Bridging Cultural Gaps Through Creating Awareness About Differences in Value Systems and Cultural Norms Between Students’ and Instructors’ Home Cultures

Abstract

Based on Stiegler & Hiebert’s theoretical orientation that teaching is a cultural activity, many foreign-born faculty experience cultural barriers in U.S. classrooms. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that these cultural barriers stemming from differences in value systems and cultural norms between students’ and instructor’s home cultures can be used to bridge cultural gaps. The results of interviews conducted among foreign-born instructors at a 2-year college indicate that although most participants experienced cultural barriers, they used differences in cultural norms and value systems to build a bridge between their home cultures and the U.S. culture in the classroom.