Cultural Diversity and Its Implications in Online Networked Learning Spaces

Abstract

The open nature of online networked spaces enables diverse participation from all around the globe, raising cultural diversity as a paramount issue within the learning perspective. In this context, the purpose of this research is to examine participation and engagement patterns in online networked learning spaces in terms of cultural dimensions. The findings of this research have demonstrated that there is diversity in both time and space. The geographical distribution demonstrates that most of the participation originates from developed, Western, Anglo-Saxon cultures. Diversity in time creates its own loop, in which interactions were fed continuously and terms, such as day and night, sync and async have blurred borders. The English language is dominant over other languages and learners predominantly participate from those countries where English is spoken as a native or official language. In terms of cultural perspectives, the findings indicate that there is cultural dominancy as well as cultural diversity in online networked learning spaces.