Enhancing Cultural Intelligence of Tourists Through Immersive Cultural Consumption Experiences in Cultural Heritage Tourism: Using a Mixed-Methods Approach Combining PLS-SEM and BERTopic Modeling

Equity-centered preparation builds novice teachers’ capacity to make meaningful instruction accessible to all students, particularly those historically excluded from high-quality learning experiences. Drawing on social learning theory, we examined Teacher Study Groups as a model for supporting preservice special educators’ development of equity-centered practices. We examined 60 preservice teachers’ instruction prior to and following study group participation, embedded in a fieldwork support course, alongside related artifacts shared during weekly sessions. Using a convergent mixed-methods approach, we analyzed quantitative and qualitative data separately and then integrated findings using joint display analysis; in doing so, we generated meta-inferences regarding how teachers’ attitudes mediated growth in practice. We uncovered salient participatory experiences that influenced—and hindered—professional growth. Our findings have implications for programs interested in structuring professional learning in a manner that builds foundations for an equity-centered practice.

The integration of augmented reality (AR) in education has demonstrated significant potential to transform traditional learning into interactive and immersive experiences, particularly in language learning. This study explores the perceptions and experiences of undergraduate student facilitators in designing and implementing an AR-enhanced adventure game to improve English proficiency. The research involved 23 participants utilizing the EyeJack application to develop situational learning activities that incorporated cognitive and language skills. A convergent mixed-methods approach was employed, combining surveys, structured interviews, and artifact-based observations to evaluate communication, the quality of instructional materials, the use of AR tools, and logistical considerations. The results reveal that AR significantly enhanced engagement, motivation, and practical language application among participants. However, challenges such as technical constraints, the need for facilitator training, and adaptation to diverse learning contexts were highlighted. Participants emphasized AR’s potential to foster meaningful and enjoyable educational experiences while advocating for improvements in logistical support and training. The findings provide valuable insights for educators and policymakers into how AR can be effectively integrated into language learning to enhance collaboration, critical thinking, and task-based learning. Furthermore, this study contributes to the broader academic field by advancing knowledge on the pedagogical applications of AR, offering a framework for scaling its implementation across diverse educational settings. This study concludes that AR-enhanced activities, when strategically designed and executed, can revolutionize language education by bridging traditional and technology-enhanced methodologies. By addressing current challenges, AR tools can serve as transformative resources, promoting inclusive and innovative learning practices that align with the evolving demands of education in the digital age.

ObjectiveFamily caregivers of people with dementia perform duties that are important for maintaining their loved one's overall well-being. However, it is not yet clear how these caregivers' quality-of-life affects their ability to meet the care demands of their loved ones. The purpose of this study is to utilize a mixed methods approach in investigating how family caregiver quality-of-life affects the care provided to people with dementia. Family caregivers will be recruited from the Rochester, New York area to participate in focus groups or one-on-one interviews. In addition to the qualitative data obtained, caregivers will complete questionnaires regarding their own quality-of-life (e.g., health status, socioeconomic) as well as the care provided to their loved ones with dementia (e.g., how the care provided meets the needs of the care recipient, time spent). A convergent mixed methods approach will be used to analyze the qualitative and quantitative data obtained.ResultsData from the interviews will be transcribed verbatim and then analyzed qualitatively. Quantitative data from the questionnaires will be analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics software. A convergent mixed methods approach will be applied to the datasets to help shed light on the relationship between family caregiver quality-of-life and the care provided to people living with dementia. Understanding of this relationship will make it possible to develop initiatives that better address caregiver needs.

This study explores the integration of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies into the instruction of literary texts, with a specific focus on Kazakh literature. As contemporary education increasingly adopts digital tools, the potential of immersive technologies in enhancing literary comprehension remains underexplored, particularly in minority and non-Western language contexts. By adopting a multimodal linguistic approach, this research investigates how virtual and augmented environments can facilitate a deeper understanding of stylistic features, narrative structures, character development, and cultural-linguistic nuances embedded in literary discourse. The theoretical framework draws upon systemic functional linguistics and multimodality theory, highlighting how meaning is constructed through verbal, visual, and spatial modes in digitally mediated literary experiences. The study involved an experimental classroom-based implementation where undergraduate students interacted with selected excerpts from modern Kazakh prose and poetry via VR/AR applications. Data were collected through pre- and post-intervention surveys, focus group discussions, and linguistic performance tasks to evaluate changes in students' interpretive abilities, emotional engagement, and semantic awareness. Findings reveal that VR/AR integration fosters enhanced cognitive involvement and emotional resonance, supporting more embodied and context-rich engagement with literary texts. The immersive experience allowed students to visualize abstract literary concepts, engage with multimodal stimuli, and develop a more nuanced appreciation of linguistic expression. Overall, the study provides pedagogical insights into how immersive technology can transform literary education. It contributes to the fields of digital humanities, applied linguistics, and literature pedagogy by offering a theoretically grounded and practically implementable model for teaching literature in digitally enhanced learning environments.

