National Cultural Values and Their Role in Learning: A comparative ethnographic study of state primary schooling in England and France

Epistemic authority of professors and researchers: differential perceptions by students from two cultural-educational systems

“…The current study was conducted to test whether perceptions of professors and researchers as epistemic authorities are culture-dependent. In the French educational system, students learn to respect and obey their teachers, whereas students in the Dutch educational system adopt more critical attitudes towards teachers and information (e.g., De Bony 2003;Hofstede 1986;Planel 1997). It was therefore tested whether French students are less sensitive to the discipline of professors and researchers when they put forward claims than Dutch students.…”

“…French students do not put themselves in a position to critically assess their teachers (cf. Hofstede 1986;Planel 1997), and may be relatively less sensitive to the discipline of the teacher. There is some research evidence that students in the French educational system may indeed be rather insensitive to the teacher's domain of competence.…”

“…Neuliep (1997), for instance, demonstrated that the immediacy between teachers and students in the large power distance culture Japan was much smaller than in the small power distance culture the United States. For France, another large power distance culture, it has been noted that authoritarianism plays an important part in education (Planel 1997). In French primary education, pupils receive information from the teacher and accept it: "Knowledge is received, not negotiated or reflexive" (Alexander 2000, p. 62).…”

“…In French primary education, pupils receive information from the teacher and accept it: "Knowledge is received, not negotiated or reflexive" (Alexander 2000, p. 62). Pupils in France consider teachers omniscient (Planel 1997). Since the 15th century, French philosophers such as Rabelais have insisted on the need for omniscient and erudite instructors (Blom 1995).…”

“…In large power distance cultures such as France, students learn to respect and obey their teacher, whereas in smaller power distance cultures such as the Netherlands, the relationships between students and teachers are more informal (Hofstede 1986). It has been suggested that students in France consider teachers omniscient (e.g., Blom 1995;Planel 1997), whereas students in the Netherlands develop a more critical attitude towards teachers and the information they provide (e.g., De Bony 2003;Hofstede 1986). Therefore, it was empirically tested whether French students perceive smaller differences than Dutch students between professors and researchers who put forward information that is or is not related to their own discipline.…”