Cross-cultural Comparative Study Research Articles

The Impact of Gender Differences on Consumption Patterns: A Cross-cultural Comparative Study

This paper explores how gender differences affect consumption patterns. By analysing the shopping psychology, behaviour and preferences of consumers of different genders, we find that there are significant differences between men and women in terms of their consumption decisions, their motivation to shop and their focus on product features. Research suggests that gender roles and socio-cultural factors play an important role in shaping consumer behaviour. The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into marketing strategies from a gender perspective and to make recommendations for promoting a gender-equitable consumer environment.

A Cross-cultural Comparison of ELT Curricula of Senior Secondary Schools in Mainland China and Hong Kong

English holds significant importance as a foreign language in Mainland China and Hong Kong, where ongoing curriculum revisions are shaped by economic and sociocultural advancements. Previous research on English Language Teaching (ELT) curriculum comparisons in Asia has frequently overlooked the exploration of underlying sociocultural and socio-political factors that contribute to the observed similarities and differences. Adopting a governmentality Perspective informed by Dean's analytics of government theory, this cross-cultural comparative study investigates the ELT curricula in senior secondary schools in Mainland China and Hong Kong. Through this analysis, the study explores how sociocultural and socio-political factors interact to influence the educational landscapes. By examining the dimensions of problematizations, rationalities, techne, and teleology within the curricula, the research uncovers common challenges, rationales, approaches, and objectives, as well as distinctions arising from the unique sociocultural, political, and economic contexts of Mainland China and Hong Kong. This examination underscores the profound impact of these contextual factors on ELT curriculum design, contributing valuable insights to the cross-cultural discourse. Furthermore, the findings lay the groundwork for future research and policy development in the realm of ELT curricula, emphasizing the need for additional studies employing diverse methods and focusing on the implemented and experienced curriculum in senior secondary schools to provide a comprehensive understanding of English language education in both Mainland China and Hong Kong.

Consumer Behavior and Cultural Factors in Social Media: A Cross-Cultural Comparative Study

In the digital age, social media has become a transformative force, reshaping consumer interactions with products, brands, and services. This essay delves into the intricate interplay between cultural factors and consumer behavior within the realm of social media, focusing on a cross-cultural comparative study between Japan and the United States. The study explores consumer behavior through the lens of psychological, social, and cultural influences. It investigates how psychological aspects like motivation and attitudes, as well as social factors such as family and reference groups, are intertwined with cultural dimensions to shape consumer preferences. This essay employs a comparative approach, focusing on Japan and the United States as distinct cultural contexts. By applying Hofstede's cultural dimensions model, it dissects differences in individualism, power distance, masculinity-femininity, long-term orientation, uncertainty avoidance, and indulgence-restraint. The findings reveal significant disparities in consumer behavior on social media between these two nations. Cultural factors profoundly impact user engagement, content resonance, and purchasing decisions on social media platforms. This study underscores the indispensable role of cultural factors in molding consumer behavior in the digital age. Understanding and adapting to cultural nuances are imperative for marketers seeking to effectively engage and influence diverse global audiences through social media channels.

Leadership in early childhood education: Cross-cultural case studies before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Using a cross-cultural comparative study approach, this study analyses and compares the leadership discourses revealed through interviews with early childhood education (ECE) leaders in Finland and Singapore. The interviews were conducted both before the COVID-19 outbreaks in 2018 and during the pandemic in 2021. Conducted as focus group discussions, the data were analysed using discursive analysis. Finnish ECE leaders’ identified discourses that revealed ‘pedagogically focused leadership’ and the ‘desire for distributed pedagogical leadership’. In Singapore, the interviews highlighted discourses related to ‘community spirit emerging from challenges’ and the ‘deepening of management demands’. An overall analysis of the discourses showed that COVID-19 resulted in changes in leadership discourses revealing that leadership was characterised with ‘leading from a distance’ and an ‘emphasis on instructions and regulations’. Despite the challenges, leaders continue to place an importance on pedagogy in their practice. The study also showed that although cultural differences in leadership discourses were identified, time as a factor, remains significant as a crucial aspect for leadership in both countries.

