The dynamics of cultural change: The effect of cross cultural communication on small group behavior in Thailand

Abstract

This is a field study of cultural change in Thailand in a cross-cultural small group setting involving Thai medical students and American and Thai teachers. Its purpose is to investigate the relationship of language, attitudinal, and socioeconomic factors with behavior representative of cultural change and in particular the effect of American teachers and cultural values on this change. This study attempts to go beyond the usual subjective anecdotal description of cultural change by careful observation of a discrete behavior operationally defined as representative of cultural change in a natural setting offering an unusually high degree of control over environmental variables. Results indicate that cultural change as measured by this behavior (student verbal assertiveness with the teacher) is significantly correlated at a moderate level with English language ability but not course grades. It is related to certain attitudes toward the learning process and future plans having to do with anticipated study in the United States. It is not related to a wide variety of socioeconomic background variables thought to be related to cultural change. The student's verbal assertiveness with the American teacher was significantly correlated at a high level with his verbal assertiveness with the Thai teacher. The implications of this for environment and personality as factors in cultural change are discussed.