Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here for more information on Handbook of U.S. Latino Psychology

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
International Journal of Cross Cultural Management
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Harzing, A.-W.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Notes

Does the Use of English-language Questionnaires in Cross-national Research Obscure National Differences?

Anne-Wil Harzing

University of Melbourne, Australia, anne-wil{at}harzing.com

Cross-national research is plagued by many obstacles. This article focuses on one of these obstacles: the fact that research in more than one country usually involves respondents with different native languages. We investigated whether the language of the questionnaire influences response patterns. More specifically we tested whether responding in a common language (English) leads to a homogenization of responses across countries, hence obscuring national differences. We tested this hypothesis with a sample of 3419 undergraduate students in 24 countries. Half the students in each country received an English-language questionnaire, while the other half received the same questionnaire in their native language. Three types of questions were included in the questionnaire: questions about cultural norms and values, questions about characteristics of the ideal type of jobs that students would prefer after graduation, and questions about the reasons for choosing particular electives in their studies. Differences across countries were considerably smaller for nearly all questions when the English-language questionnaire was used. Consequences and recommendations for cross-national research and management are discussed.

Key Words: international research • language • research methods

International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, Vol. 5, No. 2, 213-224 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/1470595805054494
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 International Journal of Cross Cultural ManagementHome page
A.-W. Harzing
Response Styles in Cross-national Survey Research: A 26-country Study
International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, August 1, 2006; 6(2): 243 - 266.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Journal of Research in NursingHome page
L. Chiang-Hanisko, R. Ross, R. Ludwick, and D. Martsolf
International collaborations in nursing research: Priorities, challenges and rewards
Journal of Research in Nursing, July 1, 2006; 11(4): 307 - 322.
[Abstract] [PDF]