Scaling Social Innovation: A Cross-Cultural Comparative Study of School-Based Mentoring Interventions

Social innovation is increasingly recognised as a powerful vehicle to address unmet societal needs. Nonetheless, research into how contexts and agency interact to determine outcomes/risks of its scaling appears still limited. This study draws on structuration theory to fill some gaps. By comparing two school-based mentoring interventions, it first shows that comparable external catalysts can trigger diverging ambitions and paths to scale. Second, it finds that certain strategic/agentic choices (e.g. entrepreneurial, political, coalition-building skills; evaluation), combined with specific contextual features, help to achieve more rapidly a larger scale of expansion. Finally, it highlights which risks, in this field, more strongly relate to agentic and/or contextual factors, providing insights for research, policy and practice.

Musical activities in preschool education: A cross-cultural comparative study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the types of musical activities carried out in preschools for children aged 3–6 years in two contrasting cultural settings: Spain, a Mediterranean European country, and Hong Kong, a special administrative region in China. Participants were 398 teachers in preschools, 199 in each location. We administered a survey in which we asked how often they carried out 19 musical activities. In our analysis, we considered these activities independently and clustered by content (based on the type of musical practice involved) and nature (based on the potential of the activity to foster creativity). Participants in Hong Kong reported carrying out eight activities most often while participants in Spain reported carrying out four activities most often. Regarding content, Singing and Voice activities were provided most often in Hong Kong, whereas Rhythmic Movement activities were provided most often in Spain. Regarding nature, Reproductive activities were carried out more often than Creative activities in both locations. Contrary to our expectations, Creative activities were carried out more often in Hong Kong than Spain. We conclude that there are mismatches between the curriculum for music and actual practices in both cultures, with repetitive musical practices being the most prevalent. Implications are discussed for curriculum designers, teacher educators, and teachers themselves.

Comparing acoustical worship ambience of churches built by Spanish Franciscans: Nossa Senhora do Pilar (Goa) and Mission Concepcion (Texas)

Spanish Franciscan Friars established "Nossa Senhora do Pilar” church at Pilar (Goa) in 1613 and "Mission Concepción” at San Antonio (Texas) in 1711. This cross-cultural comparative acoustical study of these churches connects sound decay measures (ISO 3382) with auditory, affective, and meta-physical perceptions (complementing ISO/TS 12913-1/2/3). At p ≤ 0.05, "Mission Concepcion” was found more reverberant than "Pilar"; "sacred music from the choir-loft” of "Mission Concepcion” was perceived "louder” and "clearer” than from the nave floor; whereas, in "Pilar,” "sacred music from the nave floor” was perceived "louder” than from the choir-loft; perception of "pleasantness” and "eventfulness” in both churches showed no significant difference for sacred music from either source; "sacred music from the choir-loft” of "Mission Concepcion” evoked better perception of "heightened awareness,” "stillness,” and "inspiration"; perceived "loudness” of "sacred music from the choir loft” in "Pilar" showed positive correlation with RT60, D50, TS, and STI and negative correlation with C80; perception of "inspiration” by "sacred music from the choir loft” in "Pilar” was positively correlating with RT60, TS, and STI and negatively correlating with C80 and D50. This study identified character defining acoustical differences between "Pilar” and "Mission Concepcion” which accentuate each of this historic church as a "unique living heritage."

