Conducting Cross National Research

Abstract

Research in cross-cultural contexts has remained largely unexplored due to the complexities and complications that arise during such studies. While many cross-cultural studies have been conducted in a variety of contexts, little has been published with regard to caveats, practicalities, and potential impediments. This paper presents a practical lessons learned approach derived from a recent cross-cultural team cognition study executed at a large eastern United States university and a comparable institution in the United Kingdom. While seeking to carry out cross-cultural research, we encountered issues with communication, coordination, and practical requirements that had a strong impact on experimental design and ultimately, on outcomes. This paper presents several of the lessons learned from this cross-site, cross-cultural research project with particular focus on the underlying aspects of designing, preparing, and implementing cross-cultural research.