Exporting American culture : cultural artifacts on U.S. college and university websites, 2013

Item — Call Number: MU Thesis Tow

Identifier: b5967401

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The collection consists of theses written by students enrolled in the Monmouth University graduate Communication program. The holdings are bound print documents that were submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the Master of Arts degree.

Dates

Creation: 2013

Creator

Towle, Vera (Author, Person)
Novek, Eleanor (Thesis advisor, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use. Access is by appointment only.

Access to the collection is confined to the Monmouth University Library and is subject to patron policies approved by the Monmouth University Library.

Collection holdings may not be borrowed through interlibrary loan.

Research appointments are scheduled by the Monmouth University Library Archives Collections Manager (723-923-4526). A minimum of three days advance notice is required to arrange a research appointment for access to the collection.

Patrons must complete a Researcher Registration Form and provide appropriate identification to gain access to the collection holdings. Copies of these documents will be kept on file at the Monmouth University Library.

Extent

1 Items (print book) : 35 pages ; 8.5 x 11.0 inches (28 cm).

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Introduction [excerpt]

This study will expand on previous research of university websites by Callahan (2006), Gevorgyan and Porter (2008), Gevorgyan and Manucharova (2009) and Tang (2011) by using Hofstede's dimensional model of national culture as a framework for assessing home pages of the top 50 U.S. universities, as compiled by U.S. News & World Report. Previous studies by Callahan (2006) and Tang (2011) primarily examined the visual aspects of university websites. Marcus and Gould (2000) operationalized Hofstede's cultural dimensions to user-interface design of websites, and established specific indicators for each of Hofstede's dimensions. Based on indicators established by Callahan (2006), Marcus and Gould (2000), and Singh e [sic] al. (2003), this study will conceptualize Hofstede's cultural values by assessing features such as navigation choices, content, availability of other languages, and visual elements present on U.S. college and university home pages. This research will also link Bandura's social congnitive theory to the study of college websites as an important factor for administrators to consider. Given that culture plays a key role in shaping behavior, it is anticipated that American cultural values will be represented on U.S. university home pages.