The Influence of School Climate on Reading Literacy: A Cross-cultural Comparative Study Based on pisa 2018 Database

Despite considerable interest in research and practice in the effect of school climate on academic reading achievement, little is targeted at analyzing the generalizability and distinctiveness of the influence from various dimensions in a cross-cultural study. This research adopted the multilevel linear model (HLM) and the database of PISA 2018 (Program for International Student Assessment) to investigate the constructs of school climate perceived by two specific groups of school stakeholders, students and principals, in four countries/regions, including B-S-J-Z [China], Brazil, Switzerland and the United States. The results indicated that some dimensions of school climate, such as disciplinary climate, teacher-directed instruction, teacher enthusiasm and student competition, were positively associated with the learning outcomes of reading with a statistical significance and demonstrated the cross-cultural consistency. However, some dimensions, consisting of teacher feedback, bullying and principal-perceived student hindering learning behavior, could exert a negative impact on reading achievement. Moreover, under the diverse sociocultural contexts, some dimensions may reveal different influences, showing the intercultural differences. These indicators were teachers stimulation of reading engagement, adaptive instruction, sense of belonging at school, student cooperation and parental involvement in school activities. Last, teacher support and principal-perceived teacher hindering learning behavior had no effect on reading literacy.

The dilemma of women's bodies and spirits in an absolute patriarchal society by comparing FGM and Foot-Binding

FGM and Foot binding has existed for a long time in the history of the West and China respectively, which has severely damaged the physical and mental health of women in the West and China. Through a cross-cultural comparative study of FGM globally and Foot Binding in China's Qing Dynasty, this essay examined the dilemmas that women faced both physically and spiritually in the absolute patriarchy society. This paper was written based on previous papers, books and historical documents to find that human behavior was shaped by society and social environment. This article finds that in an absolute patriarchal society, genital mutilation and foot binding have brought difficulties to women's body and spirit. The conclusion is that under the influence of social, psychological and economic factors, women have to accept this immoral custom. It provided readers with a better understanding of patriarchal women's status, as well as the cruelty of Western and Eastern customs such as FGM and foot binding.

Cross cultural Comparative Study on Emotional Analysis of Social Media

With the popularization of social media and the acceleration of globalization, cross-cultural social media research has become an increasingly important research field. This article takes cultural differences as the starting point to explore the use and impact of social media in cross-cultural environments. The study used a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to collect social media data from users from different cultural backgrounds, and conducted data analysis and comparison. Research has found that users from different cultural backgrounds have significant differences in social media usage behavior, content expression, and interaction methods. At the same time, the use of cross-cultural social media will also have different impacts on users’ cultural identity, social relations and mental health. The research results have certain reference value for promoting cross-cultural communication, enhancing cultural understanding, and improving the effectiveness of social media usage.

Dichotomous Thinking and Anger Regulation: A Cross-Cultural Comparative Study between Japan and Turkey

Background: Binary or dichotomous thinking can lead to propensity for aggression throughout a person’s life being an essential part of a person’s mentality and cultural code. Both dichotomous thinking and aggressiveness negatively affect a person’s resistance to stress and it hinders an adequate stress coping style. Aim: The aim of this study is to make a comparative analysis of dependence of different types of anger on the dichotomy of thinking in different cultures. Method: A Japanese sample consisted of 226 university students (180 females) whereas a Turkey sample included a total of 243 university students (145 females) who participated in an online survey applying socio-demographic forms, State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory, the Dichotomous Thinking Inventory. Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analyses (MGCFAs) were conducted to examine measurement invariance of the DTI and STAXI using structural equation modeling. Multiple regression analyses were examined to assess the degree to which such a cultural aspect as of dichotomous thinking predicted the different anger traits. Results: Results of the multiple regression analysis for State Anger and Trait Anger demonstrated that the effect of the country indicating State Anger to be higher in Turkey than in Japan. A noticeable negative effect of the country was also significant indicating Trait Anger to be higher in Japan than in Turkey. Furthermore, Japanese people had lower dichotomous thinking scores than Turkish people. Conclusions: The results confirmed previously proposed cultural differences, as well as opened up new avenues for exploring cultural pathways.

