Cross-cultural Comparison Study Research Articles

Exploring Pragmatics: Uncovering the Layers of Language and Meaning

The dynamic interaction of pragmatics, semantics, and culture in language understanding and communication is examined in this narrative review. The review emphasizes how pragmatics and semantics provide complementary viewpoints on language meaning, drawing on current findings in linguistics and communication studies. Semantics concentrates on the exact meanings of words, but pragmatics takes speaker intent and context into account. Comprehending both improves meaning interpretation and communication. The research also highlights how culture influences, how language is used and understood, especially when it comes to nonverbal cues like humor and manners. Language is used to communicate and understand emotions, and this is influenced by cultural quirks. The results highlight how crucial it is to take cultural background, emotional expression, and context into account when developing language instruction and communication approaches. The study ends with recommendations for future research, such as cross-cultural comparison studies, language change monitoring longitudinal studies, and examinations of how language usage is affected by digital platforms. This review advances pragmatics knowledge, which leads to more successful communication techniques in a variety of settings.

Juror decision-making within domestic sex trafficking cases: do pre-trial attitudes, gender, culture and right-wing authoritarianism predict believability assessments?

PurposeThis study aims to examine whether country of residence, sex trafficking attitudes, complainant gender, juror gender and right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) influenced juror decision-making within a sex trafficking case.Design/methodology/approachJury-eligible participants from the USA and the UK participated in an online juror experiment in which an independent group design was used to manipulate the complainant’s gender. Participants completed the juror decision scale, the sex trafficking attitudes scale and the RWA scale.FindingsSex trafficking attitudes predicted the believability of both the defendant and complainant. Greater negative beliefs about victims predicted greater defendant believability and lower complainant believability. US jurors reported greater believability of both the complainant and defendant, and RWA was associated with greater defendant believability. However, none of the other factors, including complainant and juror gender, predicted participants’ verdicts. The findings suggest juror verdicts in sex trafficking cases may be less influenced by extra-legal factors, although further research is needed, especially with a more ambiguous case.Originality/valueThis is one of the few cross-cultural comparison studies in the area of jury decision-making, specifically regarding sex trafficking cases. The findings indicated that US participants held more problematic attitudes about sex trafficking than their UK counterparts, although all participants held problematic attitudes about sex trafficking. However, those attitudes did not affect verdict formation about either a male or female complainant. Participants who were more knowledgeable about sex trafficking reported greater complainant believability, suggesting that educational interventions may provide greater support for victims in court.

A Cross-Cultural Comparison Study of the Relationships Between Perceived Coaching Behaviors and Student Athletes’ Competitive Anxiety

Purposes: Student athletes from different cultures might differ in the ways that they experience competitive anxiety, and their coaches with dissimilar cultural backgrounds might also present distinct behavioral traits in coaching. The study assessed and compared the competitive anxiety experienced by Chinese student athletes (in a collectivist culture) and American student athletes (in an individualist culture) by using a new competitive anxiety model and examined how their distinct ways of experiencing competitive anxiety might relate to the leading behaviors of Chinese and American coaches. Method: Relevant measures were administered to 258 Chinese student athletes and 214 American student athletes to assess their competitive anxiety and perceived leading behaviors of their coaches. Results: Chinese student athletes scored significantly higher on social expectation anxiety and somatic anxiety in comparison with American student athletes. Chinese student athletes perceived higher levels of training and instruction, and autocratic behaviors of coaches, and American student athletes perceived higher levels of democratic behaviors of coaches. Conclusions: This study revealed the different ways of experiencing certain aspects of competitive anxiety between Chinese and American student athletes, which could be at least partially explained by the distinct leading behaviors of Chinese and American coaches perceived by student athletes in the research.

Adherence to hemophilia patients with prophylaxis: Veritas-Pro and psychometric properties adapted to Turkish.

