Cross-Cultural Communication and Social Presence on Asynchronous Learning Processes

The proliferation of distributed systems has enabled collaboration and cooperation among learners, and has enhanced cross-cultural interactions across educational boundaries. The issue of cross-cultural communication is fundamental in asynchronous learning research since the learners involved have communication norms that are significantly different across cultures. The influence wielded by the cultural values of individual learners in a heterogeneous group can impact upon the learning process and outcome of the entire group of learners. Concurrently, the degree of social presence supported by the media used in asynchronous learning networks can also affect learning. This paper discusses the relationship between cultural traits and media social presence with the focus on asynchronous learning networks. A set of propositions delineating cross- cultural and media impact on learning processes is highlighted with respect to the cultural dimension of individualism-collectivism. Preliminary findings of a pilot study are discussed.