Cultural Differences Research Articles

The Concept of Dissimilation in the Study of Inter-ethnic Marriages within Homogeneous Meskhetian Turkish, Azerbaijani Marriages in Turkestan

While analyzing the preservation of cultural heritage is more straightforward in homogenous households, inter-ethnic marriages present a captivating lens through which to examine cultural integration, social identity, and the preservation of tradition within diverse societies. This study explores the dynamics of inter-ethnic and homogeneous marriages among Meskhetian Turks and Azerbaijanis in Kazakhstan, applying the theoretical framework of dissimilation theory. By drawing on fieldwork conducted in 2024 which involved 45 interviews from two research villages, Turki Poselkasy and Kentau, located in the Turkestan province in the southern part of Kazakhstan, the research investigates the historical context and contemporary realities faced by these communities. In doing so, it highlights differences in culture, language, ​​and social norms that can influence the formation of both mixed and homogeneous marriages among minority groups in the region. The theoretical background of the study is grounded in dissimilation theory, which posits that individuals in inter-ethnic marriages tend to distance themselves from their own ethnic groups to establish new identities within the context of their relationships. Through interviews and surveys conducted across diverse settlements, the study explores social identities and groups as well as concepts of cultural and social differences including gender dynamics, to uncover the intricate mechanisms of dissimilation.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

The objective of this work is to understand the economic, social, cultural, political, legal, and financial differences that require strategic planning for the internationalization of organizational activities. The methodology used was bibliographic, with a qualitative approach. Internationalization is an innovative aspect for the survival of organizations, and it should be a process guided by the economic, political, social, cultural, financial, and legal differences of the country where internationalization is sought, while also requiring a manager profile with specific personal, organizational, and professional attributes to overcome challenges in these aspects and avoid failures. The planning of internationalization should include various decision-making strategies on how to enter this market, such as mergers/acquisitions and foreign direct investment, both of which have advantages and disadvantages that should be analyzed concerning cost/benefit relationships and threats/opportunities for small, medium, and large organizations as well as emerging ones. Successful cases of internationalization of Brazilian companies contribute to this process, such that the competition of globalized companies emerges as a line of thought that enables their survival in terms of competitive strategies.

Ptyalism gravidarum

Ptyalism gravidarum, or sialorrhoea, is a highly distressing maternal condition characterised by excess salivation and difficulty swallowing saliva, requiring the affected woman to frequently expectorate. The literature is sparse and somewhat conflicting. There are marked geographical and cultural differences in prevalence. The aetiology is not known, and no trials have been performed with respect to treatment modalities. A review of the available literature is presented, and possible future directions for research are suggested.

Beyond borders: The effects of perceived cultural distance, cultural intelligence, cross-cultural adaptation on academic performance among international students of higher education

Perceived cultural distance (PCD) has been established as a significant factor influencing academic performance; however, limited knowledge exists regarding the intricate mediating and moderating mechanisms that underlie this relationship. The present study seeks to contribute to the existing literature by exploring the potential mediating role of cross-cultural adaptation and the moderating influence of cultural intelligence (CQ) in the relationships between PCD and academic performance among international students in China. The theoretical model was tested using survey data that measured international students' PCD, CQ, and cross-cultural adaptation in academic, psychological, and sociocultural domains, along with their academic performance. The findings revealed that (1) PCD exhibits a direct and negative influence on academic performance; (2) Three dimensions of cross-cultural adaptation, namely academic, psychological, and sociocultural adaptation, operate as mediators in the link between PCD and academic performance; (3) CQ, functioning as a moderator, weakens the negative association between PCD and academic performance. These results underscore the pivotal role of PCD in the realm of cross-cultural learning for international students, particularly those engaged in educational pursuits within the Chinese higher education landscape. The study also highlights the protective effects of all four aspects of CQ (metacognitive, cognitive, motivational, and behavioral CQ) on the adaptation processes and academic performance of these sojourning students in the face of cultural differences.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation and the Performance of Sino-Indonesian Joint Ventures: An Empirical Study