The Validated Hemophilia Regimen Treatment Adherence Scale-Prophylaxis (VERITAS-Pro) assesses adherence to prophylaxis treatment recommendations in hemophilia patients. This study aimed to adapt the VERITAS-Pro into Turkish and evaluate its reliability and validity. The research design used is a psychometric study. A convenience sample of 102 patients with hemophilia A or B was followed by the Aegean Adult Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center. The VERITAS-Pro was adapted to Turkish in six steps, including forward- and back-translation, committee review, and reliability and validity analysis. Based on the confirmatory factor analysis, modification indices suggested discrepancies amongst items, which were improved upon the removal of items 11 and 15. Findings from this alternative model are: χ2/df = 1.34; RMSEA = 0.05; SRMR = 0.09; and IFI = 0.92. The alternative model showed high adherence rates. Cronbach's alpha value for the Turkish version was found to be 0.83. The test-retest reliability of the Turkish scale ranged from 0.31 to 0.78. All items discriminated significantly between participants who were more adherent and those who were less adherent (t = 23.53; p<0.01). Translation of the VERITAS-Pro into local languages enables more accurate measurement of treatment adherence among people with hemophilia and facilitates cross-cultural comparison studies. According to the validity and reliability evidence obtained, the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the VERITAS-Pro are suitable.

Daily life difficulties among patients with ulcerative colitis in Japan and the United Kingdom: A comparative study.

The difficulty of life scale (DLS) instrument is used to measure specific life problems in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Importantly, health care providers should consider the characteristics of the country in which they support patients with UC. This cross-cultural comparison study investigated DLS among patients with UC in Japan and the United Kingdom (UK). Outpatients attending one hospital in London and one in Osaka were included. We collected patient information using the DLS questionnaire, which comprises 18 items in three domains. Mean differences between Japan and the UK were compared for the total score and each domain of the DLS. Variables with P < .05 in univariate analysis were entered into a multiple regression model. We included 142 patients from Japan and 100 patients from the UK in the analysis. Univariate results showed that UK patients had more difficulties than Japanese patients in all three domains. Multivariate results showed that only “decline of vitality or vigor” showed significantly lower difficulty scores in Japanese patients. Having four or more bowel movements per day, visible bleeding, and being a homemaker or unemployed were significantly associated with greater difficulty according to the DLS total score. The level of daily life difficulties assessed using the DLS was greater among patients in the UK than among Japanese patients. This comparative study between patients with UC in Japan and the UK demonstrated certain country-related features for domain 3, “decline of vitality or vigor,” of the DLS. The reasons why UK patients felt greater decline in vitality or vigor may be that these patients may have symptoms other than bowel symptoms; also, Japanese patients are more hesitant to express discomfort. The findings of this study might lead to a better understanding of culturally sensitive perceptions of daily life difficulties in UC.

Grit Across Nations: The Cross-National Equivalence of the Grit-O Scale

Despite its popularity in practice, the Grit-O Scale has shown inconsistent factorial structures and differing levels of internal consistency in samples outside the USA. The validity of the Grit-O Scale in different contexts is, therefore, questionable. As such, the purpose of this paper was to determine whether the Grit-O Scale could be used as a valid and reliable measure to compare grit across different nations. Specifically, the aim was to investigate the factorial validity, reliability, and concurrent validity of the Grit-O Scale and to investigate measurement invariance across three national cohorts (Europe, the USA, and Hong Kong). Data were gathered from 1888 respondents stemming from one USA- (n = 471), two Hong Kong- (n = 361) and four European (n = 1056) universities. A series of traditional CFA and less restrictive ESEM models were estimated and systematically compared to determine the best factorial form of the Grit-O Scale. The results showed that a bifactor ESEM model, with one general factor of overall grit and two specific factors (consistency of interest and perseverance of effort), fitted the data best, showed strong measurement invariance across the three samples, and showed itself to be a reliable measure. Furthermore, concurrent validity was established by showing that the three grit factors were directly and positively related to task performance. Meaningful latent comparisons between the three cultural cohorts could therefore be made. The results imply that cross-national comparisons of grit may only be problematic when traditional CFA approaches are favoured. In contrast, ESEM modelling approaches may compensate for cross-national differences in understanding grit and control for differences in the interpretation of the scale’s items. Therefore, the bifactor ESEM approach may be more appropriate for cross-cultural and cross-national comparison studies, as it allows for these differences to be meaningfully captured, modelled, and controlled for.

