Cross-cultural Experiences Research Articles

The World Psychiatry Exchange Program: insights from Tunisians in India

The World Psychiatry Exchange Program offers opportunities overseas for early career psychiatrists (ECPs), fostering immersion in clinical and cultural contexts. In this article, we present the experiences of two Tunisian ECPs in India. Activities included observing interviews, and attending courses and webinars. Challenges and opportunities in perinatal psychiatry and in child psychiatry were observed, emphasising cross-cultural nuances. Language barriers were overcome through translation. Notably, collaboration and proximity between departments countered mental illness stigma among medical professionals. This exchange underscores the importance of cultural awareness, collaboration and contextual adaptation in psychiatry. Lessons from this cross-cultural experience offer insights for enhanced care and research in diverse settings. This exchange also allowed for a rich scientific and cultural experience and brought to light many commonalities between India and Tunisia.

An Ethnographic Study of Chinese Business Expatriates in Tanzania

This ethnographic study investigates the motivations and experiences of Chinese business expatriates in Tanzania, focusing on their life management, language proficiency, and engagement with petty corruption. Chinese expatriates’ motivation for expatriation is often pragmatic, prioritizing family-oriented well-being over individual well-being. Language proficiency is shown to mediate power dynamics and reduce information asymmetry, while petty corruption is a strategic investment to navigate bureaucracy and secure benefits, despite an imbalance in reciprocity. This study enhances our understanding of the cross-cultural experiences of Chinese expatriates in Tanzania and offers valuable insights for effective International Human Resource Management (IHRM) practices.

Appraisal Attitude Analysis of Korean Expatriates' Cross-Culture Experience in Indonesia: The Implication for BIPA Teaching

AbstractThis research investigates the appraisal attitude framework to identify the level of attitude (affect, judgment, and appreciation) in Korean expatriates in Indonesia in their reflective journals (R.J.). The research uses the grant theory proposed by (J.R Martin & White, 2005; Oteíza, 2017). The study employed a descriptive qualitative method. This article describes their cultural competence and its implication for Indonesian language teaching for foreign speakers (BIPA ). Eight Korean expatriates wrote their R.J.s. The data in this study were lexical resources and phrases for appraisal attitudinal framework. The data is obtained from the expatriates' journals analyzed by U.A.M. Copus, and their appraisal of Indonesian culture is used as the data for the BIPA program. It was also taken from interviews and small surveys about their cultural experience to enrich the data. The results indicate two findings. Firstly, the appraisal attitude analysis of Korean expatriates' cross-cultural experience in Indonesia in their reflective journal showed affect (24.2%%), judgment (52.6%), and appreciation (23.2%). Most Korean expatriates express more positive (47.7%) than negative judgments (30.5%). Second, the system amplification text analysis reveals that the writer primarily uses other people's perceptions (judgments) rather than their own (affect). Lastly, text analysis based on the source of attitude indicates that the writer is the primary source of attitude, meaning that they are primarily responsible for assessing the subject matter they write about, which is Indonesian culture concerning time concepts and religion. In conclusion, it might be said that the expatriates have a more favourable opinion of Indonesian culture. Secondly, the implication of BIPA teaching (Indonesian language teaching for foreign speakers) can be implemented into the curriculum for their training.

Online news coverage of migrants’ grief at a distance during COVID-19: A qualitative framing analysis

Grieving at a distance is a common and often challenging experience for migrants. As a result of travel restrictions and border closures, grieving at a distance became a focus of media reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper aimed to examine the representation of migrants’ grief at a distance during the pandemic in online newspaper articles. We used a qualitative framing analysis to analyze nine articles published in online international newspapers. Three frames were identified: Grief as an impossible situation, migrants left with impossible choices, and grief as culturally mediated. These frames focused on how the psychological experience of grief was intertwined with migrants’ broader societal and cultural contexts. They emphasized the complex choices migrants faced due to their personal situations and cross-cultural experiences. Findings offer insights into how the media depicts migrant experiences, thus shaping public perceptions of their grief and bereavement. They reveal the difficulties of transnational grief migrants experienced.

