Methodological Issues in Cross-Cultural Studies in Educational Psychology

Abstract

In the era of globalization, education, like other fields, is being transformed with unprecedented scale and flexibility (Suarez-Orozco & QinHilliard, 2004). Global mobility of faculty and students, new pedagogy and technology, and international cooperation and competition of institutions all imply that education has become a global issue. These changes call for cross-cultural research in education (e.g., McInerney, 2011; Singh, 2004). We see three areas in this type of research. First, a considerable number of studies have been carried out to replicate and compare findings from one culture to another (e.g., King, McInerney, & Watkins, 2012; McInerney, 1990); the transfer is usually from Western to other cultures. Second, largescale multinational comparative surveys such as the Program of International Student Assessment (PISA), the Trend in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) have explored various aspects of education across cultural contexts. These large-scale studies help both researchers and policy makers to understand cross-cultural differences and similarities. Finally, indigenous educational concepts and practice have been studied (e.g., Nsamenang, 2006; Watkins & Ismail, 1994). The full gamut of comparative (etic) and culture-specific (emic) approaches is available in the educational domain. We restrict the presentation here to a snapshot of recent findings merely to illustrate the richness of the domain...