Cultural challenges eLearners from the GCC countries face when enrolled in Western educational institutions: A thematic literature review

This study provides an in-depth assessment of the cultural challenges eLearners from the Gulf Corporation Council (GCC) countries face when enrolled in Western higher education institutions. The study adopts an analytical approach by identifying two themes that incorporate reviewing some of the most significant literature related to this area of study. As theoretical frameworks, Hofstede’s popular cultural dimensions and Hall’s (1976) concept of low and high context cultures are considered. The purpose of this thematic review of the literature is to better understand challenges related to eLearning that eLearners from the GCC countries face when enrolled in Western educational institutions. In view of that, this study sheds light on two main questions: What are some of the challenges eLearners from the GCC countries face when enrolled in Western educational institutions? And what considerations should be taken into account when designing instructional materials for online courses targeting eLearners from the GCC Countries? The analysis revealed that GCC students face different types of eLearning barriers that are divided into two broad categories. The first is the general barriers and inconveniences, and the second is the challenges they face when enrolled in Western universities. This study also concluded that Western universities targeting students from the Arab countries in general, and the GCC countries in particular, need to place suitable inter-cultural plans to prepare for and effectively deal with the challenges analysed in the study. Recommendations on how to implement these preparatory plans for the GCC eLearners enrolled in Western programmes are also presented and highlighted.