Cross-Cultural Comparative Study of Social Perceptions of Women's Dual Roles in the Household and Career: Case Studies in Indonesia-Taiwan

Cross-Cultural Comparative Study of Social Perceptions of Women's Dual Roles in the Household and Career: Case Studies in Indonesia-Taiwan

Request Modifications as Produced by Moroccan EFL Learners and American Native Speakers of English

This cross-cultural comparative study aimed to investigate the production of request modifications by American native speakers of English (ANSE) and Moroccan EFL learners (MEFLLs). With this aim in mind, the researcher employed two research instruments, namely a discourse completion test and a semi-structured interview. The former was the main research instrument, whereas the letter was mainly employed to explore the motives behind the participants’ use of certain modification strategies. Furthermore, sixty seven informants participated in the current study. Thirty MEFLLs and thirty ANSE responded to the ten given situations, while four MEFLLs and three ANSE were interviewed. This study adopted Blum-Kulka et al.’s (1989) coding scheme. The findings revealed that ANSE preferred syntactic downgraders, whereas MEFLLs selected lexical/phrasal downgraders. With regards to external modifiers, the two groups significantly differed in their use of mitigating supportive moves. That is, MEFLLs preferred combination and preparators, while ANSE favoured combination and grounders. The two groups used few aggravating supportive moves, and they did not display any significant differences in their use of external modifiers. However, they were used by ANSE more than MEFLLs. This paper ends with some suggestions to textbook designers and EFL teachers.

A cross-cultural study of nonprofit self-organized ridesharing.

Nonprofit ridesharing presents an underutilized opportunity for increasing transportation sustainability, as well as users' economic and social benefits, while reducing adverse environmental impacts. However, while app-based ridesharing has achieved only modest uptake, mostly limited to longer trips, in certain contexts, self-organized ridesharing (SORS) has shown significant achievements, even for the challenging short- and mid-range commuting trips. Still, knowledge regarding the key elements and mechanisms behind successful SORS is partial, hindering the ability to effectively leverage SORS diffusion and scaling potential. Following the premise that successful initiatives may provide learning opportunities, this study aims at narrowing this knowledge gap by performing a comparative cross-cultural systematic study of eight diverse SORS cases. The study uses a recently designed conceptual framework and multiple research methods (mainly online data exploration, personal interviews, observations, and documents analysis) to comprehensively examine SORSs' attributes and evolution stages and processes. Study findings highlight repeated patterns as well as the role of context, official actors, and local practices in shaping initiative's dynamics towards success. The study offers general and specific policy recommendations for supporting the early development, growth, and diffusion of SORS, as well as reflections on post pandemic ridesharing.

Environmental awareness of Polish and Arab Students: cross-cultural comparative study

The article aims to define the differences and similarities between students of Polish and Arab nationality related to environmental awareness. The study has been carried out as a diagnostic survey using the proprietary questionnaire form. The survey included 418 Polish students representing 44 universities and 110 Arab students from 7 countries and 40 universities. Both groups have been shown to have their own distinct characteristics, although some similarities can also be found. The greatest differences are revealed in the scope of subjective assessment of the state of the environment, types of pro-environmental actions taken by them and readiness to make sacrifices to the environment. The similarities are noticeable in declared knowledge about the environment, the sources of information on the environment and its quality and opinions on the most important environmental threats. The most important reasons for the observed variability are differences between environmental conditions in Poland and on the Arabian Peninsula, differences in the scope of environmental hazards and problems, as well as various cultural conditions (especially religious ones) and related values.

Cross-Cultural Comparison of ICD-11 Adjustment Disorder Prevalence and Its Risk Factors in Japanese and Lithuanian Adolescents.

