A Study on the Psychological Mechanisms of Communication and Pathways for Cultivating Global Competence in County-Level New Media-Empowered Cross-Border Study Tours in ASEAN

Against the backdrop of international education under the “Belt and Road” initiative, cross-border study tours to ASEAN countries serve as a vital practical pathway for primary and secondary schools in rural counties to cultivate students’ cross-cultural literacy. Constrained by geographical, financial, and teacher resource limitations, rural schools face challenges in regularly conducting in-person cross-border exchanges. New media platforms—such as county-level integrated media and short-form video platforms—have opened channels for bringing international educational resources to rural areas, thereby restructuring the communication system for educational development through ASEAN study tours. This paper compares service-learning in the United States, Japan’s Integrated Learning Time, overseas study tours in Singapore, and practical educational models in various ASEAN countries. Drawing on communication psychology, intercultural education, and the OECD’s Global Competence theory, and employing literature review, international comparison, and curriculum design methods, it constructs a four-dimensional analytical model of “New Media Communication — Audience Psychology — Intercultural Experience — Global Competence,” and maps out five psychological pathways: information exposure, cognitive processing, emotional experience, value identification, and behavioral participation. Taking into account the cognitive development characteristics of primary and secondary school students, the study designs a progressive, tiered study-tour curriculum that integrates labor education, science education, and revolutionary moral education, accompanied by a comprehensive, multi-level evaluation system. It also proposes implementation safeguards in terms of digital resources, curriculum development, mentor training, and cross-border cooperation. Research indicates that county-level new media serves not only as a vehicle for information dissemination but also fulfills functions of facilitating virtual cross-cultural experiences and guiding values. It can provide a theoretical framework for the internationalization of basic education in counties, China–ASEAN youth study-tour exchanges, and the tiered cultivation of global competence among youth.