Cultural bias and behavior are considerable aspects of teaching and creating a motivated and fair environment in classrooms. Glock et al. (2018) state that teachers tend to show negative attitudes toward ethnic minority students, even if they work in culturally diverse environments. However, Fan et al. (2019) found that departments with the majority of female teachers, such as Social Sciences or Arts, show a lower level of cultural bias. I presume that, generally, I am not prejudiced towards ethnic minorities, nationalities, or religious parties; however, in certain situations, I show my cultural bias. Sometimes I feel that I am judging people too fast without knowing their intentions, situations, or motives. Therefore, one of my primary goals is to avoid this biased manner of thinking by reading psychological and ethical books and forming a better understanding of people’s motives and behavior. Additionally, I am ready to share the gained knowledge about cultural differences and the reduction of prejudice with my students and colleagues.
I believe that cultural norms impact students’ daily life, activities, and communication. For example, some families preserve their traditional eating habits, religious practices, or typical clothing; and intolerable students or teachers may aggressively meet this type of cultural difference. Moreover, according to Lefringhausen et al. (2019), cross-cultural communication can be influenced by such criteria as cultural values (the perception of hierarchy, for example) or communication styles (formal or informal). In this way, culture influences communication and social integration. In addition, a strong accent, diverse attitudes towards certain issues, and various cultural belonging may result in discrepancies or misunderstandings during communication.
As mentioned before, I am ready to challenge stereotypes I may hold and try to learn about other cultures. I try to broaden my knowledge about diverse populations and nations by watching documentaries and travel shows about diverse countries and their culture. In addition, I try to keep cross-cultural contacts by communicating with people in various language exchange apps and sharing experiences and customs. Moreover, seminars in psychology help me better understand diverse behavioral patterns that show different individuals regardless of their cultural backgrounds. The analysis of human behavior and various cultural norms provides me with the knowledge that allows me to challenge my biases and reduce them.
References
Fan, Y., Shepherd, L., Slavich, E., Waters, D., Stone, M., Abel, R., & Johnston, E. L. (2019). Gender and cultural bias in student evaluation: Why representation matters. PLOS ONE, 14(2), 1-16. Web.
Glock, S., Kovac, C., & Cate, I. P. (2018). Teachers’ attitudes towards ethnic minority students: Effects of schools’ cultural diversity. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 89(4), 616-634. Web.
Lefringhausen, K., Spencer-Oatey, H., & Debray, C. (2019). Culture, norms, and the assessment of communication contexts: Multidisciplinary perspectives. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 50(10), 1098-1111. Web.