Knowledge acquisition of Chinese expatriates: managing Chinese MNEs in Kazakhstan

Departed from the dominant emphasis of previous studies on the effect of independent five factor personality traits on cultural intelligence and cross-cultural competence, this study examined the combined effect of personality traits on cultural intelligence. Drawing from social learning theory, we present and test a theoretical argument for linking the intellectual dimension of personality - openness to interact with an interpersonal dimension of personality- agreeableness to cultural intelligence. Data collected from 244 international managers shows that the relationship between openness and cultural intelligence is stronger when agreeableness is high than when it is low, suggesting the combined effect of openness with agreeableness may be more important to cultural intelligence than either trait in isolation. The findings suggest that selection and development of international managers should consider personality traits not in isolation, but in concert.

PurposeValue co-creation is a new initiative for enterprises to form a competitive advantage, and user engagement is the basis for achieving value co-creation; nevertheless, few studies have discussed the influence mechanisms of user engagement on value co-creation behavior. In this study, the authors aim to reveal the influence mechanisms of online fitness user engagement on value co-creation behavior by considering emotional resonance and immersive experience as mediating variables.Design/methodology/approachThe authors proposed and empirically tested a research model based on a survey involving 461 Chinese respondents through partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe results of this study confirm that consumer engagement, contributing engagement and social engagement are important drives of value co-creation behavior among online fitness users. Furthermore, emotional resonance and immersive experience have been revealed as important mediating mechanisms to explain why user engagement drives value co-creation behavior.Practical implicationsThe results of this study suggest that practitioners need to focus on the social engagement and consumer engagement of users in online fitness communities and to provide the appropriate environment and conditions for online fitness user to achieve mutual value co-creation.Originality/valueThis study makes two main contributions. It examines user engagement in an online fitness community context and helps to understand its applicability in other contexts. It explains the influence mechanisms of online fitness user engagement on value co-creation behavior and enriches the studies related to the drivers of value co-creation behavior.

Purpose This study explores the potential of the metaverse in cultural tourism, explicitly examining whether it offers truly immersive experiences or remains an unrealistic ambition. This research aims to assess the effectiveness of the metaverse in authentically conveying cultural narratives and enhancing tourists’ engagement with virtual environments. Design/methodology/approach Data collection was done using the survey method, which was analyzed using structural equation modeling to evaluate the effects of awareness, cultural sensitivity and immersive experiences in cultural tourism. The sample included individuals familiar with virtual tourism platforms and their potential applications in the metaverse. Findings This study highlights the significant role of awareness and cultural elements in improving immersive experiences within the metaverse. The results indicate that cultural sensitivity and authenticity in virtual environments influence tourists’ behavioral intentions to revisit physical sites and engage in tourist activities. The findings underscore that immersive experiences are a key factor in driving future tourism behavior in both virtual and physical realms. Originality/value This research advances the understanding of the intersection between emerging technologies and cultural tourism, applying the theory of planned behavior to predict tourist engagement with virtual platforms. The study contributes new insights into how the metaverse can transform tourist experiences. It comprehensively evaluates its immersive potential and its ability to enhance cultural tourism through digital innovation.

Investigating preceptor experiences with cultural intelligence in pharmacy education.

