“Do You Care Where I Come from?” Cultural Differences in the Computer Literacy Classroom

Abstract

We live in a globalized world and multicultural environments are everywhere. Academic environments and classrooms are no different: Students come from all over the world and participate in multicultural classes. The impact of cultural differences is receiving increased attention in many fields, including education. However, computer literacy classes are often excluded, with the so-called “computer language” considered universal, and not culturally dependent. This work will focus on the cultural differences in the computer literacy class, on the perception of students with regard to these differences and on possible approaches by educators. The results show that students are acutely aware of cultural differences in the classroom. Moreover, they believe that these differences are relevant when learning computer literacy, as much as they are in any other subject. The suggestions, comments, as well as the teacher’s empirical observation reinforce the belief that, in an international environment, a culturally-adapted classroom style is needed in naturals science subjects, as much as in social science subjects.