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Existing research on the psychological and academic experiences of China-born students studying outside of China has mainly been conducted in Western English-speaking countries. Using a coping resources framework, we investigated the predictors of psychological and academic adaptation of 2,201 mainland Chinese students (74% female) studying in universities in Hong Kong, China's Special Administrative Region and a former British colony. We found that academic self-efficacy, social support, and low levels of perceived discrimination predicted both psychological and academic adaptation. Language competence in English and the local dialect Cantonese was found to be additional factors in mainland Chinese students' academic adaptation. Implications for future research and higher education policies and practices are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hong Kong, along with other Asian societies with universities with top world rankings, has in recent years attracted an increasing number of international students, mainly from Asia. Previous research in English-speaking Western countries has indicated the importance of resources, including language proficiency, positive intergroup relations, and social support, in understanding international students' stress and coping in cross-cultural adaptation. Guided by a similar acculturative stress and coping framework, we investigated predictors of psychological and sociocultural adaptation in a survey sample of 726 international students (62% female and 73% Asian-born) from Hong Kong public universities. We found that English language proficiency, social support, and a low level of perceived discrimination fostered both types of cross-cultural adaptation, while contact with local students and proficiency in the local dialect further enhanced sociocultural adaptation. Implications for future acculturation research and higher education internationalization policies and practices are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As international students navigate in a foreign educational environment, having higher levels of coping or stress-resistance resources—both internal and external—could be related to increased satisfaction with personal and university life. The internal coping resources examined in this study were host language proficiency, self-esteem, intercultural social self-efficacy, and academic self-efficacy. The external resources studied were perceived social support from (a) hosts and (b) non-hosts. Survey participants were 385 Asian-born international students in Australian universities. Regression analyses revealed that academic self-efficacy and social support from hosts were significant predictors of both personal and university life satisfaction, but the effects of English language proficiency and social support from non-hosts disappeared when other resources were considered. Additional predictors of personal satisfaction were intercultural social self-efficacy and self-esteem. We discuss the implications for future research on the international student experience and for learning support provision for international university students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co-national groups of individuals from the same country can provide members with psychological and sociocultural support when coping with the stresses of studying abroad. This article examines intragroup task and relationship conflict that occurred in one co-national group during a 14-week short-term study abroad program. Findings reveal the negative effect of intragroup conflict, within the co-national group, on student's personal and social --ethnic--identities, acculturation and program involvement. Recommendations are made about ways to help students in co-national groups cope with acculturation and intragroup conflict, and how institutions can better prepare and support students for study abroad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on a comparative study of how diverse subject disciplines in different higher education institutions in Australia and Hong Kong approached the challenge of internationalising the curriculum (IoC). Case study analysis identifies five conditions conducive to improving intercultural student interaction, engagement and adaptation through an internationalised higher education curriculum. The findings suggest that opportunities for IoC, such as those outlined, afford multiple benefits for both domestic and international students in higher education. These include, better cross-cultural mixing, intercultural competency development and adaptation to different higher education contexts. Implications for higher education institutions interested in creating conditions that facilitate an internationalised curriculum are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about how a family in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) makes decisions on cross-border study. International marketers and managers in higher education turn to research based on Chinese student preferences. However, such research ignores cultural traditions steeped in Confucian ideals of family and the subsequent roles and influence of parents. Using surveys and interviews with Chinese students our findings indicate that despite exponential financial and social development in contemporary Chinese society, traditional Confucian values are still largely upheld by parents. The influence of these parents extends beyond initial decision making and impacts on the student’s social and academic well-being. To effectively market, manage and provide academic and welfare support for Chinese students studying across borders requires host universities to develop strategies that acknowledge and demonstrate respect for cultural traditions, parental perspectives and related ongoing influences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students who travel abroad for study bring with them a wealth of cultural resources and expectations that influence their ability to adapt and acculturate into their new environment. While the ability to fit into their new context is a largely personal endeavour, for students from Confucian heritage societies, the cultural expectations of family can have a significant impact on these students. Building on research into the influence of culture and parents on the decision to study abroad, this paper highlights the need for and benefits of developing internationalisation policy and management procedures that reflect and support an understanding of the embedded cultural needs and expectations of Chinese students and their families. This paper offers theoretical insight into the situations of the people involved, practical suggestions for higher education administrators wanting to develop a more effective internationalisation policy and meaningful intercultural strategies and support for international students. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Much of the literature on study abroad outcomes focuses on language proficiency gains or on the influence of identity factors on opportunities for language learning. A smaller number of studies have looked at the influence of study abroad on participants' identities and have highlighted outcomes that might be placed under the heading of second language identity. Based on a review of this literature and a qualitative, narrative-based study of nine Hong Kong students participating in thirteen- and six-week study abroad programmes, this paper examines the construct of second language identity and its susceptibility to development in study abroad. Three main dimensions of second language identity are identified, related to (1) identity-related aspects of second language proficiency, or the ability to function as a person and express desired identities in a second language setting, (2) linguistic self-concept, or sense of self as a learner and user of the second language, and (3) second language-mediated aspects of personal competence. The study found that most of the students reported developments along all three of these dimensions, although there were variations among individuals that were related both to the duration of the programmes and individual goals and purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mainland China is one of the largest sources of undergraduate and postgraduate students. Previous research has identified the push-pull factors and features that influence a student choice of study abroad destination. This article extends understanding by identifying and examining what 251 mainland Chinese parents and 100 students rated as most and least important when considering study abroad. Findings highlight differences in parent-student ratings of importance and the consequent need for marketers to pay greater attention to cultural values when looking to recruit students from Confucian societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the concept of ‘cultural cross‐currents,’ their implicit nature and the potential they have to effect second language literacy learning, teaching and curriculum reform in Hong Kong primary classrooms. Despite the substantive implications for learning, the exploration of cultural influences upon teacher and student thinking and the resultant educational consequences, remains a largely unrecognized area. The central argument in the paper is that cultural differences in attitudes, beliefs and values of cultural groups toward the way first and second languages are acquired needs to be made explicit in order to facilitate second language literacy teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an analysis of recent educational reforms in Hong Kong that aim to transform the ideological basis of the curriculum, teaching and learning. While the reforms appear compatible with current international developments in higher education and school curriculum—movements, for example, towards standards‐based accountability, the development of technological expertise and meeting the needs of diverse learners—major aspects of the reforms appear to contradict one another. The implications of current reforms for teacher education, in particular, are discussed together with issues related to the politicisa‐tion of reforms and teacher education pedagogy. The discussion highlights the need for an alternative approach to educating and preparing both new and in‐service teachers in Hong Kong to cope with the current and future educational reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

New teachers enter schools with already established beliefs about principals.This paper reports on the nature and primary influences on what a group of Hong Kong pre-service teacher participants believe about principals. The nature of beliefs reflect underlying personal constructs that relate to interpersonal communication and management. Influences include past school principals, school leaders and parents. Beliefs were attained using a modified personal construct interview and analyses of participant stories. Findings highlight a close association between the leadership/management style of the principal whom participants would like to beand mothers, and the interpersonal behaviour of fathers and the principal whom participants would not like to be. The authors argue that reforms are needed in the course design of teacher education, teacher induction and programmes of professional development for principals. These reforms must address the influence personal history has on an individual's thinking about teaching, interpersonal communication and leadership - a reform process that begins with teacher educators and principals reframing their beliefs and associated practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore pre-service teachers' perceptions and expectations of principals, how these perceptions may influence attitude and behaviour when they start in school and how pre-service teachers' perceptions of the principalship may have been formed. In general, pre-service teachers do not expect to receive assistance from the principal during their first months of teaching. Past experience of principals has resulted in clear expectations of principal support, particularly in respect to beliefs about the influence of hierarchy, school authority and principal's workload. Others, however, expect the principal to be receptive to and supportive of innovations. Some expect support from their colleagues whilst others believe they must rely on themselves. Furthermore, the sources of beliefs about the principalship are predominantly formed during pre-service teachers' experiences in school life and teaching practice. Many of their images of the principalship tend to be negative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internationalisation of higher education in countries such as Australia and the UK has resulted in increased numbers of South-East Asia students in higher education classrooms. While considerable attention has been given to exploring the implications of internationalisation on students in 'Western' university contexts, there is a paucity of research concerning the effect on teachers of higher education and, in particular, those employed in to teach in countries culturally foreign to their own. This paper aims to initiate such discussion through an exploration of the experiences of two teaching academics working in Hong Kong. Discussion will focus on issues of language and communication, and social and cultural distance, and the effect of hierarchy and related teaching strategies developed to meet the inter-cultural learning needs of themselves and their students. It is argued that, the development of inter-cultural understandings must permeate the curricula, and be a shared goal and responsibility of both teachers and students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes, justifies and applies a framework that can be used to analyse leadership stories. Extracts from three leadership stories are examined using what we have called the CII Frame. Our basic premise is that stories hold rich opportunities for understanding leadership in schools, but that stories are often wasted because they are neither noticed nor interpreted. The CII Frame is one way of guiding interpretation of leadership stories through exploring the context, intuition and influence leaders communicate through storytelling. Context relates to understanding the context within which the leader operates and the meanings they attach to this. Intuition refers to the leader's subjective 'voice' of what happens in their work lives. The influence frame attempts to probe reasons why leaders do what they do. It acknowledges that principal actions and beliefs are grounded in previous experience and within the make up of their school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Explorations of preservice teacher thinking in the West illustrate the considerable influence that personal history can exert on the developing cognition of teachers. This paper extends the discussion by providing a cross-cultural perspective of Asian preservice teacher constructs of the ideal language teacher. Participants in this study were all preservice language teachers training to be specialist Malay, Tamil, Chinese or English language teachers in Singapore. Data was collected through the use of written biography, metaphor and personal construct interviews. Analysis of data reveals that preservice language teachers enter formal teacher education with well developed constructs or views of the ideal language teacher and related approaches to language learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a model of learning support for local and overseas students in transition, specifically those entering an Australian university. The intrinsic knowledge and abilities of students are placed at the forefront of tertiary teaching and student learning. Different aspects of the model are described together with comments and student examples. Outcomes and implications of the model are also discussed. Both the support teacher and students were seen to rethink their cultural stereotypes, academic knowledge, and approaches to teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Presents an alternative approach to spelling instruction. Classroom orientation process; Spelling folder; Main steps in weekly spelling organization; Outline of the weekly spelling timetable; General principles underlying the program; Individualized student involvement.