THE INFLUENCE OF CULTURE IN THE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE OF STUDENTS – By Vittorio Di Vincenzo (Student – International University of Monaco)
In this article, I want to talk about the importance of culture in education. First of all, we have defined what culture is and its weight in our society. Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a specific group of people, including religion, cuisine, habits, language, etc. These elements are essential because they provide social and economic benefits. It enhances our quality of life and helps us understand the story of our families and society.
Because of culture, everyone has their way of seeing the world and processing information. As an example, we can find that Asians have a different way of thinking to respect the Americans. They see the world in two different ways, defined by a set of their own rules. Nevertheless, to understand how culture influences learning, we can examine how Asian and American students perceive the world. The Asian children will see it in terms of the relationship between things, while American children will see the world as distinct entities.
We have essential entities that understand culture’s role and how it has a significant influence on students, and they are parents and professors. They both understand how much culture can impact their schools and houses. The professors need to be confident that they use teaching methods to benefit all students who have different cultures and be aware of the school environment. Because students who are raised with a different culture simultaneously have a different approach to education and learning, then, the impact of culture cannot be underestimated in education and participation.
I will give some examples of how students of different cultures behave in class and how their parents behave. Students who come from Asia use to be quiet in their classroom and using eye contact with teachers can be considered. On the other hand, students who come from the Europe learn how to have active class discussions and look at the teachers but always showing respect. While parents from Hispanic cultures see the professors as experts; they will give them many educational decisions about their sons. In contrast, American parents are much more involved in the student life of their sons.
Nowadays, schools tend to prefer uniformity to diversity. They tend not to find methods that can be good for different cultures, but they will always use the same techniques to adapt them to students with other cultures. Most of the methods used are suitable for the dominant culture present in the schools. Still, people with a different background will have difficulties adapting themself to the school environment.
In my opinion, I believe that we still do not understand the impact of the culture in schools because the gap between students who have different cultures is still huge. Many students who have to move from their country already have many issues to adapt themselves to a new school environment. The fact that schools prefer uniformity to diversity will give them problems to adapt. Teachers need to change their mindset when students have difficulties relating to the methods used in class, and he/she should help them out.
In conclusion, culture is an essential factor in education that influences students’ levels and qualities. Schools should not underestimate it, preferring uniformity over diversity because they will suppress new ways of thinking from students with different backgrounds.