Cross-cultural experiences: Voices of the Chinese doctoral students at a Spanish university

The aim of the study was to investigate the experiences of Chinese doctoral students at a Spanish university, aiming to enhance understanding of transcultural experiences. Challenges perceived during their cultural transition throughout their doctoral studies were explored, along with the strategies they employed to overcome these obstacles. Following a qualitative approach, eight participants were interviewed in depth on critical incidents experienced in academic and sociocultural settings. Effective communication emerged as the main challenge. Most critical incidents in the relationship with supervisors were associated with mismatched expectations and misunderstandings regarding learning objectives and activities. Limitations in writing in English and unfamiliarity with the sociocultural environment of the host university were perceived as hindering the achievement of academic goals and the adaptation to the local culture. Interaction with other doctoral students, self-determination, critical reflexivity, and autonomy were coping strategies that facilitated cross-cultural adaptation. The results confirm the legitimate socio-educational needs of Chinese students and their broad cultural and pedagogical agency. Results are useful for institutional support programs and to help doctoral students and supervisors establish adaptive cross-cultural relationships. Moreover, the study shows the resourcefulness of Chinese students in dealing with the challenges of cross-cultural transition and emphasizes the role that higher education institutions must play in serving international students.

Business Models and Cultural Negotiations between Chinese and Japanese Enterprises and Organizations: A Study Based on the IP Licensing Process of the Japanese Animation Industry

The Japanese animation industry has developed for a long time. It is one of the most mature animation markets. Globalization serves as a new and inexhaustible driving force for the Japanese animation industry. China as an active responder to globalization, has already become the largest consumer of the products of Japanese animation. However, there are some differences between the business models and cultures in Chinese and Japanese enterprises and organizations in trading and negotiating on IP licensing. In the early days, the Japanese animation industry generally adopted a single-investor financing model, which means where the investor bore all profits and losses. Since the 1990s, the Japanese animation industry has gradually formed and adopted a multi-member collaborative model centered around a "production committee" to invest and produce animation products, in which the members of the “production committee” co-invest, share risks, and achieve mutual benefits and win-win. The variation in business models is intricately linked to the different market economy environment at the time. With the development of globalization, as investors and copyright owners of animation works and products, the multi-member "production committee" plays a significant role in the overseas licensing operations of Japanese animation IPs, which requires professional teams or enterprises with cross-cultural experience necessitating coordination by.

Entrepreneurial orientation and national culture in Thailand: A case of three generations of a Thai SME

ABSTRACT This study explores the formation of entrepreneurial orientation in Thailand through the social environment in which individuals grew up, their educational background, and the education provided by their parents, with a case study of three generations of independent entrepreneurs from the same family. Despite low entrepreneurial inclination according to cultural metrics, key findings stress the significance of education abroad, encouragement of independent business pursuits, and exposure to diverse cultures in fostering entrepreneurial orientation. This suggests that family values and educational policies shape entrepreneurial mindset more than national culture. The study emphasizes entrepreneurship education and cross-cultural experiences in fostering an entrepreneurial mindset, advocating for educational reforms to embed entrepreneurship across disciplines. As an academic implication, the study identifies the influence of entrepreneurial orientation beyond national culture, encompassing family beliefs and educational policies. From a policy and practical perspective, entrepreneurship can be encouraged via education, particularly studying abroad.

Cultivating entrepreneurial human capital in multinational corporations: An intercultural paradox mindset lens

The development of an entrepreneurial strategic orientation is of growing concern for global corporations. Through a human capital lens, we probe how and when firms can develop and cultivate managerial entrepreneurial resources; by explicitly encouraging cross-cultural experiences that stimulate systematic shifts in mindset and behavior. Drawing on paradox theory and intercultural psychology, we put forth a model positing that cross-cultural experience (an endowment firms can either hire for or facilitate themselves) develops managerial entrepreneurialism—consisting of (a) venture ideation, (b) opportunity recognition, and (c) entrepreneurial behavior—through the intervening mechanism of a paradox mindset. As a boundary condition we uncover that paradox mindset formation partially hinges on home cultural tightness-looseness. We employ three distinct experiments on multinational samples of individual professionals (n = 506), active entrepreneurs (n = 370), and current managers in global firms (n = 288) to test our theorizing. Finding general support for our model, with analyses yielding important theoretical and practical implications from non-findings too, we conclude that a paradox mindset is a necessary, but not de facto, mediating step between cross-cultural experience and the cultivation of entrepreneurial managers. We also find that paradox mindset formation is conditional and related to home cultural tightness-looseness.

