This article explores the possibilities of developing Oman’s tourism sector under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Tourism is a cornerstone of Oman’s economy, with the government prioritizing substantial efforts toward its development to foster economic diversification. This paper examines the broader efforts of Oman to strengthen its relations with China, which will indirectly benefit the tourism industry. This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the historical exchanges and future cooperation between China and Oman under BRI, specifically focusing on developing infrastructure and technology in Oman to support the tourism sector. It has been argued that BRI has the potential to significantly contribute to the growth and development of Oman’s tourism sector through increased investment and cooperation with Chinese counterparts.

The South African government has undertaken to expand universal access to Early Childhood Development (ECD) with a particular focus on children from socially disadvantaged communities and with disabilities. This requires training and support of ECD practitioners, such that they are equipped 399with the necessary knowledge and competencies to implement effective teaching and learning approaches at ECD level. This research explored an innovative, inclusive approach to ECD practitioner development in which both Deaf and hearing students were enrolled in an ECD practitioner training program facilitated jointly by New Beginnings (an ECD non-profit training organization) and the Deaf Federation of South Africa (DeafSA). The research scrutinized key aspects of the training program, including how it extended students content knowledge on ECD, their pedagogical knowledge; as well as epistemological access for Deaf students. The findings and conclusions have important implications not only for equipping ECD practitioners with knowledge and skills, but also demonstrates how practitioner training itself can be effectively structured to cater for diversity among trainees.

Use of technologies and online presence is now almost inevitable in language learning. The practice of virtual exchanges (VEs) has been receiving a lot of attention among educators at all levels over the past years. This research paper sheds light on 13 VEs carried out in pre-service teacher education in the last six years and proposes its own VE design based on recommendations from the literature with the future perspective of designing a specific VE for the research. The aim of the systematic review was at first to determine the exchange and interaction set-ups and the potential gains in the terms of pre-service teachers’ skills development. Afterwards, we identified areas for improvement and proposed our design of a VE between pre-service teachers of English in Slovakia and Turkey. Some of the expected contributions of the proposed VE design are development of a linguistic and intercultural communicative competence, digital literacy, and other competences relevant for development of VEs.

The effectiveness of frailty intervention programs for older adults in Korean communities has been inconsistent, posing challenges for public health nurses (PHNs). This study aims to develop an evidence-based intervention using the Intervention Mapping (IM) Protocol. The program followed the IM Protocol’s six steps, which provide a systematic method for developing and implementing theory-based health promotion programs. In Step 1, the needs of the subjects were identified through systematic review and interviews. In Step 3, the theme of the program was established as ‘health promotion for frail older adults’, and the components and scope were confirmed. The contents of the program included concepts of social support and social networks. In Step 4, after conducting a pilot test, the results were reflected and modifications were made. In Step 6, the evaluation tool was revised, and an effective evaluation plan was established. The final program was designed based on the program and interview results. The pilot test in Step 4 involved a one-group pretest-posttest and focus group interview with 15 pre-frail older adults. The IM Protocol-based health promotion program effectively addressed the needs of the subjects and improved frailty issues.

The article is dedicated to analyzing trends in the development of startup infrastructure in Ukraine, Latvia and Georgia. The article is based on concrete data, a comprehensive analysis of statistical and qualitative data on the development of startups in Ukraine, Latvia and Georgia. This provides a reliable basis for the arguments and conclusions. General patterns of startup infrastructure development in the three countries were identified. A PEST analysis of startup infrastructure development in Ukraine, Latvia and Georgia was conducted. Thus, the authors conduct a multidisciplinary analysis that includes not only economic, but also social and technological aspects of startup ecosystems and infrastructures. Suggestions for improving the startup infrastructure in these countries were developed.