TikTok/Douyin Use and Its Influencer Video Use: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Between Chinese and US Users

Abstract Purpose This cross-cultural comparison study between China and the US aimed to examine the short video-sharing social media platform, TikTok/Douyin, particularly its use in the two countries. Because China and the US have some evident differences in cultural values, they are ideal for cross-cultural comparison between Western and Asian countries. Other than knowing the platform itself, how people use it, and their influencer video use, the study further explored how cultural values influenced user behaviors on TikTok/Douyin. Design/methodology/approach Two survey studies were conducted in each country. The questionnaire asked the same question but in two language versions—Chinese and English. Questions asked about participants’ demographic information, TikTok/Douyin use preference, influencer preference, and cultural values. Findings In general, Chinese participants had a more extended time experience of using Douyin, and they spent more time on Douyin every day. Participants had a different preference for influencers’ expertise on each platform. US participants favored music influencers while Chinese participants favored food influencers. Moreover, Chinese participants were more likely to be persuaded by influencers to make purchase decisions than US participants. Besides, Chinese participants claimed a higher individualism score and a lower power distance score than US participants, which contradicts with Hofstede’s original cultural scores for each country. Practical implications Marketing practitioners should consider the demographic characteristics and use preferences of TikTok and Douyin users for their marketing practices. Moreover, the cultural scores (individualism and power distance) have changed between Chinese and US participants compared to original Hofstede’s cultural scores. Besides, the study confirmed that cultural values influenced users’ TikTok/Douyin use in some conditions. Therefore, practitioners should apply the new findings when making decisions when considering cultural differences. Originality/value This is the first study to compare TikTok/Douyin use between the US and China and enhanced our understanding of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory. Furthermore, it demonstrates helpful and detailed information on the general platform use and how it is influenced by the cultural differences between the two countries.

Toward Gender Equality in Education—Teachers’ Beliefs about Gender and Math

Math has a strong gender-related image, even among teachers. As teachers hold beliefs about their work, their role, their subject, and their students, they shape girls’ and boys’ mathematical beliefs and attitudes. Research during the past 20 years has shown that teachers’ gender beliefs about mathematics significantly favor boys, thereby reinforcing girls’ low math ability self-concept. Still, there is a lack of studies that examine teachers’ gender-related beliefs based on their underlying assumptions. Our study provides the first empirical evidence of the relationship between general gender stereotypes and math stereotypes. To this end, we used partial correlation and MANCOVA to analyze data from an online survey in 2019/2020 conducted in Switzerland (195 women, 80 men) as part of a cross-cultural comparison study. We therefore created a differentiated profile of prospective teachers by examining their beliefs about their self-image, their image of men and women in society, their essentialist and gender role ideology beliefs, and their math stereotypes. Then, we linked prospective teachers’ beliefs about gender (based on 48 characteristics) to their beliefs about mathematics and about girls’ and boys’ competencies in math. The extensive analysis provides knowledge about prospective teachers and is particularly important for teacher education.

Self-Reported Medication Adherence Among Patients with Ulcerative Colitis in Japan and the United Kingdom: A Secondary Analysis for Cross-Cultural Comparison.