청소년기 한국문화 접촉 경험이 한국어 학습 지속 동기와 정체성 형성에 미치는 영향

Objectives The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of experiences with Korean culture during ado-lescence on the learners’ identity formation process and their motivation to continue learning the Korean language. Methods The participants in the study were men and women in their mid-20s to mid-30s who, during their ado-lescence, encountered the Korean Wave through various media sources. Additionally, they have been learning Korean for over 10 years, and have an advanced level of proficiency. Their nationalities include France, Taiwan, Vietnam, and India, and they are also currently engaged in industries related to Korea. The research, conducted through narrative inquiry with intensive interviews conducted from February 2023 to early January 2024. Results As a result of exploring the identity formation and transformation process of the research participants dis-played in their sustained motivation to learn the Korean language and their Korean language-learning process, it was found that the participants received exposure to the Korean language and culture prior to adolescence, con-sidered majoring in the Korean language when contemplating their career paths during adolescence, actively sought out interactions with Koreans following matriculation, then established themselves as professionals with expertise in the Korean language and culture. It was evident that the research participants were able to broaden their identity as consumers of the Korean Wave to learners of the Korean language and culture, then eventually to individual members of society with expertise in the Korean language and culture. Conclusions It was found that positive cross-cultural experiences during adolescence helped learners establish their identities and played a decisive role in the learners' career choices.

Back to Divination Practice: Cross-Cultural Characteristics of Dunhuang Birdsong Divination Book IOLTibJ747

Divination, as an important component of Chinese philosophy, plays an important role in reflecting the complex historical background in history and folklore. Especially in the Dunhuang region, which has experience in cross-cultural communication, the divination books unearthed from it have high reference value for understanding the complex historical background of Dunhuang at that time. This article selects the Dunhuang Birdsong Divination Book IOLTibJ747 as the research object, and through text analysis and historical analysis, re-examines the living conditions of the Dunhuang people during the Tibetan rule and the influence reflected by cross-cultural experiences. On the one hand, this article believes that IOLTibJ747 has a multilingual nature and integrates folk tales born in various cultural backgrounds, as well as the cross-cultural experience of the Dunhuang region during Tibetan rule in terms of bird species selection. On the other hand, this article believes that IOLTibJ747's emphasis on the spatiotemporal coordinates of divination and the selection of divination themes both point to the historical fact that war was the main topic of people's life in the Dunhuang region during the Tibetan rule. This article has certain reference value for exploring academic approaches to cross-cultural research, international relations research, and social history research through Zi Xue academic literature.

“I Saw Her With My Heart”: Supernatural Experiences and Continuing Bonds After the Death of a Dog

ABSTRACT Experiencing the ghosts of the departed is a common, cross-cultural experience of grief; such interactions are part of so-called externalized continuing bonds and represent an ongoing relationship with the departed. This paper characterizes people's reported supernatural experiences with the spirits of their deceased dogs and analyzes them in the context of bereavement, externalized continuing bonds, and disenfranchised grief. Using a thematic analysis, 544 candid online comments from social media where people shared their supernatural experiences were studied. These comments fell into two major themes with six subthemes: physical experiences (hearing, seeing, and touching the ghost of a dog) and interpreted experiences (seeing signs in nature, receiving visits from the deceased dog in dreams, and attributing feelings and phenomena to the spirit of the dog). How people described the feelings associated with these supernatural visits were also studied; three themes were found: Positive Feelings, Mixed to Sad Feelings, and Messages. The vast majority of reported feelings (74.6%) were positive, bringing people comfort, reassurance, and a sense of protection. While psychology largely characterizes externalized continuing bonds – particularly seeing ghosts – as negative and even maladaptive, this is in conflict with the findings. These supernatural experiences may serve a different role for grieving dog guardians. Given that disenfranchised grief is common due to the lack of cultural support for people mourning their dogs, and grief over companion animals is often complicated by guilt, these supernatural experiences may serve as an important source of comfort and a way for the bereaved to engage with loss.

