Conceptual framework for the development and evaluation of cross-cultural orientation programs

This article describes factors which have hampered the development of effective cross-cultural orientation programs and discusses nine fundamental issues which orientation efforts ought to address: the role of expectation in coping with stressful situations, the selectivity of perception, cultural differences in behavior, the role of attributions, the centrality of values, the importance of social factors and context, erroneous assumptions about other cultures, the importance of social support, and the issue of effectiveness of the cross-cultural orientation program. The paper then describes the Intercultural sensitizer or culture assimilator as a method for cross-cultural orientation and discusses how the intercultural sensitizer addresses these issues.