PurposeNon-adherence to medication was reported by 28% of Japanese patients with ulcerative colitis, but in the United Kingdom, patients with inflammatory bowel disease have lower medication adherence, which increases clinical relapse risk. The objective of this study was to compare medication adherence among patients with ulcerative colitis in Japan with previously reported results and patients in the United Kingdom.Patients and MethodsThis cross-cultural comparison study investigated medication adherence among 100 ulcerative colitis patients in the United Kingdom and 432 ulcerative colitis patients in Japan. Adherence was assessed using The Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8 questionnaire. Patient clinical features were collected from medical records and the questionnaire. Distribution of responses for each item, questionnaire total score, difference in ratio for each item between Japanese and UK patients, and difference in percentage of low/medium/high adherence between Japanese and UK patients were compared.ResultsThe proportion of low/medium or high adherence was significantly different between countries (42.6% and 7.4% [Japan] vs 24.0% and 76.0% [United Kingdom]; p<0.01). Significantly more Japanese patients reported taking medication correctly the day before the questionnaire compared with UK patients.ConclusionUK patients were more likely to not take medication when they felt their symptoms were under control compared with Japanese patients. UK patients perceived it was more difficult to remember to take the medication than Japanese patients. This study highlights culturally sensitive medication-taking behaviors in Japanese and UK patients with ulcerative colitis.

Examining Measurement Invariance of Depression among Male and Female in Chinese Older Adults

Depression of older adults is an important public health concern. With the increasing popularity of cross-cultural research and comparison studies, researchers are facing a difficult problem: responses to the depression scales obtained from different population groups may not always be comparable. This study examines the measurement invariance of the 10-item version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale across male and female in Chinese older adults. Data are drawn from the baseline wave of the China Health and Retirement Survey (CHARLS), a national survey conducted biennially with a sample of the Chinese population who are 45 years of age or older. The final sample size includes 15,977 respondents; 53.2% of whom are female. The mean age for the sample is 58.3 (SD = 10.2). Measurement invariance (MI) tests based on Multiple Group Categorical Confirmatory Factor Analyses (MGCCFA) was performed. Results show that full scalar model was not supported, and question items invariant across groups were identified. These results indicate that any mean comparisons of CES-D across Chinese male and female older adults not accounting for the noninvariance in the items could be biased, highlighting the importance of performing MI tests before conducting mean comparisons across groups.

Preschool teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion: a comparison study between China and Germany

ABSTRACT Using a comparative approach is a widespread method in educational research. Previous cross-cultural comparison studies on teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education show a strong lack of focus on preschool teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion. Thus, this study examined 65 Chinese and 59 German preschool teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion by applying the Multidimensional Attitudes towards Preschool Inclusive Education Scale (MATPIES). A comparative analysis showed Chinese and German teachers’ overall attitudes towards inclusive education as positive, with German teachers’ attitudes being more positive. While teachers in both countries showed the highest behavioural attitude dimension scores, Chinese teachers’ affective attitude dimension scored the lowest. Guided by the 'cultural–historical framework', we discussed how individualistic and collectivistic values influence teachers’ overall attitudes in the two countries, especially their different scores in affective dimension of attitude. Implications for future research examining preschool teachers’ attitudes in China and Germany as well as in the international context are discussed, with an emphasis on exploring how various factors both within and beyond teacher attributes to generate a more comprehensive understanding of the critical issue of teachers’ attitude. Meanwhile, further indications for conducting international comparison studies on teachers’ attitudes are also presented, including some methodological considerations for such studies.

Healing Function Evaluation of Color Samples from the Healthcare Environmental Color Index - A Cross-cultural Comparison Study on Korean and Romanian users

The present study is following a series of research investigations on design resources coming from collected data referring to users’ awareness and preferences. The aim of this research is to test the Healthcare Environmental Color Index as a basis for practitioners in the field of healthcare design. An array of color samples selected from previous research, have been presented to the respondents via an online survey, in order to identify the preferences of the two groups on the relation between environmental color and health. As a result of the first experiment and through the comparison of processed data, the maximum percentage of respondents from each group is validating the relation between environmental color and health. For the second experiment we intend to highlight the patterns of color preferences for each group, and thus to test the color samples healing function. The compared data also showed a higher awareness of Koreans than Romanians on the potential of color applied to healing environment. Last but not least in the third experiment we show the top five color samples preferred by each group. It is significant that the comparison of the results validated once more some of our previous findings related to the healthcare environment, such as: the general preference for the green hue (associated to fatigue relax according to color psychology) and the blue hue (sedation release effect) but also the yellow hue – associated to bright energy. Three out of the top five preferred color samples have been identical to both groups while the other two samples have shown characteristic variations. These results show that similarities are strong and can be used in a glocal design strategy as an accessible tool for any practitioner. Based on the Healthcare Environmental Color Index and users’ preferences analysis, a new design culture for healthcare can be established and developed.