China has emerged as Indonesia's largest trading partner, creating new opportunities for bilateral economic cooperation. However, challenges related to cultural differences in joint ventures have become increasingly important. Improving cross-cultural adaptability and joint venture performance is crucial to strengthen collaboration and exchange. This study aims to explain the theory of cross-cultural adaptation in joint ventures, establishing connections between employee backgrounds, cross-cultural activities, support, and networks to develop new theoretical foundations for promoting such adaptation. The study examines the dynamic impact of cross-cultural adaptation on business performance by analyzing data from 30 China-Indonesia joint ventures between 2008 and 2019. The results indicate that cross-cultural adaptation comprises four components: employee backgrounds, cross-cultural spending, support, and networks. Notably, as cross-cultural adaptability improves, joint venture performance increases significantly. Among these components, cross-cultural networks have the most substantial impact on performance. These findings suggest joint ventures should enhance cross-cultural resilience through targeted activities to improve performance.

Balancing Beliefs: An Analysis Concerning Article 25, Secularism And The Search For A Common Civil Code.

This article gives instances of the difficulties that can accrue when implementing a Uniform Civil Code in country like India due to language, religion, culture differences. The views on the matter specially in relation to secularism to personal laws and the conception of vital religious activities also find their articulation through the Constitution of India. Moreover, the paper underlines the fact that, while the creation of the political community is a reasonable cause, this cannot be done at the same rate as the destruction of the Indian culture and social-economic diversities. Exploring the theme of gender justice in personal laws the text is aimed at providing cases of the certain legislation which have been recognized as violating women’s rights.

Inclusion of Children with a Background of Migration into Greek Kindergartens Via Physical Education: Development of Emotional Skills

Cultural diversity in schools enriches the learning environment by exposing students to different perspectives, traditions, and worldviews. However, ensuring inclusion can be challenging as educators must navigate language barriers, cultural differences, and potential biases. Enhancing emotional skills through a physical education program is a powerful way to promote inclusion among students.

Structure Analysis and Forecast of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Exports to Australia Under the Perspective of Product Segmentation

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), as a precious treasure of China has played an indispensable role in combating the COVID-19 epidemic, and receiving widespread attention and high regard. The Chinese pharmaceutical industry is gradually on the Road of Revival. However, there are still many bottlenecks restricting internationalization of TCM. How to specifically expand the international market, optimize product structure, and enhance the competitiveness of TCM exports are key and difficult issues. In light of this, this article selects "Australia" as a typical region with a solid foundation for the development of TCM, and innovatively classifies TCM products into four major categories based on its market access policies. By applying STATA to construct an ARIMA model, this study analyzes and forecasts the total export volume of TCM to Australia, the export structure of each category, and the export value for the Q3 2024-Q2 2026 based on data from 2016 to Q2 2024. The results reveal that there is significant potential in the Australian market for the export of TCM. However, the export structure is heavily skewed towards primary products, with the growth rate of high-value-added products being relatively slow. Consequently, it is recommended to increase investment in the research and development of TCM, enhance consumer education to address cultural differences, promote the export of high-value-added products, strengthen the docking of international standards and export certification of products, reinforce brand building and bolster government guidance and talent cultivation to enhance the international competitiveness of the TCM.

Communication Apprehension and Coping Strategies of the English Language Learners: Basis for Interactive Activities Enrichment

Communication apprehension is an uneasiness experienced by all individuals, especially when speaking. Meanwhile, coping strategies are approaches people use in dealing with anxiety. This study determined the level of communication apprehension and coping strategies of the BSED-English major students of the College of Education (CED), Jose Rizal Memorial State University-Tampilisan Campus. The researchers used the descriptive survey method utilizing the survey-questionnaire checklists. The first instrument was adopted from McCroskey's (1981) cited in Diane (2015) Personal Report of Communication Apprehension 24 (PRCA-24). The other one is the validated researchers-made survey statements comprising 30-item statements categorized as strategies for overcoming communication apprehension in group discussions, meetings, interpersonal conversation, and public speaking, with a Cronbach's alpha value of >0.70. The researchers also adopted McCroskey and Richmond's coding and scoring system, weighted mean, and frequency count. Results show that most of the English major students in JRMSU-TC have a moderate level of communication apprehension. Further, there is a difference in the level of communication apprehension when grouped according to group discussion, meetings, interpersonal communication, and public speaking, as well as in the overall weighted mean. Therefore, there is a difference in the level of communication apprehension of the BSED English major students when grouped according to year level. In terms of coping strategies, students used the following strategies: accepting cultural differences, paying attention when talking to others and considering their cultural views, thoroughly preparing before the speech, and thinking of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation as a reward. In this connection, there are proposed interactive activities that may help overcome the students' communication apprehension.

