents
upper and lower border of acceptance.
n Recommendation for Instructors:
o Compare answer spectrums of different contexts
o Determine areas that are not common in both contexts’ answers?
o Particularly focus on those areas when designing educational scenarios
and instructor-based services
1. Pless, N.M. & Maak, T. (2004). Building an Inclusive Diversity Culture: Principles, Processes and Practice.
Journal of Business Ethics, 54(2), pp.129-147.

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Contrasting Answer Spectrum from German and
Korean Students
!

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Findings
n Demands for Instructor-support differs significantly between
national contexts
n Absolute values are suitable to get an impression of differences but
cannot answer when changes are necessary
à Analysing answer-spectrum revealed as a reasonable addition
n Limitations:
o It still is unclear to which extent learners accept differences to what
they expect and when actually changes are required
o The answer spectrum gives a hint of an answer but it only shows what
the learners already know/experienced within their national context
o The found spectrum does not necessarily describe the limits of
acceptance but a kind of ‘inner’ border
o Culture cannot be investigated on national level if a nation consists of
various cultural contexts. Indicators are languages, tribes, …
o Educational culture varies significantly between Higher and Adult
education. Our results can not be generalized but are related to HE
1. Richter, T. & Adelsberger, H.H. (2012). On the myth of a general national culture: Making specific cultural
characteristics of learners in different educational contexts in Germany visible. In: F. Sudweeks, H. Hrachovec,
& C. Ess (Eds.), CATaC'12 Proceedings (Aarhus, Denmark): Cultural Attitudes towards Technology and
Communication. School of Information Technology, Murdoch University: Murdoch.

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Are there any questions?
(Feel free to contact me via e-Mail)
contact: thomas.richter@icb.uni-due.de