The Preheating-Experience-Review Teaching Model for Cultural Tourism among International Students in China

Yunjia Fu

doi:10.70088/gyjjmx68

Authors

Yunjia Fu School of International Chinese Education, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu, China Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70088/gyjjmx68

Keywords:

cultural tourism education, new media communication, experiential learning, cross-cultural adaptation, international students

Abstract

Under China's strategy of promoting Chinese culture internationally and the national education requirements for international students, new media platforms such as WeChat, Xiaohongshu, and TikTok have become important facilitators of cultural tourism. However, current teaching practices face two practical problems: overemphasizing classroom instruction while neglecting hands-on experience, and prioritizing site visits without facilitating meaningful cultural transformation. To address these gaps, this study integrates new media communication theory, experiential learning theory, and cross-cultural adaptation theory to develop a three-stage Preheating-Experience-Review teaching model. The preheating stage leverages curated new media content to activate students' prior knowledge and stimulate cultural curiosity before field engagement. The experience stage employs structured experiential tasks, including guided observation worksheets, peer interaction prompts, and real-time digital documentation, to deepen immersive learning during on-site cultural tourism activities. The review stage facilitates reflective consolidation through collaborative writing, group debriefing discussions, and the production of user-generated content, enabling students to transition from passive learners to active secondary communicators of Chinese culture. Based on a small-scale teaching practice involving 18 international students in Chengdu, this study primarily collects qualitative data through reflective journals and focus group discussions, supplemented by quantitative questionnaire data measuring changes in cultural expectations, motivation, and cross-cultural understanding. Key findings indicate that new media preheating significantly raises students' cultural expectations and motivation; structured experiential tasks deepen cross-cultural understanding and foster meaningful engagement with host culture; and the review phase effectively transforms students into active secondary communicators of Chinese culture. The study provides practical guidance for university international education departments, cultural tourism agencies, and International Chinese Language Education programs seeking to integrate new media and experiential pedagogies.

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