The Influence of Chinese and Western Cultural Differences on English Translation and Its Countermeasures

Abstract English plays an irreplaceable role as a bridge of global communication. However, the cultural differences between China and the West have a profound impact on English learning and translation practice, resulting in the reduction of semantic accuracy and information richness, which damages the effect of communication and restricts the style of translation. These cultural differences not only lead to understanding errors in the translation process, but also lead to the loss of cultural connotation, the conflict of expression and the mismatch of logical structure, thus increasing the complexity and challenge of English translation. To solve these problems, this paper suggests some strategies to alleviate the influence of Chinese and Western cultural differences on English translation, such as enhancing the training of cultural awareness, improving the accurate grasp of the context, flexibly adjusting the ways of language expression and optimizing the logical expression structure. In addition, it is emphasized that while mastering language skills, English learners should deeply understand and respect the cultural background of the source language and the target language, so as to improve the quality of translation and the effectiveness of communication. These measures will help English learners to translate and apply English more accurately and freely, not only in the literal sense of the language, but also in the cultural level.

A cross-cultural comparison of intrinsic and extrinsic motivational drives for learning.

Intrinsic motivational drives, like the autonomous feeling of control, and extrinsic motivational drives, like monetary reward, can benefit learning. Extensive research has focused on neurobiological and psychological factors that affect these drives, but our understanding of the sociocultural factors is limited. Here, we compared the effects of autonomy and rewards on episodic recognition memory between students from Dutch and Chinese universities. In an exploratory learning task, participants viewed partially obscured objects that they needed to subsequently remember. We independently manipulated autonomy, as volitional control over an exploration trajectory, as well as the chance to receive monetary rewards. The learning task was followed by memory tests for objects and locations. For both cultural groups, we found that participants learned better in autonomous than non-autonomous conditions. However, the beneficial effect of reward on memory performance was stronger for Chinese than for Dutch participants. By incorporating the sociocultural brain perspective, we discuss how differences in norms and values between Eastern and Western cultures can be integrated with the neurocognitive framework about dorsal lateral and ventral medial prefrontal cortex and dopaminergic reward modulations on learning and memory. These findings have important implications for understanding the neurocognitive mechanisms in which both autonomy and extrinsic rewards are commonly used to motivate students in the realm of education and urge more attention to investigate cultural differences in learning.

Cultural Conflict and Disappointment: Hongkongers’ Sentiments Toward Taiwanese Authorities Amid Cross-Strait Tensions

The failure of the democratic movement during 2014–2020 prompted tens of thousands of Hongkongers (~40,000) to reluctantly leave their hometown and migrate to Taiwan to seek a freer future. Taiwan’s cultural similarity to Hong Kong, together with Taiwan’s democracy and geographic proximity, are commonly recognized as pull factors of migration. However, the intensifying cross-strait tensions since late 2021 have witnessed Taipei tighten its approval of Hongkongers’ applications for permanent residency mainly in fear of the infiltration of Chinese agents. Based on mixed-methods in-depth interviews (N = 15) and an online survey (N = 147) with Hong Kong migrants, this paper reveals their complex experience in adapting to the Taiwan way of life, becoming frustrated by Taipei’s attitudinal change, and contemplating onward migration. The findings reveal underlying cultural differences between Hong Kong and Taiwanese societies—manifesting as a cultural conflict—amid fears of an encroaching communist China.