The Use of Short Stories to improve English proficiency in Sixth Graders

Existing research suggests that short stories are an engaging and immersive experience that actively stimulates foreign language students' imagination and promotes their interest in language acquisition; they can also foster empathy, critical thinking, and creativity, all of which are essential tools for language development. By bringing short stories into the language classroom, a variety of narratives, characters, and cross-cultural experiences might be met. This research examines English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students’ improvement and perceptions of the implementation of short stories into their English classes after a six-week period of exposure to it as a teaching-learning strategy. The findings of the investigation showed a slight difference in students’ language improvement after comparing the pre- and post-test results; however, students’ perceptions of the implementation of short stories could bring insights into the English classrooms to enhance students’ language skills, promoting passion for reading, and encouraging critical thinking.

A qualitative study of mental health problems among children living in New Delhi slums.

Children living in urban slums in India are exposed to chronic stressors that increase their risk of developing mental disorders, but they remain a neglected group. Effective mental health interventions are needed; however, it is necessary to understand how mental health symptoms and needs are perceived and prioritized locally to tailor interventions for this population. We used an existing rapid ethnographic assessment approach to identify mental health problems from the perspective of children living in Indian slums, including local descriptions, perceived causes, impact, and coping behavior. Local Hindi-speaking interviewers conducted 77 free-list interviews and 33 key informant interviews with children and adults (N = 107) from two slums in New Delhi. Results identified a range of internalizing and externalizing symptoms consistent with depression, anxiety, and conduct problems in children. Findings included both common cross-cultural experiences and symptoms as well as uniquely described symptoms (e.g., "madness or anger," "pain in the heart and mind") not typically included on western standardized measures of psychopathology. Mental health problems appeared to be highly interconnected, with experiences such as harassment and fighting often described as both causes and impacts of mental health symptoms in children. Community perspectives indicated that even in the face of several unmet basic needs, mental health problems were important to the community and counseling interventions were likely to be acceptable. We discuss implications for adapting mental health interventions and assessing their effectiveness to reduce the burden of mental illness among children living in urban slums in India.

The Urbanized Museum

In the contemporary world of social change, accelerated mobility and plural identities, the creation of open and inclusive environments seems to be a recurrent aim at all levels from cities to buildings and to museums in particular. Through the first-hand study and analysis of current case studies, the paper will argue that museums engage space to express the contemporary museological concepts of accessibility, openness and inclusiveness, and through these to engage visitors in cross cultural informational experiences and social encounters. The spatial nature of the contemporary museum, it is proposed, points to a new concept of the museum, which often aims to be part of the city, both in the sense of how it connects to it and in being internally more like a city, and so a continuation of it.

"To be the person who is not the native speaker". Interculturality as empathy in cross-cultural experiences abroad

"To be the person who is not the native speaker". Interculturality as empathy in cross-cultural experiences abroad

Agriculture Students' Cultural Understanding During Students' Exchange in Kampus Merdeka Program: A Literature Review Approach

This study investigates the role of the Kampus Merdeka Program in promoting cross-cultural understanding in the context of agriculture during students' exchange. By employing a literature review as the methodological approach, the study synthesizes existing scholarly works to analyze the effectiveness of international exchange programs in fostering intercultural learning within the agricultural domain. The review delves into various aspects, including the impact of cultural immersion, communication barriers, and the significance of intercultural competence in the context of agricultural education. The findings aim to shed light on the benefits of cross-cultural experiences in agricultural learning environments, paving the way for future enhancements in the Kampus Merdeka Program and similar initiatives worldwide.

