International Journal of Education Vol. 12, No. 1, August 2019, pp. 9-15 ©2019 Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia doi: 10.17509/ije.v12i1.17776 9 Instructional Needs Analysis and Cultural Values in Online Learning Nadia Hanoum 1 Hana Silvana 2 Department of Curriculum and Educational Technology, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia 1 nadia.hanum@upi.edu 2 hanasilva@upi.edu First draft received: 15 May 2019 Date Accepted: 18 Jun 2019 Final proof received: 31 Aug 2019 Abstract In online learning, learners are not allowed to have face to face and direct interaction with their teacher and their peers. Consequently, they have to be independent from their teacher in learning. From a cultural perspective, the nature of online learning is related to learners’ high individualism and low power distance between students and instructor, which is contradictory with Indonesian cultural values of high collectivism and high power distance. This study aimed to analyze the cultural values and online learning preferences of Indonesian students, identify the cultural issues resulted from the values and preferences, and determine the instructional strategies that could meet their learning needs so that learning effectiveness could be improved. This study employed a quantitative descriptive method and a questionnaire was used as the instrument to gather data from a group of students who took online learning via Integrated Online Learning System (Indonesian, SPOT) learning management system. The results suggested that Indonesian students exhibited high power distance and low tolerance for uncertainty and were culturally more collectivist and feminine. These cultural values affected the process of online learning in three different areas, namely assessment, instruction, and communication. Thus, a set of instructional strategies were proposed to overcome the problems posed by the learning culture of Indonesian students so that online learning could be more effective. Keywords: Cultural values, instructional needs, online learning To cite this paper (in APA style): Hanoum, N., & Silvana, H. (2019). Instructional needs analysis and cultural values in online learning. International Journal of Education, 12(1), 9-15. doi: 10.17509/ije.v12i1.17776 INTRODUCTION Unlike face-to-face learning, online learning eliminates teacher physical presence, which makes learning centered on students, put more attention on assessment and focus more on collective knowledge construction. (Darmayanti, 2007; Anderson, 2008). Consequently, students need to adapt their attitude and behavior to the nature of online learning which may not be compatible with their cultural values. Ess (2009, p. 20) pinpoints this problem by stating that “online learning technologies and techniques grounded in one culture will likewise reflect the cultural values and communicative preferences of that culture;” therefore, “when taken up by students in cultures shaped by different assumptions and values, such implementations generally fail.” Since online learning is grounded in the western world view, certain adaptation should be made to accommodate learners coming from non-western countries (Liu, et al., 2010). Different cultures possess different cognitive styles (Anderson, 1988). Cognitive style refers to a learner's preferences in processing information, and one of its dimensions that affect the process of online learning is the differences between field-dependent and field-independent personalities (Witkin, Moore, Goodenough, & Cox, 1977 in Ally, 2008). Field- dependent students are more motivated by external supports such as instructor guidance and group work, while field-independents are internally motivated and prefer to learn on their own (Witkin, 1977 in Sanchez and Gunawardena, 1998). Given that online learning requires learners to be able to study without instructor’s physical presence which means limited instructor guidance, it is no surprise that learners with field-independent personalities coming from western societies or who hold western cultural values more easily adopt online learning because the design is based on western cognitive styles. The differences between field-independent and field-dependent students have been studied by several researchers. Sanchez and Gunawardena (1998) reveal that Hispanic learners are field- dependent and collectivist, which are the characters of non-western cognitive styles. Consequently, they demonstrate a strong need for feedback from the instructor and prefer collaborative to competitive activities. Blanchard, Razaki, and Frasson (2005) report that while Canadian and French learners are individualistic, Brazilians and Iranians are relatively collectivist. Individualistic learners thus prefer to work