چکیده (انگلیسی):

The purpose of this study was to examine (a) factors that influence effective crosscultural collaboration, and (b) challenges and issues that face researchers in crosscultural collaboration. During the summer of 2010, 20 researchers and student interns
from Ghana Education Service, Chicago State University (CSU-USA), Winneba
University of Education, and Cape Coast University took part in a collaborative field
study to assess the extent of use and impact of CSU Teaching and Learning Materials
Program (TLMP) in Ghana. In small, mixed teams of up to five Ghanaian and US
researchers, they were sent to different schools, in all 10 regions, covering up to four
school districts per team, in all 14 school districts where the program’s teaching and
learning materials had been distributed. In teams, they conducted research activities
together—observing classroom teaching, interviewing parents and teachers, and
collecting end-of-year assessments. They also conducted social activities together—
visiting landmarks, shopping, eating, etc. Their collaborative experiences were collected
through a review of daily journals that all had to keep, a review of the program
assessment reports, and telephone and email interviews with researchers. The factors
that influenced positive and harmonious group dynamics in cross-cultural collaboration
included (a) respect for the host community, (b) balance in team composition, and (c)
reliance on the paramount role of the host country researchers. Challenges and issues
that researchers faced included (a) language differences, (b) conflicting research
methodology styles, (c) limited knowledge of the host country’s social protocol.