Cross-Cultural Experiences in Teacher Education: Indonesian Pre-Service English Teachers' Perspectives on International Teaching Practicum

This study addresses a significant gap in current literature concerning the international teaching practicum experiences of Asian pre-service teachers specializing in English education. Focusing on three Indonesian pre-service teachers, the research explores their experiences during international practicum in the Czech Republic, Thailand, and Malaysia. Methodologically, the study employed in-depth semi-structured interviews, along with the analysis of narrative journals and artifacts from the International Teaching Practicum (ITP) program, following the thematic analysis approach by Braun and Clarke (2006). This involved meticulous examination of data, coding, and thematic classification to derive meaningful interpretations. Key findings highlight the challenges faced by participants, including language barriers and cultural adaptation. Despite these challenges, participants reported substantial growth in confidence and self-assurance, fostered by active participation in teaching and learning activities. Significantly, the practicum provided valuable insights into multicultural education, deepening the participants' understanding of different teaching methodologies, the role of teachers, and the nuances of local educational systems. The implications of this study are far-reaching, particularly in enhancing multicultural competence in teacher education. By shedding light on the under-researched area of international teaching practicum involving Asian contexts, the study contributes essential insights into the evolving landscape of global teacher education.

Reflections of American and Turkish Fulbright alumni: An International context in language teaching assistantship

With the increasing global change and as a consequence of internationalization, the prestige of international educational exchange programs has heightened with bilateral agreements among countries. In parallel, plenty of research in academia has resided on Fulbright language assistantship programs whereas most have been designed on pre-service teachers, and a limited number centred on in-service teachers only from one country context. However, almost no studies have been done on international alumni from two countries to compare the perceived impact of this program through their lenses. Hence, six Turkish FLTAs and six American ETAs were incorporated into this qualitative case study to determine the influence(s) of their personal background information on this cross-cultural experience, and the effects they sensed on their teaching profession with Fulbright. Having conducted semi-structured interviews and sifted data through content analysis, the researcher noted its effects on the personal, linguistic, cultural, social, and contextual understandings of scholars. Moreover, professional growth, student-oriented active learning, and dynamic perspectives were described as themes outlining its reflections on their teaching profession. ETAs felt they cultivated “pedagogical content knowledge”, “soft skills”, “enhancing student motivation” and “adjusting teaching to supply student needs” more, whereas FLTAs reported a higher sense of development in “critical thinking skills”.

The reentry of Asian kinesiology professionals after obtaining a doctorate at higher education institutions in the U.S.

With the large increase in international doctorates at higher education institutions in the United States, little attention is being paid to former doctoral students’ cross-cultural experiences during their reentry to their home countries. Based on the re-acculturation theory as a conceptual framework, this qualitative inquiry aimed to explore how study participants perceive their reentry. The findings were explained using six subthemes: (a) the renewal process, (b) ambivalence of reentry, (c) homing instinct, (d) environmental context, (e) midpoint of repatriation, and (f) different research atmospheres. The findings reveal the importance of doctorates’ flexibility to cope with each country’s academic atmosphere and respect academic cultural differences. The findings provide insight into the challenges that international kinesiology professionals face during their reentry and how they resolve these difficulties for readjustment to the academic atmosphere of their home countries.

Cross-cultural experiences and self-development: a psychobiographical study of Bruce Lee

A common challenge people face in today’s cross-cultural world is how to solve a series of adaptation problems caused by cultural conflict. Exploring Bruce Lee’s successful cross-cultural experiences through psychobiography offers some inspiration and thoughts. How did Bruce Lee successfully integrate martial arts, symbolising the Eastern culture, with films representing the Western culture, finally propelling kung fu films onto the international stage? Numerous publicly available materials about Bruce Lee were collected for this study, and the research data were evaluated using thematic analysis. Bruce Lee’s success benefitted from reconstructing cultural environment information and exercising his initiative to shape a new cultural environment. His life experiences reflect individual cognition behaviour and social and cultural environments as two aspects of a dynamic circulation system and show that the two have reached internal and spiralling harmony through mutual integration. In the context of the Oriental collectivism culture’s family narrative, Chinese adults’ personality development features the unique theme of ‘inheritance and innovation’. Dealing with the relationship between self-actualisation and familism is another important and challenging task in developing the Chinese personality.