Search

The international marketing of higher education is a global phenomenon in which more than 50 countries compete. USA enjoys the largest market share. However, the market place is highly competitive with many players seeking a place in the international club. Increasing competitive practices calls for increasing market research especially in the area of consumer behaviour and student motivations. In this research area this paper explores the differences in behavioural motivations of international students choosing an overseas university in which to study. The method used in the research is Fishbein's and Ajzen's multi-attribute Theory of Planned Behaviour model. From a sample of Taiwanese students, representing the Chinese Diaspora countries, the intentions of students to study in USA, UK and Australia are examined. Three research questions are explored and the outcome demonstrates the usefulness and the insights that can be gained from the application of the model of Theory of Planned Behaviour in a higher education marketing context. (Contains 5 tables and 2 figures.)

Moral thinking and communication are critical competencies for confronting social dilemmas in a challenging world. We examined these moral competencies in 70 college students and graduates from Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Participants were assessed through semi-structured written interviews, Facebook group discussions, and a questionnaire. In this paper, we describe the similarities and differences across cultural groupings in (1) the social issues of greatest importance to the participants; (2) the factors influencing their approaches to thinking about social issues and communicating with others; and (3) the characteristics of their moral functioning in terms of moral awareness, moral judgment, moral discourse, and moral decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flourishing is a growing topic in positive psychology, and the positive influences of flourishing have been well documented. Although recent literature has shown that religion has an impact on one's physical and psychological well-being in positive ways, the relationship between religiosity and flourishing has surprisingly not been studied. The present study aimed to explore the relationship of religious faith with flourishing and psychological distress. An online survey has successfully recruited 267 participants from UK and Taiwan. The survey used standardised inventories including the PERMA Profiler, the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire, and the Clinical Outcome in Routine Evaluation to measure flourishing, religious faith and psychological distress respectively. Results show that participants with strong religious faith do have higher levels of flourishing. Yet Path Analysis shows that participants who have stronger religious faith is indirectly related to lower psychological distress through the mediating effect of flourishing. Suggestions for future research and implications of the findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Social engagement is an important active aging strategy to promote older adults' mental health. The purposes of this study were to compare social engagement in older populations around the world and explore associations with mental health outcomes. Materials and methods: An international cross‐sectional survey was conducted from 2017 to 2019. Data were retrieved from The International Social Survey Programme for a secondary data analysis across 30 countries. This study applied the Taxonomy of Social Activities and its six levels as operational definitions for a consistent concept of social engagement for international comparisons. Results: In total, 9403 older adults with a mean age of 72.85 ± 6.40 years responded. The highest levels of older adults' social engagement were found in Switzerland, Thailand, and New Zealand. Older adults of a higher age, with a lower educational level, who were permanently sick or disabled, who had no partner, who were widowed or whose civil partner had died, who lived alone, and who had lower self‐placement in society had significantly lower social engagement than did their counterparts. In the regression model, older adults' social engagement positively predicted general health, self‐accomplishment, and life satisfaction, but negatively predicted loneliness and depression. Conclusions: In aging societies worldwide, encouraging older adults' social engagement would be beneficial to promote mental health. Implications for nursing practice and health policies: Community professional nurses can develop strategies of social engagement based on the needs and sociodemographic factors of older adults to improve their mental health. Developing efficient strategies and local policies by learning from successful experiences in other countries is important to promote social engagement in aging societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of the broader autism phenotype (BAP) on the adjustment of siblings of children with autism has previously been researched mainly in Western cultures. The present research evaluated a diathesis-stress model of sibling adjustment using a questionnaire study including 80 and 75 mother-typically developing sibling dyads in Taiwan and the United Kingdom (UK). UK siblings reported elevated adjustment difficulties compared to the Taiwanese sample and to normative data. Whilst higher BAP levels were generally associated with greater adjustment difficulties, differences were found across cultures and respondents. Although significant diathesis-stress interactions were found, these were in the opposite direction from those predicted by the model, and differed across cultural settings. Implications for culturally-sensitive sibling support are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]