Cultural Assimilation & Attitude of Non-Native Middle School Students and Adults in Dhaka: A Comparative Study
BRAC University, Bangladesh
ABSTRACT
This research aims to identify and examine the key factors that play a vital role in the cultural assimilation and attitudes of non-native speakers of Bangla at an International school in Dhaka where English is the medium of instruction, and seek out differences in attitude between the non-native adults residing in Dhaka. The identification of the key factors which facilitate cultural assimilation has been uncovered through triangulating personal interviews, semi-structured questionnaires, and focus group discussions. The results indicate that gradual cultural assimilation is taking place in the non-native speakers of Bangla in both the adult and student population, but with striking differences in their attitudes towards certain well established elements that foster cultural assimilation.
KEYWORDS
Cultural assimilation, Attitude, Cultural relativism, Diffusion, Integration