Data Management and Cross-Cultural Descriptive Analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 27-56
Author(s):  
Thanh V. Tran ◽  
Keith T. Chan
Keyword(s):  
Data Management ◽  
Research Evaluation ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Cultural Analysis ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Cross Cultural Research

Quantitative cross-cultural analysis requires the application of statistics to study the variability of a phenomenon (variable,) across cultural groups. This chapter aims to provide practical applications of descriptive statistics to describe the variables used in a cross-cultural research/evaluation project. We use statistical methods to describe the variables of interests and to test the hypotheses derived from theories for understanding cross-cultural comparisons. More specifically, we address the importance of examine the variables of interest across selected comparative groups. It is our position that in order to describe and to test hypotheses, we need first to know how the variables of interest are measured. We illustrate the use of STATA for data management and descriptive statistics throughout the chapter.

Developing New Instruments

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thanh V. Tran ◽  
Tam Nguyen ◽  
Keith Chan
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Measurement Development ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
Shared Meanings ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Cross Cultural Research ◽  
Cultural Experts ◽  
New Instruments

Developing new cross-cultural research instruments is an enormous task, and it requires careful consideration from the researchers to ensure that the instruments measure what they are designed to measure and that they can also capture cultural differences and similarities among the comparative groups. It is always challenging to develop an “etic” instrument that captures the shared meanings among the comparative cultural groups and an “emic” instrument that can measure the unique aspects of each cultural group. Constructing cross-cultural research instruments must be a collaborative endeavor of the research team and the stakeholders. Inputs from cultural experts, prospective research respondents or clients, and service providers should be an integral part of every step or phase in cross-cultural measurement development and construction. This chapter focuses on the foundation of measurement and the process of cross-cultural instrument development.

A Central Question in Cross-Cultural Research: Do Employees of Different Cultures Interpret Work-related Measures in an Equivalent Manner?

1994 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 643-671 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine M. Riordan ◽  
Robert J. Vandenberg
Keyword(s):  
Culturally Diverse ◽  
Covariance Structure ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Cross Cultural Research ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Diverse Groups

Within the present research, a covariance structure analytic procedure is applied to test the stability and transferability of organizational measures between groups in cross-cultural research. Findings support the need to establish the equivalency of constructs and measures prior to interpreting differences in means of self-report variables between culturally diverse groups. Indeed, for two measures, the cultural groups were using different conceptual frames of reference when responding to the items. For a third measure, the groups were calibrating the true scores differently. However, the source of the calibration difference was identified and subsequently accounted for in later analyses. Thus, differences between latent means for the culturally diverse groups were calculated and interpreted. The approach outlined in this paper is proffered as yielding valuable insights regarding the appropriateness of comparative cross-cultural studies.

Reflections on Cross-Cultural Research

1996 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Glover ◽  
Dasia Black-Gutman
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Studies ◽  
Comparative Research ◽  
Research Data ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Cross Cultural Research ◽  
Study Participants

Cross-cultural research, like all other research, is multi-dimensional. It includes both comparative research, as opposed to research conducted in a single society, and research in which researchers and participants belong to different cultural groups. As a process, it presents numerous challenges. In cross-cultural or comparative studies there are questions related to the validity of the constructs being employed, the appropriateness of measures, and the suitability of methodologies for specific contexts. When researchers and study participants belong to different groups, questions about who determines and defines the research, who owns it, and how the research data is used, all need to be addressed.

scholarly journals Child-directed and overheard input from different speakers in two distinct cultures

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgia Loukatou ◽  
Camila Scaff ◽  
Katherine Demuth ◽  
Alejandrina Cristia ◽  
Naomi Havron
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
Urban Regions ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Cross Cultural Research

Despite the fact that in most communities interaction occurs between the child and multiple speakers, most previous research on input to children focused on input from mothers. We annotated recordings of Sesotho-learning toddlers living in non-industrial Lesotho in South Africa, and French-learning toddlers living in urban regions in France. We examined who produced the input (mothers, other children, adults), how much input was child directed, and whether and how it varied across speakers. As expected, mothers contributed most of the input in the French recordings. However, in the Sesotho recordings, input from other children was more common than input from mothers or other adults. Child-directed speech from all speakers in both cultural groups showed similar qualitative modifications. Our findings suggest that input from other children is prevalent and has similar features as child-directed from adults described in previous work, inviting cross-cultural research into the effects of input from other children.

Applied Multiple Regression Analysis in Cross-Cultural Comparisons

2021 ◽  
pp. 57-130
Author(s):  
Thanh V. Tran ◽  
Keith T. Chan
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Multiple Regression Analysis ◽  
Multiple Regression ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
Moderation Effect ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Cross Cultural Research ◽  
Regression Techniques ◽  
Cultural Comparisons

This chapter focuses on the application of multiple regression analysis in cross-cultural comparisons using the Stata statistical package. We explain the assumptions and uses of multiple regression and relevant techniques for examining the applicability of the data for analysis. We briefly discuss reliability analysis across culture groups and provide a step-by-step approach for analyzing and interpreting real world examples of cross-cultural research suing multiple regression techniques. We explain and provide examples of mediation and moderation effect, and conclude with techniques to test the equivalence of effects across different cultural groups.

