Volume 2 - Supplement 1 - Measurement Units - Intercultural Educational Activities

Oct 15, 2026

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Today’s society involves frequent interaction with new cultures, making short- and long-term adaptation complex for travel, study, new workplaces, or emigration. Practical details are often neglected, from visa requirements and shopping needs to border forms using different measurement units. The article proposes didactic activities to help pupils become familiar with various measurement units so they can respond confidently in intercultural situations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

MEASUREMENT UNITS. INTERCULTURAL EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES

1. Introduction

2. The International System of Units (SI) and nonstandard units measures

Volume 2, Supplement 1, 2009 MEASUREMENT UNITS. INTERCULTURAL EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES Ioana Magdaş Abstract: Today’s society is characterized by a plurality of cultures in such a way that a person will often interact and interrelate with new cultures. The situation becomes even more complicated when one has to adapt to a new culture for a short period of time (travel or study visit) or a long period of time (new work place, emigration etc.). Any person’s first impulse when getting ready to travel to a foreign country is to find out as much as possible about the respective country and its culture. Most of the time however, some details which are related to the practical aspects of such a visit are neglected. By this we mean everything from obtaining a visa (if necessary) to the shopping you need to do once you have arrived in the country. The first surprise might arise at the border when you might be asked to write you height or weight in a form using a different measurement unit (for instance feet or inch instead of cm) and can continue with distances being expressed in miles not in km, having to fill the gas tank using gallons and not liters and even being forced to shop where weight is expressed in lb instead of kg etc. Subsequently, intercultural education must not overlook the aspects formerly presented. In the present article we present a set of didactic activities which serve the purpose of familiarizing pupils with different measurement units so as to cope easily with situations that required interacting with new cultures or with people that are part of other cultures. Key words: measurement units, interculturalism, educational activity 1. Introduction Today’s society is characterized by a plurality of cultures in such a way that a person will often interact and interrelate with new cultures. The situation becomes even more complicated when one has to adapt to a new culture for a short period of time (travel or study visit) or a long period of time(new work place, emigration etc.) . Any person’s first impulse when getting ready to travel to a foreign country is to find out as much as possible about the respective country and its culture. Most of the time however, some details which are related to the practical aspects of such a visit are neglected. By this we mean everything from obtaining a visa (if necessary) to the shopping you need to do once you have arrived in the country. The first surprise might arise at the border when you might be asked to write you height or weight in a form using a different measurement unit (for instance feet or inch instead of cm) and can continue with distances being expressed in miles not in km, having to fill the gas tank using gallons and not liters and even being forced to shop where weight is expressed in lb instead of kg etc. Subsequently, intercultural education must not overlook the aspects formerly presented. In the present article, we present a set of didactic activities which serve the purpose of familiarizing pupils with different measurement units so as to cope easily with situations that required interacting with new cultures or with people that are part of other cultures. 2. The International System of Units (SI) and nonstandard units measures In 1960 the International System (usually abbreviated as SI) introduced the seven basic units, from which other units are derived. These units are: Received 27 September 2009, accepted 10 October 2009, published 20 December 2009 - For length: meter (with symbol m) defined as the distance traveled by light in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 second; - For mass: kilogram (with symbol kg) which equals 1,000 grams as defined by the international prototype Kilogram of platinum-iridium in the keeping of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; - For time: second (with symbol s) the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of radiation associated with a specified transition of the cesium-133 atom; - For electric current

FAQs

Why can adaptation to a new culture be complicated for travelers or students?

Adaptation becomes complicated because many practical aspects—such as forms, purchases, and everyday measurements—may differ from the person’s home country.

What problem does the article address regarding measurement units in intercultural contexts?

It highlights that border and daily-life situations may require using different units (e.g., height/weight, distance, fuel, or packaged goods), which can surprise people.

What learning goal do the proposed didactic activities target?

The activities aim to familiarize pupils with different measurement units so they can cope easily with real situations involving intercultural interaction.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Putri