Operationalizing Cross-cultural Research Design: Practical, cost-effective, and a minimalistic application of cross-cultural research design

Operationalizing  cross-cultural  research  design: Practical,  cost-effective,  and  a  minimalistic  application of  cross-cultural  research  design  to  minimize  cultural bias in research and reconcile diverse viewpoints.

Abstract

We begin this paper by providing a brief overview of the history of science in different civilizations and cultures around the world since ancient times, in order to show that different cultures and traditions across geographies have contributed to human thought since time immemorial, and that “Eurocentrism” in science the way we understand it, is a more recent phenomenon, traceable particularly to the renaissance and the enlightenment which took place in those regions. Much has been talked about globalization in the twenty-first century, and the emergence of Japan, Korea, China, India, and countries in the Middle East as potential powers in the twenty-first century. It is imperative too, that science today be endowed with a cosmopolitan character and outlook, and students of science around the world no longer be fed on a diet of Eurocentric perspectives alone; this is additionally important because scientific endeavour is the basis of the design of educational systems and pedagogical theory, and the nurturing of future generations of researchers and scholars. This has been the raison d’etre, focus, and emphasis of all our work over the past several years. Science should not only therefore not only become more and more fieldwork driven, but also embrace a multitude of perspectives of denizens of major and minor cultures across the world. Thus, ivory tower approaches should become a thing of the past, and science should become increasingly culture-neutral and ideology-free. This is as such, our fourth paper on the philosophy of science, and our earlier work focussed, among other things, on the importance of the social duties of every researcher and scholar, the principle of exceptionism or the sociological ninety ten rule, and the certainty uncertainty principle. This paper can also be therefore seen as the logical culmination of all our earlier endeavours, and is an integral part of the “Globalization of science” movement.