Determining heterogeneous behavior for theater attendance

In this paper we propose and estimate a model of theater participation using the data contained in the 2002 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts from the USA, a dataset widely used to study the determinants of cultural participation. Our contribution relies on the use of an estimation technique that respects the count data nature of the attendance variable (number of theater performances that an individual attended) and allows for heterogeneous behavior. By using a Zero Inflated Negative Binomial Model, we can characterize two distinct behaviors for the observable attendance: a group of never-goers (who never participate) and a subpopulation that has a positive probability of attending. For this latter group, we can estimate the effect of certain personal variables on the probability of highest frequency. The results suggest that the proposed model is appropriate for estimating cultural participation.

Review on the characterisation of ancient stringed musical instruments varnishes and implementation of an analytical strategy

For the last 60 years, varnishes of ancient musical instruments, particularly stringed instruments of the violin family dating 17th and 18th centuries, have been analysed to establish their chemical composition and multi-layered structure. The objective was to rediscover the technology for making the varnish of esteemed Italian violins and to reconstitute it. This paper reviews the physico-chemical studies published on such varnishes and also focuses on a research project carried out since 2002 at the Musée de la musique in Paris. It aims to apply in a comprehensive way different non-destructive or micro destructive methods (Py-GC/MS, IR microscopy, SEM/EDX, EDXRF, synchrotron radiation-based techniques, …) to the study of a large and representative number of ancient varnished musical instruments from a museum collection.     

Training in culture: the case of aikido education and meaning-making outcomes in Japan and the United States

This study investigated whether a relationship existed between instructional style and points of emphasis in the training context of the martial art aikido and the perceptions which practitioners of aikido generated for aikido-related concepts. The findings were gathered within and compared across aikido training settings in two cultures — Japan and the United States. Analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data gathered for this investigation revealed several potent differences between the manner in which Japanese and American aikido practitioners represented their understandings of aikido-related concepts. Differences in the manner in which aikido practitioners in Japan and the United States represented their understandings of aikido reflected the teaching emphasis observed in the respective cultures. It was concluded that aikido instructors represented the values of their own culture in the context of aikido training, and thus served as important mediating forces influencing the meaning which practitioners generated for aikido. An additional finding revealed that in neither culture were participants able to accurately represent how practitioners in the “other” culture structured their understandings of aikido. It was reasoned that both cultural groups generated faulty perceptions of how the “other” group understood aikido because they utilized a similar pattern of projection, using their own meanings of aikido to represent the understandings of practitioners in the “other” cultural group.     

拳种与村落:武术人类学研究的实践空间

我国体育人类学的发端肇始于对传统体育的研究,但不能忽视的是:运用文化人类学理论和方法对中国武术的研究却异常薄弱. 前期相关武术理论的研究和探讨,大都以历史学、民俗学为框架和导向,注重参与观察的人类学理论的介入也仅仅大都停留于对其必要性的理论阐述,武术的文化人类学研究几乎近于一个盲区,少而无力. 论文在梳理我国体育人类学研究进展的基础上,提出了运用文化人类学对我国武术文化进行研究的构想:(1)乡土村落:引入文化人类学的研究范式的独有视窗;(2)武术拳种:与村落武术研究交相辉映的微观个案;(3)固定的村落与流动的拳种:构筑与交织中国武术研究的文化版图.     

我国大学生体育态度对自我和谐的影响研究*

通过SCCS自我和谐量表以及自编问卷,对2391名大学生体育态度对自我和谐影响做U检验和相关研究,实验结果表明:体育态度与自我和谐之间具有高度负相关性(相关系数为0.92).其中,男大学生体育态度得分高于女大学生;艺体类体育态度得分最高,理工次之,文史最差;大一学生体育态度得分最高,大二、大三次之,大四最差;在自我和谐度上,男大学生的自我和谐度优于女大学生;艺体类大学生自我和谐度最好,理工类次之,文史类最差;大一学生自我和谐度最好,大二、大三次之,大四最差.     

