It has been argued that the most significant factors influencing styles and approaches to learning are cultural and the socialisation processes that are associated with them. Initiatives in the Chinese education system, such as China’s New National Curriculum Reform (CNNCR) (2007), have challenged traditional culturally developed approaches to teaching and learning and have attempted to encourage more Western styles and approaches. These include adopting approaches that encourage knowledge construction, alongside knowledge acquisition, and refocusing on the learning experience of students, rather than the instruction of teachers. Whilst some argue that, given support, there are no culturally inherent barriers that prevent Chinese adult learners adopting more Western approaches, others feel that there are fundamental challenges to the role of teacher in a number of areas. This presentation contributes to the literature on the cultural significance of globalization on pedagogy.

In July 2023 and July 2024 staff from the Open University UK (UKOU) visited a large regional Open University in a high-income province of China in order to deliver a nine-day long professional development programme on topics related to Open and Distance Learning (ODL). Before this programme took place the UKOU staff used the Cultural Dimensions of Learning Framework (CDLF) to survey the 176 participants. The CDLF survey instrument consists of eight Cultural Dimensions of Learning which, when broken down into 36 items, can be used to collect detailed data from students or teachers as a way to establish their cultural preferences towards learning and teaching.

In this presentation, we will share how we applied the CDLF in this context and present the detailed findings from the survey instrument that addresses the research question: What are the cultural preferences of learning for Chinese OU teachers? These findings suggest that the cultural preferences towards teaching and learning expressed by many of the Chinese teachers were more aligned with Western cultural preferences, such as constructivism and student-focused approaches than might have been expected. We will also discuss the implications of these findings for the ODL sector and the wider debate about the globalization of education.

Keywords: Open and Distance Learning, CDLF, pedagogy, globalisation.