Background With the increase of social pressure, depression has become a major mental health problem worldwide. With the powerful participation and interactivity of virtual reality technology, immersive digital museums provide patients with depression with a new way of sensory stimulation and cognitive regulation. Due to the high incidence of depression and the current treatment needs, non-drug psychological intervention has become the main direction of depression treatment. However, there are few studies on the impact of immersive digital museum experience mode on patients with depression. Therefore, this study focuses on the immersive digital museum experience and verifies the impact of digital museums on symptom relief and quality of life improvement in patients with depression through experiments. Methods The study selected 60 patients who met the diagnostic criteria for depression and randomly divided them into an experimental group and a control group of 30 patients each. Patients in the experimental group participated in an immersive digital museum experience twice a week, which included natural landscape exhibitions, historical and cultural scenes, and interactive displays of artworks. The control group received routine psychological counseling and did not receive digital museum intervention. The study used the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), the Social Disability Screening Schedule (SDSS), and the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) to evaluate patients before and after the intervention. Results The study compared the SDS assessment results of the two groups of patients and analyzed the SDS scale scores of patients at different stages under the immersive digital museum intervention, as shown in Table 1. As can be seen from Table 1, there was a significant decrease in the SDS scores of the subjects after 12 weeks of intervention, in which the scale scores of the patients decreased to 42.6±3.1 after 12 weeks, but the control group only decreased to 51.7±3.8. There was a statistically significant difference in the comparison of scale scores of the patients of the two groups after 12 weeks (P<0.05). And after 6 weeks of the immersive digital museum experience intervention, there was a more significant improvement in the depression of the depressed patients. This shows that there is a significant improvement in the depression of depressed patients after using the immersive digital museum experience. Discussion Research results show that digital museums create a positive and safe psychological environment for patients with depression through visual, auditory and interactive content. The immersive digital museum experience can significantly reduce the negative emotions of patients with depression, thus improving their mental health. The immersive digital museum experience has a significant effect on relieving symptoms and improving the quality of life of patients with depression. At the same time, future research will further explore the therapeutic effects of different museum experience contents on patients with depression. Funding No. 2022YFF0902402; No.2024-01; No.22285801Z; No. ZD202121; No. 22375801D.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to critically examine the literature on the relationship between international experience (IE) and cultural intelligence (CQ) development, and advocate for the utilization of theory to explain this relationship.Design/methodology/approachOn the basis of the premise that CQ can be developed through IE, the authors review existing empirical research in regards to this relationship. The authors conducted a search of the main business, education, and psychology databases for articles published from 2003, the year when the CQ construct was introduced, through 2017. The search focused on studies where CQ was tested as a dependent variable or as a mediator between IE and a dependent variable, and resulted in 15 empirical articles and three book chapters.FindingsA critical analysis of the relationship between IE and CQ reveals considerable variation and inconsistencies among findings within the extant empirical literature. The authors argue that this is mainly because most studies fail to apply a theory to explain the link between these two constructs. The authors draw from social learning theory (SLT) to illustrate how it can be utilized to detail the relationship between IE and CQ development. The authors also suggest how future research can advance the understanding of this relationship, and outline the implications of such examinations for practice.Originality/valueWhile substantive knowledge has been generated to understand CQ as an antecedent, the authors investigate CQ development as the dependent variable. The critical review of this literature identifies a specific weakness within previous research and the authors offer a way to resolve it. SLT, which views learning as being affected by both observation and experience, and includes attention, retention, and participative reproduction, is one potentially powerful tool that can explain why and how IE can lead to CQ development. This is a far more fine- grained and detailed approach to understanding and explaining the relationship between the two constructs than provided by previous studies.

BackgroundResearch and policy demonstrate the value and need for the systematic inclusion of care partners in hospital care delivery of people living with Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD). Support provided to care partners through information and training regarding caregiving responsibilities is important to facilitating their active inclusion and ultimately improving hospital outcomes of people living with ADRD. To promote care partners’ active inclusion, a toolkit that guides health systems in the identification, assessment, and training of care partners is needed. User-centered approaches can address this gap in practice by creating toolkits that are practical and responsive to the needs of care partners and their hospitalized family members and friends living with ADRD.ObjectiveThis paper describes the study protocol for the development and refinement of the ADRD Systematic Hospital Inclusion Family Toolkit (A-SHIFT). A-SHIFT will provide health care systems with guidance on how to effectively identify, assess, and train care partners of hospitalized persons living with ADRD.MethodsThe A-SHIFT study protocol will use a 3-aimed, convergent mixed method approach to iteratively develop and refine the toolkit. In Aim 1, we will use a systems-engineering approach to characterize patterns of care partner inclusion in hospital care for people living with ADRD. In Aim 2, we will partner with stakeholders to identify and prioritize health care system facilitators and barriers to the inclusion for care partners of hospitalized people living with ADRD. In Aim 3, we will work with stakeholders to co-design an adaptable toolkit to be used by health systems to facilitate the identification, assessment, and training of care partners of hospitalized people living with ADRD. Our convergent mixed method approach will facilitate triangulation across all 3 aims to increase the credibility and transferability of results. We anticipate this study to take 24 months between September 1, 2022, and August 31, 2024.ResultsThe A-SHIFT study protocol will yield (1) optimal points in the hospital workflow for care partner inclusion, (2) a prioritized list of potentially modifiable barriers and facilitators to including care partners in the hospitalization of people living with ADRD, and (3) a converged-upon, ready for feasibility testing of the toolkit to guide the inclusion of care partners of people living with ADRD in hospital care.ConclusionsWe anticipate that the resultant A-SHIFT will provide health systems with a readiness checklist, implementation plan, and resources for identifying, assessing, and training care partners on how to fulfill their caregiving roles for people living with ADRD after hospital discharge. A-SHIFT has the potential to not only improve care partner preparedness but also help reduce health and service use outcomes for people living with ADRD after hospital discharge.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/45274

