Cultural value orientations at BME as an educational organization

Intercultural encounters are unavoidable these days where industries, including higher education, relate to the whole world. In order to assist the international student body present in increasing numbers, BME has actively been researching its members’ cultural value orientations and communication patterns. Based on data on Hungary in the scientific literature, a communication needs analysis survey in 2022 among 185 international students, 90 instructors and 19 administrators, as well as a series of intercultural forums organized in the spring of 2023 with about a 100 instructors and students, the following organizational and educational culture of BME may be identified.

High context, reader responsible

Just as Hungarian culture and communication, BME communication seems to be high context, which means that part of the message tends to be unsaid and kept ‘hidden between the lines’ to a certain extent and not everything will be explicitly said out loud (Hall, 1973, 1976). If it were, it would make Hungarians feel they repeat things redundantly, waste time, and are ‘stupid’ for not understanding the message without explicit explanations. As part of this high context communication pattern, BME culture is reader responsible (Hinds, 1987), meaning it is the reader’s duty and task to uncover the message – not the sender’s – to get it across as precisely as they want it to be received. So, if something is not clear, it is the students’ task to search for the missing information or find their own way of filling in the gaps of the message. If you are unsure where to start ‘to do your homework’, as the English say, ask for help from your instructor or administrative staff after the lesson or in contact hours.

Masculine

Hungarian and BME culture also tends towards masculine cultural values (Hofstede, Hofstede & Minkov, 2010), in as much as task orientation is prevalent. Getting the task done is the dominant focus, not creating a relationship first with the person one has to do the task with or for. This might be experienced by students as ‘lack of helpfulness or flexibility from teachers’, but it is not meant to belittle or to brush off students. It is only that the focus of interaction is on the task or the goal, and not on the social aspects of the interaction. If you feel you would need more social contact with your instructors, ask yourself if it is because you do not understand the task and need help, or because you would simply feel more ‘seen’. If the former, ask for help, if the latter, assure yourself that feeling unseen does not qualify you and does not negate your values.

High power distance

Another tendency of cultural values at BME is towards power distance (Hofstede, Hofstede & Minkov, 2010). In high power distance cultures, the initiator of communication and the authority on the information is mostly the person in the higher position, in this case the lecturer, the professor, the dean, the rector. In line with face negotiation theory (Ting-Toomey & Kurogi, 1998), making mistakes in public is mostly considered shameful for the higher-ranking person, but acceptable by the lower ranking one in an educational setting, yet it might still be punished. Even though the idea that mistakes are a learning opportunity is spreading, the practice of openly discussing the learning benefit without shaming the person who made the mistake may vary according to class size and the interactant’s personal beliefs. If you are unsure how to behave in a situation with a higher-ranking person, verbalize your thoughts and the background you are coming from and ask politely for guidance regarding expected behavioral practices.

Individualism

Even though power distance is one of the strongest features of Hungarian educational values, the hierarchical structure does not support or expect a fully passive behavior from students for everything to be controlled and told by the instructors. This is the cultural value of individualism (Hofstede, Hofstede & Minkov, 2010) that puts the individual’s development at the forefront. Therefore, active participation is expected from students in seminars, labs as well as in some lectures. It is true, however, that participation should not disturb the flow of the instruction, and addressing lecturers appropriately with a show of respect is essential. If you are unsure when and how to ask your questions, talk to your lecturer after the lesson and ask them when they would like you to ask questions, e.g., during the lecture by raising your hand, after the lesson, in e-mail or any other form. If you are not comfortable asking questions, take a deep breath and practice. It is okay for students to ask questions, because the individualism factor means students’ individual development is important, but the power distance factor means you have to find the right time and the right place and be polite.

Monochronic time

Hungarian and BME culture also seems to tend towards monochronic time attitude to activities (Hall, 1973, 1976). This means that it is the time factor that controls a lot of activities, not the product. Therefore, keeping deadlines and sticking to opening hours of administration or instructor consultations are important. Activities are usually linearly structured, so if a person is doing something at the moment when one approaches them for some reason, they will tend to want to finish it before they can give one their full attention. Official hours for communication should be between Monday to Friday from 8.00 -16.00 or 17.00 and the most frequently used channels are Neptun (the name of the central education administrative system) and e-mail, but individual preferences might be diverse. If you are unsure of when and where to contact or talk to people, look for official opening hours, or ask them what their preferences are when you meet them. Then proceed to address the issue in question at the designated timeframe and location.

