Open AccessInvestigating Cultural Values and Educational Technology Adoption in Central Asia
Author(s) -
Randall W. Gwin
Publication year - 2022
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Dissertations/theses
DOI - 10.18122/td/1883/boisestate
Subject(s) - hofstede's cultural dimensions theory , likert scale , diffusion of innovations , knowledge management , cultural diversity , educational technology , scale (ratio) , psychology , cultural influence , sociology , marketing , pedagogy , social science , social psychology , business , geography , computer science , anthropology , developmental psychology , cartography
Although the adoption of new tools for communication and learning could reasonably be expected to influence culture, little is known about the relationship between cultural values and the adoption or diffusion of Web 2.0 technologies. This case study examines the way in which the cultural values of 59 teachers in four Central Asian countries influenced and were influenced by Web 2.0 technologies during five to eighteen months of online professional development. Data was collected through self-introductions, Likert-scale and open-ended prompts on initial and final surveys, online forum discussions, and capstone projects. This allows an examination of changes in the participants’ expressed attitudes toward and use of Web 2.0 educational technology as well as the identification of cultural values (Hofstede, 1980b) associated with these patterns of adoption and diffusion. The findings are especially beneficial to decision-makers who care about the way the use of Web 2.0 educational technologies could impact educational systems and cultures.