In an increasingly globalized world, the success of international projects hinges not only on technical expertise and strategic planning, but also on the ability to navigate and harmonize diverse cultural landscapes. The paper explores the components of cultural intelligence (CQ) and its significance in the context of international project management. It highlights the challenges that project managers face, such as language barriers, time zone differences, and diverse work ethics, and explains how high CQ can help overcome these obstacles. Strategies for developing cultural intelligence, including cultural training, language learning, and immersive experiences, are discussed to provide practical guidance for project managers. Best practices for incorporating CQ into project management are provided, emphasizing the importance of building diverse teams, fostering inclusive environments, and leveraging technology to bridge cultural gaps. Ultimately, this paper underscores the importance of mastering cultural intelligence for achieving global harmony and successful project outcomes in international settings. It offers valuable insights and practical strategies for project managers navigating the complexities of cross-cultural collaboration, highlighting the need for continuous learning and adaptability in a rapidly evolving global landscape.

Leaders play a significant role in organizations and their leadership behaviors can either enhance or undermine the well-being of their employees. This study aimed to meta-analyze the relationship between transformational leadership and well-being in the service industry, and how employees’ gender and service sector moderated the strength of this relationship. This study used a convergent mixed-method approach. PubMed, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, AMED, and Scopus electronic databases were utilized to search for relevant studies. Textual data were analyzed using a text data-mining technique (Leximancer) to determine the relevant themes and concepts. Statistical data were examined through a comprehensive meta-analysis to determine their effect sizes. The qualitative results outline the major themes that emerged: leadership, well-being, and health. The quantitative findings revealed that the perceived well-being of male employees and those working outside of the health-care service sector was positively higher when employees’ leaders showed transformational leadership. In general, the findings from the qualitative and quantitative data converge. The findings confirm the positive relationship between transformational leadership and employee well-being. This study also highlights the applicability of a convergent mixed-method approach as a useful methodological strategy when analyzing both lexical and statistical data.

Background: Achieving universal health coverage for maternal health (MH) requires a health system that ensures the availability, accessibility, acceptability, and effective use of services. The study aimed to identify bottlenecks that hinder project outcomes of MH in the rural districts of Tanzania.Methods: This study employed a convergent mixed-method approach to conduct the bottleneck analysis. Quantitative data were collected to identify indicators of MH utilization, with source including Tanzanian health statistics, health facilities and the women in reproductive age (WRA) survey. In-depth interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with WRA, their families, community health workers (CHWs), and healthcare personnel (HP) to gain insight into factors influencing healthcare utilization from both a demand and an environmental perspective. Following the Tanahashi steps, the quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic approach. The findings from both were integrated to identify bottlenecks toward effective coverage and how bottlenecks affected the utilization of MH services.Results: Community awareness and acceptance were observed to be high, however only a limited number of individuals had received MH services. Utilization rates for antenatal care (ANC) and postnatal care (PNC) were 17.4% and 22.0%, respectively. This suggests that efforts to enhance awareness may be inadequate to change social norms and lead to health behaviors. Furthermore, even when women utilize the service, they may not do so in a timely or consistent manner due to low service quality or unsatisfactory experiences.Conclusion: To strengthen the logic model, contextual factors such as provider attitudes, service quality, supportive family, and community climate need to be considered to ensure that WRAs are satisfied with and continue to access services. With building supply-side infrastructure, ongoing efforts to change stakeholders’ perceptions of MH services and utilization patterns will be needed to improve the coverage of MH services.