The relationship between the dissemination of national scientific and technological achievements and university students’ national pride: a grounded theory approach

Abstract

The promotion of national pride is an important topic for all countries. Research has shown that national scientific and technological achievements can promote citizens’ national pride. However, there is a lack of academic research on the influencing factors and mechanisms involved, calling for an exploratory investigation to generate a substantive theory from empirical data. Therefore, this study adopts a grounded theory approach, using Chinese university students as research participants, to explore the influencing mechanism of the internet dissemination of scientific and technological achievements on national pride based on the case of the C919 commercial flight. The study reveals that internet access, information features, and thinking dispositions are core factors influencing national pride perception. The internet allows university students to easily access information about the C919 commercial flight, and the information content evokes empathy, group belonging, and rational evaluation, which in turn inspires a sense of national pride among the students. This study deepens our understanding of the influence of the dissemination of scientific and technological achievements on national pride, expands the research on the factors influencing national pride, and provides a new case for the study of national pride.