Cross-cultural Development and Evaluation: A model for becoming aware of implicit assumptions

One of the fundamental challenges that each researcher or educator faces is dealing with hidden assumptions they hold. These assumptions place constraints on their perception and expectations (e.g. potentially limiting the kinds of questions they ask), and often put them at a disadvantage when working in foreign contexts. These implicit assumptions deeply influence how they perceive things and how they work. We assert that in our academic and professional discourse, we need to be more aware of and explicit about these assumptions and the ways in which they influence how we see and what we do. In this paper, we provide a basis for this argument and an example of a model that facilitates activity which helps to foster an increased awareness of the hidden assumptions we bring into cross-cultural development and evaluation efforts.