EXPECTATIONS AND ADAPTATIONS IN CROSS‐CULTURAL EDUCATION: AN AMERICAN‐STYLE MBA PROGRAM IN SPAIN

This study analyses interviews with Spanish students and American and British faculty in an MBA program in Spain. Predictions about cultural differences were derived from Hofstede's (1980a) study of cultural values. Cultural differences were expected primarily on dimensions of uncertainty avoidance and masculinity‐femininity. Different processes of acculturation were expected for students and for faculty, and the language of instruction (English) was expected to place an additional burden on students. Interviews showed the utility of Hofstede's concepts for understanding classroom interaction, especially pertaining to aspects of the masculinity‐femininity dimension and to the role of language. Relatively few differences were associated with the dimension of uncertainly avoidance. Also, acculturation appeared to proceed only through the early stages of cultural adaptation for students and for faculty. The discussion leads to recommendations for both longitudinal and comparative studies for understanding the role of culture in education.