International Journal of

ADVANCED AND APPLIED SCIENCES

EISSN: 2313-3724, Print ISSN: 2313-626X

Frequency: 12

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 Volume 13, Issue 3 (March 2026), Pages: 41-51

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 Original Research Paper

Virtual presence and enjoyment as mediators between interaction quality and continuance intention in China’s smart museums

 Author(s): 

Liu Xu 1, Nik Zulkarnaen Bin Khidzir 1, 2, *, Ainul Wahida Binti Radzuan 1, Gao Nannan 1, 3, Yao Heng 4, Yang Yueming 5

 Affiliation(s):

1Faculty of Creative Technology and Heritage, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Kota Bharu, Malaysia
2Global Entrepreneurship Research and Innovation Center, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Kota Bharu, Malaysia
3Art College, Harbin Cambridge College, Harbin, China
4Chengdu Academy of Fine Arts, Sichuan Conservatory of Music, Ziyang, China
5School of Fashion Design, Jiangxi Institute of Fashion Technology, Nanchang, China

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 * Corresponding Author. 

   Corresponding author's ORCID profile:  https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3725-7443

 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2026.03.005

 Abstract

This study examined how perceived virtual presence and perceived enjoyment mediate the relationship between interaction quality and continuance intention in China’s smart museums. Based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the study proposed an extended framework that includes experiential factors to explain sustained user engagement with digital cultural technologies. Data were collected through a quantitative survey of 464 museum visitors and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings show that interaction quality has a significant positive effect on both perceived virtual presence and perceived enjoyment. These two factors, in turn, positively influence continuance intention. Among the mediators, perceived enjoyment had the strongest effect, while perceived virtual presence contributed to continuance intention both directly and indirectly. The model explained 53.9% of the variance in continuance intention, highlighting the joint role of technological and psychological factors in post-adoption behavior. This study extends the TAM in immersive cultural contexts and provides practical insights for designing smart museum technologies that encourage long-term visitor engagement.

 © 2026 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords

Smart museums, Interaction quality, Virtual presence, Perceived enjoyment, Continuance intention

 Article history

Received 7 July 2025, Received in revised form 12 January 2026, Accepted 2 March 2026

 Acknowledgment

No Acknowledgment. 

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Ethical considerations:

Participation was entirely voluntary, and informed consent was obtained from all respondents prior to data collection. Anonymity and confidentiality were assured, and no identifying personal information was collected. 

 Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

 Citation:

Xu L, Khidzir NZB, Radzuan AWB, Nannan G, Heng Y, and Yueming Y (2026). Virtual presence and enjoyment as mediators between interaction quality and continuance intention in China’s smart museums. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 13(3): 41-51

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 Figures

  Fig. 1

 Tables

  Table 1 Table 2 Table 3 Table 4 Table 5

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