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Studying schooling in northern India : calibrating fieldwork to cultural realities in a non-Western country / Lauren Shapiro Crane, Ramesh C. Mishra.

By: Contributor(s): Material type: TextSeries: Publisher: London : SAGE Publications Ltd, 2018Description: 1 online resourceContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • computer
Carrier type:
  • online resource
ISBN:
  • 9781526439703 (ebook) :
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 370.1 23
Online resources: This case study discusses methodological challenges arising during the Indian portion of a cross-cultural fieldwork project based in India and the United States. This open-ended, exploratory research project combined naturalistic observation of high school classrooms with interviews of high school principals, to investigate how school experiences may affect adolescents' developing sense of self, or self-schema, across cultures. This interdisciplinary investigation of school-based socialization, or enculturation, is situated at the intersection of social psychology, developmental psychology, education, sociology, and anthropology. In this case study, we describe key dimensions of cultural contrast that are likely to affect the progress of a Western researcher pursuing fieldwork in a non-Western country, such as differences in time perspective, social hierarchy, relationship expectations, cultural sensitivities, and communication style. We also describe strategies for managing these cultural challenges. Overall, the methodological and cultural observations presented here apply not only to India but to a wide range of non-Western countries. Readers should emerge better prepared to pursue international fieldwork with cultural competence across much of Asia and the developing world.
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Includes bibliographical references and index.

This case study discusses methodological challenges arising during the Indian portion of a cross-cultural fieldwork project based in India and the United States. This open-ended, exploratory research project combined naturalistic observation of high school classrooms with interviews of high school principals, to investigate how school experiences may affect adolescents' developing sense of self, or self-schema, across cultures. This interdisciplinary investigation of school-based socialization, or enculturation, is situated at the intersection of social psychology, developmental psychology, education, sociology, and anthropology. In this case study, we describe key dimensions of cultural contrast that are likely to affect the progress of a Western researcher pursuing fieldwork in a non-Western country, such as differences in time perspective, social hierarchy, relationship expectations, cultural sensitivities, and communication style. We also describe strategies for managing these cultural challenges. Overall, the methodological and cultural observations presented here apply not only to India but to a wide range of non-Western countries. Readers should emerge better prepared to pursue international fieldwork with cultural competence across much of Asia and the developing world.

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