The Relationship between National Culture and the Usability of an E-learning System

The purpose of this study was to investigate possible relationships between national culture and the usability of an e-learning system. The theoretical frameworks that were used to guide this study were Hofstede's cultural dimensions and Nielsen's usability attributes. The sample for this study was composed of the twenty-four attendees in an international workshop on training improvement held in Penang, Malaysia. This population was selected for this study because of the attendees' diverse cultural backgrounds and their underlying interest in all forms of training and instructional delivery. Three instruments were used in this study and each instrument assisted in collecting information regarding unique aspects of the research study. The study revealed that high uncertainty avoidance cultures found the e-learning system most frustrating to use. The study also found that individuals from cultures with low power distance indicators (e.g. people who are more accepting of uneven power distribution) rated the overall usability higher than individuals from high power distance indicator cultures.