The influence of cultural values on U.S. and Danish students’ digital behavior: Exploring culture, new media, and social context

ABSTRACT

This study explores the intersection of culture, new media, and social context—an essential component of intercultural new media studies—by investigating the social uses of smartphones, tablets, and laptops in university classrooms in Denmark and the US. American and Danish university students differed significantly in (1) frequency of new media use, (2) preferred classroom policies regulating use, (3) perceived impact of use on learning, attention, and student participation, and (4) preferred instructor strategies for handling distracting uses. Danes and Americans also differed significantly in authority values that are linked to students' new media use in the classroom.

KEYWORDS:

• New media
• culture
• education
• Denmark
• United States

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the invaluable assistance of Business Academy Aarhus University of Applied Sciences in conducting and funding the Danish research: Ulla Haahr and Povl Henningsen for project coordination; Christian Mathiasen for university participation; and the staff and students involved in the study.