Written assignmentCultural competence

HLT-324V Compare And Contrast Cultures Paper

Two interviews, and the order matters. Asking your own family the same questions is what stops the second interview reading as a catalogue of someone else's differences.

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 25, 2026

Written by

Maren Caldwell

MSN, RN, CNE

Medical-surgical nursing, pharmacology and NCLEX preparation

Reviewed by

Dr. Tessa Redmond

DNP, RN, CNE

Evidence-based practice and clinical education

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Interpret the task
Assignment instructions
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Proposed outline
Research plan
Reference shortlist
Final review

Your own family is the control condition

The design is doing something specific and it is easy to miss. You interview your own family and someone from an unfamiliar culture using the same instrument, which makes your own family the control condition rather than the neutral baseline. That is the point: without it, an interview with someone from another culture produces a list of things that struck you as different, and difference from what is never examined. Answering the questions about your own family honestly, and noticing which of your own practices you had never thought of as cultural at all, is what turns the exercise from observation into comparison. Do that interview first, and do it properly rather than filling the template from memory. Doing it first also fixes the instrument in your mind, so the second interview is a comparison rather than a discovery. The difference is visible in the write-up, and it is the difference between a paper about another culture and a paper about two.

The three additional questions the brief asks you to write are a real opportunity, since the template's own questions cover the standard domains and your three can go where the readings point. Questions about health care specifically tend to be the most useful for a nursing audience: who in the family is consulted before a medical decision, what illness is thought to be caused by, whether a diagnosis is told to the patient or to the family first, and what is expected of a nurse. Those produce answers with immediate clinical relevance. Handle the consent instruction seriously as well, since the brief requires it and the ethical point is part of the learning. When you write up, resist the pull toward tidy contrasts, because generational change within a family is usually a larger source of variation than the difference between two families, and noticing that is a stronger finding than a neat table of opposites.

Likely learning objectives

Use your own family interview as the comparison's control condition.
Notice practices you had not previously classified as cultural.
Write additional questions with clinical relevance.
Report generational variation rather than tidy contrasts.

Assignment instructions

Read the full question

Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

Max Points: 150 Details: It is important to identify and understand your own family culture in order to be able to understand and respect other cultures. Interview a family member, and an individual from another culture with which you are unfamiliar. Some examples of an individual from another culture to consider for the assignment include a neighbor, coworker, patient, or friend. Please inform the individuals of the purpose of this assignment and make sure you receive their consent. Interviews: Review the “Family Interview” template prior to the interview. Additional space is designated on the template for you to create three additional questions to ask both interviewees (family member and person from another culture). Additional questions should be relevant to the readings or discussion and should provide value to the interview by helping to understand culture. HLT-324V Compare And Contrast Cultures Paper Some of the questions may include: Family beliefs: Have they changed over generations? Educational and occupational status in the culture and in the family Communication methods: verbal and nonverbal Current family goals/priorities Family member roles and organizational systems Spiritual beliefs: current practice and death and dying Alternative lifestyles Work attitudes and structure Written Paper: Using the “Family Interview” template, interview your designated family member and the person from another culture. Be sure to write your responses in a way that will assist you in writing your paper. After the interview is completed, write a paper of 750-1,000 words that includes the following: An introductory paragraph with the reasons for selecting the interviewees. A summary of the responses from the interview template gathered from the interviewees. A comparison and contrast of your findings between the two interviewees. A reflective concluding paragraph on how family roles affect the cultural domains and relationships for each individual. General Requirements: Submit both the completed “Family Interview” template and the written paper” to the instructor. Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required. This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion. You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center. HLT-324V-RS-FamilyInterviewTemplate.docx

What the interview paper requires

01An interview with a family member and with an individual from another culture with which you are unfamiliar.
02Informed consent from both interviewees.
03Use of the Family Interview template, with three additional questions of your own relevant to the readings.
04Coverage of family beliefs across generations, educational and occupational status, verbal and nonverbal communication, family goals, member roles, spiritual beliefs including death and dying, alternative lifestyles and work attitudes.
05A compare and contrast paper drawing on both interviews.