Child Abuse Incidences Per Child Year Predicted from the Available Average Incidence Combined with Foreign Incidences Per Child Year: Towards a New Policy

Child abuse is a worldwide recognized serious problem. Reliable child abuse incidences, preferably per child year, are fundamental for a sound detection and prevention program. Unfortunately, in most countries where child abuse data is available, incidences are not determined per child year but as an average over the child age range. In this paper we suggest a possible "next-best" solution for deriving child abuse incidences per child year when only an average value is available in an area or country. As method, we combined the country's measured average incidence with available (foreign) incidences per child year. The country's next-best incidences per child year will be estimated from its average, multiplied by the foreign incidences per child year divided by the foreign average. As results, we calculated the next-best Dutch age-dependent incidences by combining the Dutch average value with US and Ontario age-related incidences. We found comparable results for infants above 1 year and marked differences for children <1 year, likely due to cultural differences between the US and Ontario. In conclusion, next-best age-related child abuse incidences are obtainable in large areas or countries by choosing a smaller but representative region, the latter estimated from Ontario-data as ≥210,000 inhabitants, and establishing as perfectly as possible the optimal infra structure. A future perspective towards a new policy could be to initiate and stimulate this approach in the various European Union and United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child member states.

Analysis of the Relationship Between R&D and Company Performance

Research and development (R&D) activities are crucial to remain competitive. Extant literature presents divergent views on R&D’s contribution to company performance, specifically profitability. It hints at cultural differences in approaching R&D. This leads to analyzing such relationships within a regional comparison. Filling the research gap by focusing on the Technology, Media and Telecommunication (TMT) sector, this study evaluated a sample of 132 Asian and European companies operating in the TMT sector for 2018 – 2022. Using the panel generalized method of moments, results showed that R&D intensity had an insignificant impact on profitability but a positive and significant effect on capital market performance. Furthermore, Asian firms’ R&D intensity had a more pronounced influence on performance, supporting the literature’s view on cultural differences in R&D strategies.

University campuses’ location-allocation: a case study of Egypt with insights from the Japanese context

PurposeThis paper aims to identify the most suitable location for a university campus in Egypt based on governorates’ social needs by employing the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The paper, then, reflects the findings retrieved from the Egyptian context on the Japanese context to reveal how different countries deal with the location-allocation decision problem for university campuses.Design/methodology/approachThe AHP is employed to evaluate and rank Egyptian governorates based on 13 distinct criteria obtained from governmental open-source databases. These criteria measure the social needs of each governorate, guiding the decision on the location of new university campuses.FindingsThe results expose a disparity between Egypt's current campus development plan and recommendations derived from AHP analysis. The location-allocation decision for new university campuses appears to be influenced by subjective assessments, indicating a gap between planned developments and identified social needs. Additionally, contextual social and cultural differences between developing and developed countries impact the identification and fulfilment of the demand for a new university campus.Originality/valueThis paper contributes by offering decision-makers a robust location-allocation framework. It serves as a valuable tool for policy formulation in establishing new public universities in both developing and developed countries. Comparative analysis with the Japanese context enriches the understanding of how countries address the location-allocation decision problem for university campuses, emphasising the significance of context-specific considerations in such decisions.

Dialectic tension: music education majors’ lived experience in an international choir trip

ABSTRACT The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to examine music education majors' lived experience of negotiating cultural differences in an international choral trip from the US to China. Eight music education majors from a music college in the eastern U.S. participated in this study. I collected three types of data describing their cultural exchange experience: participants' daily journals, and the research assistant's observation notes during the trip, and a series of focus group interviews after the trip. Through the process of epoché, phenomenological reduction, horizontalization, and structural synthesis, four themes emerged: (a) Explicit knowledge acceptance by superficial cultural engagement, (b) Elatedness over common musical characteristics, (c) Implicit othering attitude, and (d) Moments of self-reflexivity. In the essence of their cultural interactions, participants experienced dialectic tension between musical similarities and differences, surficial and deep cultural engagement, universal and non-universal consideration, and their centrality toward self and others.

Revisiting the TAM: adapting the model to advanced technologies and evolving user behaviours

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the applicability of the technology acceptance model (TAM) in libraries considering the advanced technologies and users’ behaviour.Design/methodology/approachThe research uses a critical reflective approach to review and synthesize a body of recent academic literature on the use of TAM in libraries. The review included assessing TAM’s historical evolution, its limitations and how it could be improved.FindingsThe findings indicated that, although TAM can be viewed as an appropriate theoretical model to explain the users’ intention towards technology acceptance, it is limited in explaining both the users’ attitude towards advanced technology and their behaviour in advanced library settings.Research limitations/implicationsTo enhance the practicality of TAM in libraries, several recommendations for strategic advancements have been proposed such as contextualizing TAM to libraries, exploring AI-driven adoption, integrating library-specific constructs, understanding cultural differences and using holistic research approaches.Originality/valueThe findings contribute to a deeper understanding of technology adoption in libraries and to the future possibilities of TAM.

