This study investigates why language barriers impact communication quality differently across individuals in global virtual teams. While previous research has established that language barriers impair team communication, the individual-level mechanisms explaining this variability remain underexplored. We examined whether two motivational dispositions—Learning Goal Orientation (L-GO) and Performance Goal Orientation (P-GO)—moderate this relationship. We analyzed data from 1,520 students in 324 teams participating in an 8-week global business competition using a multilevel moderation model. Language barriers were distinguished as internal (self-perceived expressive difficulties) and external (team-level communication challenges). Results revealed a "tale of two motivations." L-GO did not significantly moderate the barrier-communication relationship, suggesting stable communication behavior regardless of contextual barriers. Conversely, P-GO demonstrated a "double-edged sword" effect: it amplified the negative impact of internal barriers, as high-P-GO individuals appeared susceptible to fear of appearing incompetent, causing communication quality to deteriorate sharply. However, P-GO positively moderated external barriers, with high-P-GO individuals framing team challenges as legitimate opportunities for improvement. These findings demonstrate that language barriers' impact depends on individuals' motivational frameworks, suggesting targeted interventions based on goal orientation profiles.
This study investigates the longitudinal associations between perceived language barriers and leadership-communication dynamics in global virtual teams. Despite extensive research on language barriers' detrimental effects, how individuals navigate these challenges over time and whether barriers might paradoxically motivate leadership emergence remains unclear. We analyzed multi-wave data from 1,520 students in 324 teams participating in an 8-week global business competition using a Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model (RI-CLPM) to distinguish stable individual traits from dynamic weekly fluctuations. Results revealed distinct patterns at two levels. At the between-person level, internal language barriers (self-perceived expressive difficulties) negatively predicted stable leadership and communication traits. Conversely, external barriers (perceiving others' communication difficulties) positively predicted leadership traits, suggesting individuals "step up" to fill leadership vacuums created by team communication challenges. At the within-person level, an evolutionary pattern emerged: communication initially drove leadership emergence mid-project, with this influence sustained throughout. The reverse path—leadership predicting communication—was initially absent but emerged strongly in later stages, shifting the relationship from unidirectional to reciprocal. These findings reveal that while external barriers may motivate stable leadership emergence, active communication serves as the initial catalyst for leadership dynamics, later evolving into a mutually reinforcing cycle.
Gamay Bay is located on the northeastern coast of Samar Island, which directly faces the Pacific Ocean and is regularly impacted by large storms and typhoons, leading to coastal erosion. Knowing more about the formation of Gamay Bay’s coastal plain can provide a better understanding of what factors were involved in the changing landscape as the bay was forming, and little ground penetrating radar (GPR) research has been done along Gamay Bay. To better understand the subsurface stratigraphy, GPR sends electromagnetic pulses into the near subsurface while a receiver measures the reflecting waves. Sensors and Software® pulseEKKO GPR System with 100 MHz antennae 1m apart was used with a 25cm step size along a 425m topographically corrected transect. Data was processed using EKKO Project software. Reflections are accurate to ~6.5m, show 5 erosional truncations with ~8o dip angles roughly 3m below the surface interpreted as large storm events, and subparallel complex sigmoid-oblique deposition patterns which are interpreted as beach progradation. The GPR data results will be used in future research to confirm sites of interest and numerically date the sands to construct a timeline of when the erosional events may have occurred.
The reconstruction a portion of the geomorphic past of Gamay Bay’s coastal plain in Northeast Samar, Philippines advances the understanding of past depositional and erosional events. Three separate sites in Gamay Bay were analyzed with ground penetrating radar (GPR). This study focalized on site two which displayed fluvial patterns. GPR reveals subsurface reflections interpreted as sediment layering. It sends electromagnetic (EM) radio wave pulses into the earth’s surface displaying subsurface images. GPR surveys were collected using a Sensors and Software® pulseEKKO GPR Pro with 100 MHz antennae. The transmitter and receiver antennae were placed 1m apart sending EM pulses at 0.25m intervals along a 400m transect. EM velocities calculated from GPR data ranged from 0.08-0.1m/ns which indicated moist sands. GPR data revealed a series of channel-like reflection patterns. Sediment cores reaching about 1m in depth were analyzed at areas noted from GPR data. Core analyses described subangular and well sorted sediments, a common indicator of a fluvial deposit. GPR and sediment core data in tandem provided support for the hypothesis that site two was a fluvial environment. The integration of GPR and sediment coring were successfully used in the identification of a buried fluvial channel system within Gamay Bay.
This study investigates the motivations, expectations, and self-assessed preparedness of Chinese undergraduate students preparing to study in the United States through the CHEPD 1+2+1 Dual Degree Program. It addresses a gap in the literature by focusing on pre-departure perspectives, which are often overlooked in research on international student adjustment. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected via surveys (N=36) and semi-structured interviews (N=19) with students at Suzhou University of Technology prior to their departure for the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Findings reveal that students are motivated by academic and personal growth opportunities but experience significant anxiety regarding language barriers, social integration, and safety concerns—largely shaped by social media. The study recommends that pre-departure orientations expand beyond logistical information to include proactive socio-emotional support, realistic cultural previews, and peer-mentoring programs to bridge the gap between students’ academic confidence and their socio-cultural apprehensions.
In the summer of 2025, UW – Eau Claire sent four students to the Galápagos Islands to participate in research internships at the Charles Darwin Research Station. The Galápagos Islands are a highly significant archipelago in the Pacific, renowned for their incredible diversity of wildlife, as well as their contributions to Darwin’s theory of evolution. Presently a hub for scientific research and conservation, students were assigned to various projects at the station, where they worked directly with international scientists to aid in cutting-edge research projects mainly focused on habitat and wildlife conservation. Our poster will feature a discussion of what each of us worked on during our 3 months there, with additional information about how students can get involved.
