Identifying and managing cross-cultural differences in the classroom: A case study of USIU

Abstract

Many learning institutions are now designed to cater to the needs of students and staff from different cultures. The United States International University (USIU) in Kenya is no different. It provides learning opportunities to learners from different nations and regions of the world. When these learners and other staff come into the new culture, they often experience culture shock because the culture they now embrace is different from what they have been socialized into back in their own culture. This paper examines the extent to which differences in cultural orientations affect learners' abilities to pursue academic programs effectively. We interviewed only a small number of learners since we were interested more in the narrational data and in few instances used statistical evidence. Journal of Language, Technology & Entrepreneurship in Africa Vol. 1 (2) 2009: pp. 120-128