Exploring how picture-book instruction integrated with multicultural education influences students' learning motivation and international cognitive competence

Since the twentieth century, cross-border migration has continued to expand, and the number of new residents in many countries has risen year by year. Newcomers from different regions bring their languages, beliefs, and everyday customs into local societies, interacting and interweaving with native cultures to shape more colorful and multilayered cultural landscapes. This wave of diversity presents opportunities for social innovation and cultural renewal while testing public governance and civic literacy. Without respect and inclusion, problems such as stereotyping, discrimination, and disputes over resource allocation may intensify, hindering social integration and long-term development. Develop the ability to recognize differences, foster dialogue, and build supportive institutions have therefore become a shared priority worldwide in addressing migration. This study adopted an experimental design with elementary school students in Fujian Province as participants. A total of 151 students took part in a 15-week instructional experiment that combined picture-book teaching with multicultural education. The results show: (1) integrating multicultural and international education themes into picture-book instruction broadened students' cultural awareness; (2) curricula in multicultural and International cognition are best implemented through "infusion" or "immersion," using human-centered topics drawn from diverse cultural issues present in everyday life; and (3) students demonstrated rapid learning of new knowledge, strong memory, and high tolerance. Providing multi-faceted cultural stimuli, together with thoughtfully designed extension activities, fostered positive and proactive learning motivation; students were eager to participate and showed heightened awareness and perspective in Multicultural awareness and International Sensitivity. Based on these findings, the study offers discussion and recommendations, with the aim of nurturing students who, in an era of global mobility, become world citizens with broad vision, open minds, respect for difference, and a commitment to justice.