PhD Oral Exam - Wenbin Liu, Education

When studying for a doctoral degree (PhD), candidates submit a thesis that provides a critical review of the current state of knowledge of the thesis subject as well as the student’s own contributions to the subject. The distinguishing criterion of doctoral graduate research is a significant and original contribution to knowledge.

Once accepted, the candidate presents the thesis orally. This oral exam is open to the public.

Abstract

This dissertation examines the roles of culture and cultural competence in the related professional disciplines of Learning and Development and Technical Communication.

It first explores the portrayal of culture and cultural competence through in-depth content analyses of a decade and a half of all peer-reviewed articles in one journal each in Learning and Development (Performance Improvement Quarterly) and Technical Communication (Journal Business and Technical Communication). Using this information on the portrayal of the roles of culture and cultural competence in these two publications, the dissertation proceeds to explore empirical evidence of the roles of culture and the cultural competencies needed in the two lines of work through separate Developing a Curriculum (DACUM) studies of both fields. In both pairs of studies, focus groups of individual contributors and managers elicited the evidence.

All studies explored culture broadly: in terms of personal backgrounds national, societal, and demographically-based cultures), and in terms of the organizations in which individuals practice their professions (workplace, occupational, and technological cultures). Although participants in the two professions (Learning and Development and Technical Communication) identified overlaps in the cultural competencies including inclusivity and bias reduction, the two fields differ in focus. Workplace and societal cultures receive the most attention, with Learning and Development emphasizing workplace culture more than Technical Communication.

Additionally, Learning and Development participants identified a wide array of cultural competencies that span cognitive, behavioral, and affective dimensions, addressing both learner adaptation and the cultural complexities within their work environments. In contrast, Technical Communicators emphasized behavior-based competencies focused primarily on audience-centered communication, with less attention to navigating workplace cultural dynamics within the workplace. Then, the study proposes a cross-field model of cultural competence including both shared dimensions and field-specific ones, and offers practical recommendations to better support culturally responsive practices.