Learning and adaptation with regard to complementary medicine in a foreign context: Intercultural experiences of medical students from different cultural backgrounds

Little is known about challenges and transition that medical students from different cultural backgrounds face with regard to complementary medicine (CM). This paper explores such students’ experiences and perspectives of socio-cultural and academic difference with regard to CM and experiences of intercultural relations. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, 30 in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with medical students across 10 Australian medical schools. The data were rigorously analysed through a systematic process of coding, categorisation and theoretical development. The findings indicate that students adapted considerably to the host culture. Students with Western backgrounds integrated better socio-culturally and academically compared to students with non-Western backgrounds. Although nationality represented cultural identity, students’ construction of cultural difference was informed by their perception of diverging value systems within the specific educational environment. These values were, in turn, reflected in students’ reported behaviours, attitudes, and levels of engagement in socio-cultural and academic aspects of university life. Adaptation employed by students was evidenced largely due to their conflicting sense of responsibility towards familial culture regarding CM and focus on fitting in. While students’ tendency to gravitate towards cultural peers was evident, most students adapted to their host environment regarding CM to fit into normal intercultural encounters during medical school. In conclusion, students’ intercultural contact with regard to CM was both complex and problematic. At a time of significant diversification within the higher education student body, this paper highlights the role medical education institutions can play in fostering intercultural and academic guidance and support.     

Cultural Identification and Religious Identification Contribute Differentially to the Adaptation of Australian Adolescent Muslims

Australian Muslims are generally perceived as a devalued group in Australia and the public attitudes towards them are generally negative. This context raises questions about belonging and adaptation among Australian adolescent Muslims. The current study investigated how adolescent Muslims relate to their heritage culture, religion, and Australian culture, and which of these three factors is most important to adolescent Muslims’ psychological and socio-cultural adaptation. The study employed a mixed-method design. A total of 321 high school Muslim students (149 males and 172 females) aged between 14 and 18 years completed self-report questionnaires, and a subset sample of 18 students in the same age range, evenly split between males and females, participated in semi-structured interviews. The study revealed a hierarchical pattern of identification among Australian adolescent Muslims, with attachment to their religion being the most important, followed by heritage culture identification and being Australian in third place. Australian adolescent Muslims’ religious identification was perceived overall as more crucial to their socio-cultural and psychological adaptation, than their heritage culture identification or Australian identification. There was an overall modest contribution of Australian identification to adolescent Muslims’ adaptation. This might be connected with the relatively less attachment they show to their Australian identity due maybe to perception of being the target of prejudice, an issue that can be addressed by implementation of prejudice reduction strategies.     

中美两国文化中的隐私观念比较

中美两国由于处在东西方不同的文化之中,在文化取向、人与自然的关系、人与人的关系、社会规范、思维方式和生活方式等各方面都表现出很大的差异。隐私观念也是这些文化差异的表现之一。了解中美两国不同的隐私观,有助于双方的沟通和交往,避免产生跨文化交际中的失误。     

小学语文教学中的情感教育及其实施策略

小学语文是基础学科,语文的学习是为以后其他学科的学习奠定基础,如今的教育不能再是简单的"传道授业解惑",要运用多种多样的教学方法,培养学生的学习情感,引导学生爱上学习,并建立良好的师生关系,从而提高教学质量,本文针对小学语文教学中的情感教育及其实施策略提出了建议.     

Understandings of national identity and outgroup attitudes in culturally diverse Mauritius

This study investigated understandings of national group belonging in relation to attitudes toward foreign and established outgroups in Mauritius. Representative data were collected among the three numerically largest ethno-cultural groups (Hindus, Muslims, and Creoles; N_total = 1770) and results confirmed a distinction between “being,” “doing,” and “feeling” Mauritian among all three groups, with some small differences for Creoles compared to Hindus and Muslims. Furthermore, “being” Mauritian was not significantly related to attitudes toward established and foreign outgroups. In contrast, the “doing” understanding was negatively associated with both attitudes, and the “feeling” understanding showed positive associations with both outgroup attitudes among all three participant groups. The findings make a novel contribution to the literature on how people understand national identity, how these understandings differ between ethno-cultural groups within a nation, and how these relate to attitudes toward foreign as well as established outgroups.