Feasibility study of an internet-based virtual cultural exchange programme: Asian, North American and European university students

IF 6.8 1区教育学 Q1 EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH

Internet and Higher Education Pub Date : 2025-07-08 DOI:10.1016/j.iheduc.2025.101037

Kin Cheung , Nok Hang Leung , Virginia Pulcini , Antonella Giacosa , Nesrine Triki , Rebecca Fitzgerald , Rebecca Trautwein , Bin Li , Yee Na Li , Hilda Tsang , Ka Yee Lui , Wilson Yeung Yuk Kwok

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

There is still little knowledge about informal virtual cultural exchange programs deploying social media as an internet-based communication platform among students from different disciplines. This study aimed to address this research gap by examining the effect of a four-week theory-driven WhatsApp-based virtual cultural exchange program titled “Internationalization-at-Home” (IaH) among university students from three continents. A repeated-measure design was adopted. 60 university students from Canada (North America), Hong Kong (Asia) and Italy (Europe) were recruited from February to March 2021, with 20 students from each site. Participants from different sites were paired up to experience informal intercultural interaction through WhatsApp interaction. The results showed that IaH reduced the apprehension about intercultural communication. Furthermore, the high attendance and retention rate, together with the general satisfaction demonstrated the acceptance of the IaH. These findings demonstrate significant implications for global applications as they highlight the potential of virtual cultural exchange to alleviate fear and anxiety, thereby facilitating intercultural communication. This study also provides evidence supporting the widespread adoption of similar initiatives worldwide in the post-COVID-19 era.

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以亚洲、北美及欧洲大学生为对象的网上虚拟文化交流计划可行性研究

对于利用社交媒体作为不同学科学生之间基于互联网的交流平台的非正式虚拟文化交流项目，人们仍然知之甚少。本研究旨在通过研究一个为期四周的基于whatsapp的虚拟文化交流项目“国际化在家”（IaH）对来自三大洲的大学生的影响，来解决这一研究缺口。采用重复测量设计。2021年2月至3月，来自加拿大（北美）、香港（亚洲）和意大利（欧洲）的60名大学生被招募，每个地点各有20名学生。来自不同地点的参与者通过WhatsApp互动体验非正式的跨文化互动。结果表明，IaH降低了对跨文化交际的忧虑。此外，较高的出勤率和留校率，加上普遍的满意度，表明国际投行被接受。这些发现对全球应用具有重要意义，因为它们突出了虚拟文化交流在缓解恐惧和焦虑方面的潜力，从而促进了跨文化交流。本研究还提供了证据，支持在covid -19后时代在全球广泛采取类似举措。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Internet and Higher Education EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH-

CiteScore

19.30

自引率

4.70%

发文量

审稿时长

40 days

期刊介绍： The Internet and Higher Education is a quarterly peer-reviewed journal focused on contemporary issues and future trends in online learning, teaching, and administration within post-secondary education. It welcomes contributions from diverse academic disciplines worldwide and provides a platform for theory papers, research studies, critical essays, editorials, reviews, case studies, and social commentary.