Innovative practices in humanistic and liberal education: a four-in-one "infusive" educational model regarding character, literature, culture, and civilization.

INTRODUCTION: This study addresses persistent challenges in China's humanistic and liberal education, including cultural disjunction, weakened value guidance, and insufficient integration of knowledge into practice. To overcome these limitations, this study proposes a four-in-one "infusive" educational model based on the interaction of character, literature, culture, and civilization. METHODS: The model was developed through theoretical construction, literature synthesis, and pedagogical practice, and was empirically evaluated in the Chinese Character Culture course at Shanghai Jaio Tong University. A quasi-experimental design was employed, comparing an experimental group receiving infusive instruction with two control groups-a traditional multimedia teaching group and a no-course group. Data were collected through quantitative measures (t-tests and ANOVA) and qualitative evidence (interviews, course assignments, and follow-up investigations). RESULTS: The findings provide empirical support for the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed four-in-one educational model. Compared with the control groups, students in the experimental group demonstrated greater improvements in cultural self-awareness, value internalization, and overall learning satisfaction. They also exhibited stronger cultural identity, higher levels of engagement, and a greater ability to connect disciplinary knowledge with lived values. DISCUSSION: This study proposes a novel four-in-one pedagogical paradigm that integrates digital and physical learning environments with the internal logic of Chinese culture. Unlike conventional approaches to liberal education, the model promotes the internalization of cultural values through experiential learning while providing a scalable and replicable framework for innovation in humanistic education.