«Confrontation of fonts: Gothic vs Antiqua» in the language politics of the Third Reich

The article is devoted to the consideration of the script in the modern history of the German literary language, associated with the design of its normative graphics (graphemics), in particular the «font dispute: antiqua vs gothic» in the first half of the 20th century. For a significant period of historical development, the German literary language is marked by «cognitive dissonance» caused in the linguistic consciousness of its speakers by the collision of «conflicting» variants of Latin characters. The parallel use of various graphic variants of writing (diglyph), especially at the stage of the modern history of the German language, is marked by the influence of various extra-linguistic factors (ideology, confessional, cultural differences, national and state policies, etc.). A pressing issue is the consideration of the radical and controversial language policy in the totalitarian Third Reich in 1933–1945. Declaring Fraktur as a «national script», a symbol of identity and the embodiment of basic doctrines (unity of the nation and German-speaking ethnic groups, anti-Semitism, «struggle for culture», the idea of superiority), the National Socialists in 1941, at the stage of reorienting their policy towards «Eurocentrism», declared it replacement of the previously rejected antiqua as «normative German writing». The article provides a critical stage-by-stage analysis of the scenarios of the language policy of National Socialism in the «dispute about graphics», attempts to use a «compromise font» (Futura). Ideologemes associated with this practice are analyzed as lexical markers (Sprachregelung, Kulturkampf, Schrifttum, Judenlettern, deutsche Volksschrift/Normalschrift, etc.). The result of the study was the construction of a model of «font strategy» as a special linguistic-semiotic phenomenon of the language policy of the Third Reich. The conclusions note a peculiar reflection of the «font dispute» in different types of texts of 1933–1945 and in the military discourse of the Third Reich.

Inducting the Socratic Method of Forming Faith in African Contexts

The Socratic method of questioning and answering as a learning and teaching strategy has been used widely over time, for it effectively stimulates meaningful learning. Its learner-centered and transformative nature promotes ongoing dialogue. Since cultural differences influence the nature of questions asked, induction of the Socratic method is inevitable so that faith formation leads to thinking theologically where faith becomes a contextual form of thinking and thinking a form of contextualized faith. Some mainline churches in Africa have adopted catechisms with pre-asked and pre-answered questions formulated in Europe between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. The challenges of time, culture, and geographical contextual differences create a gap between the church’s faith formation and context-based spiritual quests. These gaps demand asking the right questions that challenge and inverse wrong attitudes that foster deep reflective self-evaluation, interpretation, and understanding, shaping appropriate perceptions to address the contemporary spiritual quests of Africa. Using the qualitative literature review methodology, this article discovered that there are some gaps between questions and answers in catechisms used in mainline churches and contemporary spiritual quests of Africa. This article aims to discuss the means of closing the gap between questions and answers in catechism and context-based spiritual quests. It recommends induction of the Socratic method so that the questions and answers in catechisms are contextual, communicable, assimilable, and appropriable in African contexts. This study contributes to faith formation by recommending the induction of the Socratic method so that the questions and answers in catechisms are contextual, communicable, assimilable, and appropriable in African contexts. Keywords: Inducting, Socratic Method, Faith Formation, Questions and Answers Communicability, Assimilability, Appropriateness

Parental Influence on Child Art Learning: Examining Habitus and Social Trajectories in Taiwanese and U.S. Cultural Contexts

This qualitative study examines how parental habitus in Taiwan and the United States shapes their views on the role of art in child development. Drawing on the social ecological systems framework and habitus theories, it explores parental influences on art education practices. Using a dual-case, cross-cultural approach, the study analyzes interviews, observations, and artifacts from 26 parent-participants with children aged four to seven in art programs. Findings reveal cultural, social, and educational factors influencing parental decisions. Despite cultural differences, both groups prioritize active involvement in their children’s artistic development, emphasizing art’s intrinsic value for fostering creativity, well-being, and character. The study highlights the importance of parent education and advocates for integrating parental perspectives into art education policies. This research enhances understanding of parental influences in children’s art education, emphasizing the need for collaborative efforts to promote art as integral to holistic child development.