Factorial Structure and Cross-Cultural Invariance of the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form in Hong Kong and Thailand.

With increasing attention on the role of parenting stress on family functioning and children’s development, one area that has been neglected is how such relations differ across cultures. Although sometimes viewed as homogeneous, Asian countries often have markedly different belief systems. Cross-cultural studies require instruments that have been validated in different socio-cultural contexts. The widely used parenting stress index-short form (PSI-SF) has been used in several locations. However, results regarding its factorial structure have been mixed. Furthermore, there are only a few cross-cultural comparison studies. This study examined the factorial structure of an abridged version of the PSI-SF with data from Hong Kong (N = 258) and Thailand (N = 190). The results from confirmatory factor analyses indicated that, in both cultures, a three-factorial structure provides the best model fit. Furthermore, we found evidence for partial metric invariance, suggesting that the test scores can be compared directly. Tests for convergent and discriminant validity revealed that the three factors were correlated with parent general distress, authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive parenting behaviors, in both cultures. These findings suggest that the abridged PSI-SF can provide a meaningful comparison of parenting stress between Hong Kong and Thailand.

Risk factors for hazardous drinking in university students from South Africa and Belgium: a cross-cultural comparison study.

Previous studies have associated certain risk factors with hazardous drinking in students. However, big cultural and geographical differences exist regarding alcohol use. To determine whether or not there was a difference in hazardous drinking between Belgian and South African university students and to establish the risk factors that contribute to hazardous drinking in university students (calculated using the AUDIT-C) from a developing country (South Africa) and a developed country (Belgium). An online survey assessing hazardous drinking among university students in South Africa (University of KwaZulu-Natal, UKZN) and Belgium (University of Antwerp, UoA) was conducted, using the shortened version of the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT-C). Risk factors in males and females for hazardous drinking were explored using multivariate logistic regression analysis. In total, 499 students were included in the study (250 UoA and 249 UKZN students). A significant higher amount of male (94.8%) as well as female (92.4%) UoA students drank alcohol in the last year compared to the male (66.2%) and female (67.8%) UKZN students (p<0.001). Additionally, a significant higher amount of UoA students were hazardous drinkers, compared to the UKZN students (p<0.001). Multivaiate analysis showed that male UoA students were almost 6 times more likely to be hazardous drinkers than male UKZN students (OR=5.611, p=0.005). Female UoA students were more than twice as likely to be hazardous drinkers than female UKZN students (OR=2.371, p=0.016). This study found a significant difference in hazardous drinking between Belgian and South African university students.

Importance of Cross-cultural Comparison Studies on Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders

Importance of Cross-cultural Comparison Studies on Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders

The Role of General Parenting Style in Child Diet and Obesity Risk.

The childhood obesity epidemic is widely considered to have reached pandemic proportions. Across the world, children with obesity are facing numerous psychological and physiological issues that follow them into adulthood, frequently leading to chronic illness and early death. In an effort to combat the compounding effects of childhood overweight, researchers are attempting to identify biological and environmental contributors to child weight. Parenting styles are one recognized influence on child diet and body mass index (BMI). This review is a comprehensive examination of the literature on the influence of parenting style on childhood diet and BMI over the past 5years. Current research continues to support the use of traditional parenting style categories (i.e., authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, uninvolved/neglectful): however, newer subcategories of Baumrind's styles and the inclusion of previously underrepresented groups (e.g., fathers, cross cultural comparison studies) are shedding more light on the nuance of parenting's relationship with child weight. Parenting styles that focus on the balance of warmth and control (e.g., authoritative) in contrast to the styles dedicated to only one of these constructs (e.g., permissive, authoritarian) seem to promote the healthiest dietary habits and may be protective of child BMI.