Educational differences across cultures: learning and teaching styles, informational flow and logic

Research has shown that there might be significant cultural differences in learning and teaching styles (Reid, 1987; Felder, 1995; Yu, 2020; Lemke-Wescott & Johnson, 2012; and Yamazaki, 2005; etc.), and in the information flow of different languages (Gillet, www.uefap.org). Therefore, apart from the cultural value orientation differences highlighted above, the following ideas might also be useful for international students studying at BME: (adapted from Bennet, 1995, expanded by BME research)

• Recognize your own learning style, your strengths and weaknesses (check out this learning style assessment or this, or this)
• Recognize your instructors’ teaching style, and compare it with your learning style preferences
• Determine how far you can stray from your strengths and preferences and still be comfortable in order to be able to adapt to the instructors’ expectations
• Be prepared for cursive writing from instructors. This is a type of handwriting where letters are connected. It is typically taught to Hungarian children in school. They might lose it later on in life, or use a mix of printed and cursive letters, but the default handwriting in Hungary is cursive. Ask instructors politely to change to printed letters if they can, but explain why you are asking
• Address any issues rather than assume the motivation for the other person’s behavior. If you feel any discomfort in a situation, and/or misunderstanding happens, it is OK to clarify, give and ask for clarification the next time you meet, or later on in an e-mail.
• ASK POLITELY
  • for different modes of learning style (visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic) if possible, if the one(s) provided does not suit you at all
  • for help, for extra practice material, or mentoring or study groups
  • questions to clarify that what you understand under one term is the same idea that the instructor meant. Do not take for granted any terms you use or hear used.
  • for a definition for everyday terms as well if necessary (e.g., meaning of mass at Easter in Europe if you come from somewhere where there is no such event)
  • for feedback or clarification or give a summary of what has been said to make sure you understood what the teacher meant
  • what the rules of behavior are (attendance, handing in assignments, etc.) and keep them
  • what, how and why you have to do something if it is not clear for you. Motivation tends to be stronger if one sees the reason for certain tasks. It is a good idea to explain why you are asking what you are asking for, but do it politely so that the instructor does not take offense.

 

 

Concluding remarks

It has to be emphasized that despite national, organizational or regional cultural characteristics, individuals have their own unique set of values, which interact, overlap, and influence the other levels in a particular individual in a particular situation. Individuals, however, will not necessarily be able to consciously identify their value systems displayed in their behaviour, at least not without training. It is people who meet on an everyday basis not cultures, so focus on building connections in the given communication process, identify mutual goals and the difficulties in order to find solutions to overcome those difficulties, and achieve the intended goals (Hoffman & Verdooren, 2019).

In view of all of the above, if you keep in mind that your goal here is to learn a profession, get a degree at a prestigious university, establish your future, find opportunities and pass on the knowledge to future generations that you acquire on your way, and that our instructors’ goal is to help you achieve your goals, despite our cultural differences in teaching, learning and communicating, we can build lasting connections and reach our mutual goals.

We wish you a successful and enriching experience at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.

 

Ildikó Furka, PhD, Senior lecturer, Centre for Modern Languages, Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences,

Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME GTK INYK)

2023

 

References:

Bennett, Christine (1995). Comprehensive Multicultural Education: Theory and Practice, 3rd ed. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Felder, R. M. (1995). Learning and teaching styles in foreign and second language education. Foreign Language Annals, 28(1), 21–31.

Gillett, A. Information flow. Available at http://www.uefap.net/writing/writing-paragraphs/writing-paragraphs-flow

Hall, E. T. (1973). The silent language. New York: Anchor Books.

Hall, E. T. (1976). Beyond Culture. Garden City, NY: Anchor/Doubleday.

Hinds, J. (1987). Reader versus writer responsibility: a new typology. In R. B. Kaplan, & U. Connor (Eds.), Writing across languages: analysis of L2 text (pp. 141-152). Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

Hoffman, E. & Verdooren, A. (2019). Diversity Competence: Cultures Don’t Meet, People Do. Cabi.

Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J., Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. Revised and expanded 3rd Edition. McGraw-Hill.

Lemke-Westcott, T. & Johnson, B. (2012). Different Cultures and Learning Styles Matter in a Canadian University with Middle Eastern students. Literacy Information and Computer Education Journal (LICEJ), Special Issue 1(1), 863-871.

Reid, J. M. (1987). The Learning Style Preferences of ESL Students. TESOL QUARTERLY, 21(1), 87-110.

Ting-Toomey, S., & Kurogi, A. (1998). Facework Competence in Intercultural Conflict: An Updated Face-Negotiation Theory. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 22, 187-225. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0147-1767(98)00004-2

Yamazaki, Y. (2005). Learning styles and typologies of cultural differences: A theoretical and empirical comparison. International Journal of Intercultural Relations 29, 521–548.

Yu, R. (2020). Culture in Second or Foreign Language Acquisition. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 11(6), 943-947, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1106.10