Cross-cultural Differences Between Korean and American College Students’ Perceptions of Sexual Harassment in Conversational Appropriateness

by Chae, Yunekyong

The purpose of this study was to compare the cross-cultural differences of Korean and American college students’ perceptions of their experiences with sexual harassment and how it impacts their thoughts and feelings. This study extends the sexual harassment literature to include Koreans' experiences with this important topic. Therefore, this study addresses four research questions: RQ1: Are there cultural differences between Korean and American students' perceptions of sexual harassment in conversational appropriateness? RQ2: Are there gender differences between Korean and American students' perceptions of sexual harassment in conversational appropriateness? RQ3: Will American students report perceptions of sexually harassing conversations more frequently than Korean students? RQ4: Based on the interview data, will American students report more awareness and understanding of the definition of sexual harassment than Korean students? The results indicated few cultural differences, contrary to the literature, several gender differences, and several significant differences based on same national or ethnic differences.