Background: Although there is increasing knowledge about adjustment disorder (AjD) based on the new diagnostic criteria of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), less is known on AjD in adolescents. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of AjD and its risk factors in Japanese and Lithuanian adolescents. Methods: The cross-sectional study sample comprised 1745 adolescents from Japan (n = 913) and Lithuania (n = 832). AjD was assessed using the Adjustment Disorder New Module-8 (ADNM-8). We compared the prevalence of AjD in Japanese and Lithuanian adolescents. Using multinominal logistic regression analysis, we examined the effects of age, gender, socioeconomic status, and cumulative stressors as societal and cultural factors, resilience as an intrapersonal factor, and loneliness and perceived support as interpersonal factors on adolescent AjD. Results: The prevalence of probable AjD was 11.7% in Lithuanian adolescents and 6.9% in Japanese adolescents. Gender, socioeconomic status, cumulative stressors, resilience, loneliness, and perceived positive social support were each significantly associated with AjD risk. Conclusions: This cross-cultural comparative study revealed characteristics of the stressors and prevalence of AjD among Japanese and Lithuanian adolescents. In terms of the socio-interpersonal framework model for the stress–response syndrome, sociocultural, intrapersonal, and interpersonal factors were found to be risk factors associated with AjD in adolescents.

Aesthetic evaluation of Chinese calligraphy: a cross-cultural comparative study

Aesthetic evaluation of Chinese calligraphy: a cross-cultural comparative study

The Impacts of The COVID-19 Pandemic On First-Generation, Low-Income And Rural Students In Indonesia And Vietnam: A Cross-Cultural Comparative Study

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact worldwide. However, comparative studies by country on this topic are limited. This paper explores the question: how has the COVID-19 pandemic affected higher education students, and which ones have been most impacted? Indonesia and Vietnam are our focus. We leveraged a rich set of data collected online from university students from both countries (n = 2600). We used regression analyses to measure students’ wellbeing, financial hardships, access to technology, and educational satisfaction. As expected, we found statistically significant differences between both countries except for the wellbeing domain. For within-country comparison, consistent for both countries, low-income students were less likely to access technology than their counterparts, and low-income students were more likely to experience financial distress. Indonesian first-gen students also showed a similar trend. We did not find consistent statistically significant estimates for students’ burnout measures in these two countries. Lastly, we observed a lower likelihood of satisfaction from rural and low-income students in Indonesia for their education during the pandemic. We provide our policy recommendations for both countries. 
 
 
 Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, comparative study, disadvantaged students, first-generation, higher education, low-income, rural

Values in Early Childhood Education (ECE): A Cross-Cultural Comparative Study of Values for ECE Expressed in Policy Documents

PurposeThis comparative study identifies core values expressed in Early Childhood Education (ECE) official policy documents from a sample of thirteen countries.Design/Approach/MethodsThis study employs document analysis as well as content and thematic analysis. ECE values identified in the policy documents are categorized into three groups: political and society-related values, educational values, and individual and relational values.FindingsDocument analysis reveals the values that are common across countries and those that are more specific to just one or a few countries at most. This study discusses the characteristics of these values from the perspective of globalization. In doing so, this comparative study illustrates and discusses the tendencies for both convergence and divergence in ECE values in policymaking worldwide.Originality/ValueThe findings of this study expand our understanding of the values in ECE policy documents in the sampled countries, offering insights into ECE objectives and policymaking in various countries.

Knowledge Mapping of Volunteer Motivation: A Bibliometric Analysis and Cross-Cultural Comparative Study.

Volunteers play an indispensable role in several major events and activities. The purpose of this study is to review studies on volunteer motivation from 2000 to 2021 and to discover the development trends in this field. The Web of Science Core Collection is the main literature data resource, from which 162 papers on volunteer motivation published in the SSCI were selected. Using two visualization analysis tools, CiteSpace and VOSviewer, this study conducts bibliometric analysis and systematic review from multiple dimensions, identifying the authors, countries, institutions, and journals with high productivity in this field. Additionally, we explored highly cited papers, authors, and journals in this field. This study aims to find the research hotspots and theoretical basis through co-occurrence analysis and cluster analysis of keywords and explore the evolution through the time zone map drawn with CiteSpace. Moreover, we focus on the influence of Chinese and Western cultures (represented by China and the United States) on volunteer motivation. It was found that Chinese volunteers were more affected by collectivism, whereas American volunteers were more affected by individualism. The conclusion of this study constructs a clear framework for research on volunteer motivation, which provides researchers with a deeper and thorough understanding of the connotation of volunteer motivation, providing guidance and support for future research in this field.