Conducting Cross-Cultural Research: Controversy, Cautions, Concerns, and Considerations

Abstract

In this article, the authors share concerns and considerations for researchers conducting cross-cultural research in gifted education. They contend that researchers should be mindful of the need to consider their own humanness—their beliefs, assumptions, attitudes, values, paradigms—and the limitations of their humanness when working with research participants from racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse backgrounds, especially those backgrounds that differ from their own. Furthermore, the authors assert that research is culture bound and that it is very difficult to conduct research where circumstances, demographics, and context can be ignored, minimized, negated, or in any way trivialized. Examples are presented of racially, culturally, and linguistically responsive researchers.

Notes

¹ Graham's (1992) detailed examination of trends in research on African Americans, published in APA journals between 1970 and 1989, revealed that most of the subjects were White and middle class.