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International students in the secondary school sector are a particularly vulnerable group due to their age and status as unaccompanied minors. The establishment of friendships is an important component of the adjustment for these students as they transition into their new school environments. This paper presents issues related to friendships, investigated as part of a larger study examining the motivations, expectations and experiences of international students from the People's Republic of China studying in Australian secondary schools. Data were collected in two phases from 116 international students and 10 teachers using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, and descriptive analyses employed. Because there is a paucity of information about the experiences of international secondary school students, this was an exploratory study that has contributed understanding of the lived experiences of a small group of international students from mainland China. The study identified that expectations regarding the establishment of friendships are not being met, and that international students from China are seeking more opportunities to form relationships with Australian peers. To reduce dissonance between expectations and experiences of studying in Australia, it is recommended that Australian schools work with both international and domestic students to provide authentic opportunities to build peer relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The origin and the Precambrian tectonic evolution of the Alxa Block have not been well studied, largely due to widespread desert coverage and a lack of high-resolution geochronological data. This paper reports zircon U–Pb ages and Hf isotopic data for the Langshan Group in the northeastern Alxa Block. Detrital zircons from the Langshan Group mainly provide U–Pb ages between ca. 2000 Ma and 1100 Ma, suggesting that their provenance was dominated by late Palaeoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic rocks, which yield two main peak ages at 1592 Ma and 1745 Ma. These zircons possess εHf (t) values between − 15 and + 8, implying the derivation of their precursor magmas from old crust and juvenile materials. Zircon U–Pb dating yields ages of 898 ± 4 Ma and 808 ± 4 Ma for the granite cobbles in coarse conglomerate in the Fourth Formation and the diorite intruding into the Second Formation of the Langshan Group, which constrains the depositional age of the main part of the Langshan Group to between 898 and 804 Ma. Our data show that the Langshan Group was probably deposited in an intra-continental rift basin and originated from recycled orogens. The geochronology and palaeocurrent data indicate that the North China Craton (NCC) could not have provided source materials for the Langshan Group. Instead, the Langshan Group shares a similar origin and detrital zircon age spectrum with the Beishan Complex in the South Beishan Collage. Combining these findings with published data, we propose that the Alxa Block was not a part of the NCC during the Neoproterozoic but a Precambrian micro-continent block. The Alxa Block recorded footprints that are related to the late amalgamation of the Rodinia supercontinent and the initial breakup. We suggest that the Alxa Block laid between Australia and Laurentia in the Rodinia supercontinent during the Neoproterozoic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A version of the geoelectrochemical prospecting technique developed in China was demonstrated in China and Australia to test its suitability under both Chinese and Australian conditions. This paper briefly describes the mechanism and effectiveness of the technique applied to search of concealed mineralisation through regolith cover, based on both experimental and field tests. This paer deals with three main aspects of the method: a) how metallic ions are released from orebodies by electrochemical dissolution; b) how these ions migrate to the collector and are deposited as elements by electrochemical extraction in the presence of an electric field; and c) the effectiveness of the method illustrated by some case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the perceived parental influence (PPI) on mathematics learning among over 700 students across three year levels (Years 5, 7, 9) in China and Australia. It was found that the PPI of students was less strong as year levels increased in both countries. Students in China had stronger perceived parental encouragement and higher perceived parental educational expectation than students in Australia. The PPI of students from different home language backgrounds was also investigated. Students in China demonstrated stronger perceived parental encouragement and parental expectation than English speaking students and other language speaking students in Australia, and they also demonstrated stronger perceived parental expectation than Chinese speaking students in Australia, and similar perceived parental encouragement. Within the three groups of students in Australia, Chinese speaking students and other language speaking students demonstrated similar levels of perceived parental encouragement and expectation, but they both demonstrated a higher level of perceived parental encouragement and expectation than English speaking students. Possible reasons for the similarities and differences between the different groups of students were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) is being developed for the cross-cultural measurement of subjective wellbeing (SWB). This paper reports the findings of its utility with the Hong Kong Chinese and Australian populations. An item on affect, ‘satisfaction with own happiness’ was also investigated to determine whether it should be added to the index. Three-hundred and sixty participants (180 per country), with equal representation from groups aged 18–35, 35–64 and 65 years and above, were recruited from each country. The PWI demonstrated good psychometric performance in terms of its reliability, validity and sensitivity, which are comparable in both countries. The item ‘satisfaction with own happiness’ was found to contribute significantly to the scale’s psychometric performance in Australia but not in Hong Kong. Cultural differences in the perception of the concepts ‘satisfaction’ and ‘happiness’ were suggested as an explanation for this finding. The PWI data are also consistent with homeostasis theory, which proposes that each person’s SWB level is maintained within a limited positive range. For the Australian population, their mean SWB level fell within the established Western range of 70–80, on a scale from 0 to 100. The Hong Kong population, however, fell below this range. Cultural response bias was identified as a plausible explanation for the differences between the Hong Kong and Australian samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]