COVID-19 A Cultural Analysis to Understand Variance in Infection Rate across Nations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ratan Dheer ◽  
Carolyn Egri ◽  
Len J. Treviño
Keyword(s):  
Infection Rate ◽  
Cultural Analysis ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cultural Value ◽  
National Data ◽  
Government Effectiveness ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Cross Cultural Research ◽  
Social Restriction ◽  
Cross National

We integrate insights from cross-cultural research with inquiry in social psychology to develop a theoretically grounded and culturally derived explanation of the cross-national variance in COVID-19 infections. Specifically, we draw on Hofstede's (1984) and Schwartz' (1999) cultural value frameworks to elucidate how dimensions resulting from these explain differences in individual’s behavior in response to social distancing and social restriction guidelines, thereby mitigating the infection rate of COVID-19 cross-nationally. Our analysis, based on cross-national data, and after controlling for differences in government effectiveness, GDP per capita and population density, suggest that while individualism, indulgence, autonomy, and egalitarianism positively predicted COVID-19 cases across nations, power distance negatively predicted the number of COVID-19 cases cross nationally.

Translating Tests

1996 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fons Van de Vijver ◽  
Ronald K. Hambleton
Keyword(s):  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Item Bias ◽  
Word Choice ◽  
Cultural Group ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Cross Cultural Research ◽  
The Common ◽  
Psychological Instruments ◽  
Method Bias

With the increasing interest in cross-cultural research, there is a growing need for standard and validated practices for translating psychological instruments. Developing a psychologically acceptable instrument for another cultural group almost always requires more effort than a literal translation, which all too often is the common practice. The adequacy of translations can be threatened by various sources of bias. Three types of bias are distinguished in this paper: (1) construct bias (related to nonequivalence of constructs across cultural groups), (2) method bias (resulting from instrument administration problems), and (3) item bias (often a result of inadequate translations such as incorrect word choice). Ways in which bias can affect the adequacy of instruments are illustrated and possible remedies are discussed.

How Respondents Use Verbal and Numeric Rating Scales: A Case for Rescaling

2012 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Bendixen ◽  
Yuliya Yurova
Keyword(s):  
Rating Scales ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Verbal Scale ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Three Samples ◽  
Cross Cultural Research ◽  
Numeric Rating

The dominant practice among researchers is to treat verbal rating scales as interval in nature because of the vast array of analytical techniques that this opens up when it comes to analysis. This practice prevails despite warnings to the contrary that go back over half a century. A similar assumption seems safer when it comes to numeric rating scales. This paper revisits the issue to caution researchers to use only methods appropriate to the level of the data unless the proper rescaling is employed. The change in chi-square technique is developed to supplement rescaling using correspondence analysis, to uncover how scales are used by respondents. These techniques are applied to a sample that uses a verbal scale and three samples that use numeric rating scales. In all cases, the assumption of interval behaviour of the data proves to be a poor one. Rescaling is found to preserve the association among the variables. Strong evidence that rescaling changes the distribution of the variables leading to changes in the meaning of basic descriptive statistics is provided. Further research in this area and in the field of cross-cultural research is suggested.

Process and Critical Tasks of Cross-Cultural Research

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thanh V. Tran ◽  
Tam Nguyen ◽  
Keith Chan
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Instrument Development ◽  
Comparative Research ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
Research Instrument ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
New Instrument ◽  
Cross Cultural Research ◽  
Racial Ethnic

The overall process of cross-cultural instrument development and assessment are discussed in this chapter. Research instrument is defined as a systematic and standardized tool for data collection. It includes all types of research questionnaires and standardized scales. There are three methods of cross-cultural research instrument development: adopting an existing instrument, adapting or modifying an existing instrument, and developing a new instrument. In order to develop a cross-culturally valid questionnaire or instrument, the concepts or constructs selected for the investigation must be clearly defined and bear the same meanings across the selected cultural groups. No good questionnaire can be developed without clear definitions. This is a matter of utmost importance for all levels of cultural comparative research and evaluation whether it is a gender or racial/ethnic comparison within one society or across nations.

scholarly journals Child-directed and overheard input from different speakers in two distinct cultures

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Georgia LOUKATOU ◽  
Camila SCAFF ◽  
Katherine DEMUTH ◽  
Alejandrina CRISTIA ◽  
Naomi HAVRON
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
Urban Regions ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Cross Cultural Research

Abstract Despite the fact that in most communities interaction occurs between the child and multiple speakers, most previous research on input to children focused on input from mothers. We annotated recordings of Sesotho-learning toddlers living in non-industrial Lesotho in South Africa, and French-learning toddlers living in urban regions in France. We examined who produced the input (mothers, other children, adults), how much input was child directed, and whether and how it varied across speakers. As expected, mothers contributed most of the input in the French recordings. However, in the Sesotho recordings, input from other children was more common than input from mothers or other adults. Child-directed speech from all speakers in both cultural groups showed similar qualitative modifications. Our findings suggest that input from other children is prevalent and has similar features as child-directed from adults described in previous work, inviting cross-cultural research into the effects of input from other children.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document