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Chuenjitwongsa S, Bullock A, Oliver RG. Eur J Dent Ed 2018; 22: 57–66

We live in an era of multiculturalism. The free movement of people across Europe and increasing numbers of international students at UK universities raises the importance of an awareness of the relevance of cultural background in the delivery of teaching and of the learning styles of students.

'Culture' is difficult to define and is more than broad national characteristics. It includes a number of general areas such as arts, education, language and customs and, at a narrower level, a set of behaviours and values through which the world is seen and filtered. There is a recognition that each cultural group will contain sub-cultures within them and both may have an influence on learning behaviours.

No model of culture is universally validated but using Hofstede's cultural dimension model, six dimensions are recognised – hierarchy, identity, gender, truth, virtue and happiness. These allow extremes with each dimension to be identified. The extremes of hierarchy, for instance, are a 'small power distance' (SPD) in which people are treated as equals and a leader consults their followers, whereas with a 'large power distance' (LPD), obedience and respect are taught and leaders tell subordinates what to do. On this basis, in general, Scandinavian countries are at the SPD end of the spectrum and eastern European countries are at the LPD end. Using these six different dimensions, the authors identify cultural characteristics which may affect learning in an undergraduate course.

The authors distinguish between the Anglo Saxon culture of Northern and Western Europe and the Greco-Roman and Muslim-influenced cultures of Southern and Eastern Europe. Those with an Anglo Saxon cultural background, for instance, perceive educators to be facilitators who support learning and will actively participate in small group projects from the start. Those from Eastern Europe are less willing to take part in groups until trust and stability within the group has been established and tend to believe all they are taught without question. Within the gender domain, western cultures tend to be 'masculine', motivated by academic success and a sense of achievement, whereas the eastern cultures tend to be 'feminine', avoiding argument and challenge and are more focussed on maintaining harmony.

The authors recognise the generalised nature of these discussions but stress the importance of recognising cultural differences in learning. They ask the question whether it is the responsibility of the teacher to adapt to learning styles or the student to adapt to the learning environment. Whilst this paper discusses learning and cultural differences in an undergraduate environment, the discussion is relevant to the provision of oral health education in our multicultural society.