South Korean and U.S. Early Childhood Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices Supporting Children’s Social Competence

A total of 186 early childhood teachers from South Korea and U.S. participated in this cross-cultural comparison study examining their beliefs and practices to support children’s social competence. Participants completed an instrument specifically designed to measure early childhood teachers’ beliefs and practices of using environmental, natural activity, and intensive instructional strategies to support children’s social competence. Results found some similarities among South Korean and U.S. teachers that they both believe in and practice environmental, natural activity, and intensive strategies in the respective order from the most to the least. Results, however, also found some culture-specific differences that U.S. teachers rated all the strategies higher than South Korean teachers, and that stronger relationship between beliefs and practices were found among South Korean teachers. Sociocultural factors related to early childhood teachers’ beliefs and practices about supporting children’s social competence are discussed.

A content analysis of cross-cultural motivational studies in tourism relating to nationalities

Abstract The importance of outbound markets to a host country has increased scholars' interest in understanding motivational factors. Motivation is a basic determinant of tourists' behaviour and has a fundamental role in tourism. The awareness of motivational differences among tourists from main generating markets is a prerequisite for effective and successful destination marketing programs. However, cross-cultural motivation comparisons of tourists from different cultural backgrounds has received relatively little research attention. In addition, there has not been a content analysis undertaken on this topic. Therefore, the aim of this research was to examine and synthesise previous studies on cross-cultural tourist motivation comparison, reveal the gaps in the literature and indicate the future research trends. A review of 71 publications covering a period of 30 years, from 1988 to 2017, was conducted. This study focuses on both subject areas and research methods used. The findings of this content analysis identified a recent growth in cross-cultural comparison studies. The analysis also revealed an increase in more advanced analysis including multiple variables such as motivations, satisfaction, segmentation of visitors, intention behaviours, and information search behaviour. The analysis of nationalities compared in the reviewed studies indicated the shift of research interest towards Asian countries. In the case of research methods, quantitative design is more common for cross-cultural motivation studies.

The association between students mathematic knowledge and factors related to students, parents, and school: A cross-cultural comparison study

Few studies have examined how factors predict students’ mathematic knowledge/literacy. By using the data from the United States and China from PISA 2012, 11 factors were constructed and used to identify relationships between mathematic knowledge/literacy and factors related to student, parent, and school using a complex samples general linear model. Results revealed that math self-efficacy was the only common factor that positively affected students’ mathematic knowledge/literacy across the two countries. For U.S. students, mathematic knowledge/literacy was also positively affected by math self-concept and negatively affected by perceived peer math norms, math anxiety, and math professional development. However, for Chinese students, mathematic knowledge/literacy was positively affected by student-teacher relationships and student-math teacher ratio and negatively affected by sense of belonging.

The Emergence of an Elder-Blaming Discourse in Twenty-First Century China.

To people familiar with Confucian teachings about revering elders, it may be surprising that, over the last decade and a half, a discourse has emerged and spread widely in China in which elders are denigrated as out-of-date and corrupt. Using newspaper articles, commentaries and videos, this paper first traces the emergence of intergenerational conflicts over bus seats, along with related phenomena that have become flashpoints in the new elder-blaming discourse. Second, this paper delineates and challenges popular and academic notions that intergenerational differences in values and dispositions entirely account for intergenerational conflict. Specifically, it criticizes a notion, popular in China, that the older generations became corrupted through a series of historical misfortunes from the 1959-1961 famine onward. Aided by the tools of cross-cultural comparison, historicization, and media studies, it offers alternative explanations for intergenerational conflict, including underdeveloped infrastructure, lack of public resources, occupational pressures on the younger generations, and a decline in social trust. Third, this paper discusses why an elder-blaming discourse has been so possible to propagate. Owing to their greater illiteracy and lack of internet access, China's older generations can rarely make their voices heard amidst sensationalist reporting that over-represents their offenses. Further, that the Chinese population is concerned with starkly increasing and profound social problems, yet is given few opportunities to comment on these problems' structural roots, contributes to elder scapegoating.