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This paper explores the notions of active ageing and elder learning in Hong Kong where a strategic approach to elderly education is applied by the government to encourage lifelong learning. The paper outlines the policy development and support for elder learning in Hong Kong in two distinct periods: pre-1997 and post-1997. The post-1997 period is marked by the retrocession to China and the establishment of the Hong Kong Elderly Commission to provide advice on policies and programs for meeting the challenges brought about by an ageing population. The pertinent needs for research are identified to review the effectiveness and adequacy of the policies and provisions for elder learning in Hong Kong. To determine whether such policies and provisions have achieved the desired outcomes, they must be subjected to rigorous evaluation. Only then can these policies and provisions claim to have achieved significant and important outcomes for Hong Kong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Education Commission (EC) of Hong Kong, the advisory body set up by the government on the overall development of education in Hong Kong, began developing a policy of education reform in 1998 and published its blueprint in 2000. In 2006, the EC published its fourth official report on the progress of the reform — Progress Report on the Education Reform (4). Discussion Focus:The policy document developed in 2000 contains a paragraph that summarises the 14,000 public submissions received by the EC at that time. The EC has adopted this summary as its reform priority. It contains four sociopsychological elements — joy in learning, effectiveness of communication, creativity, and sense of commitment — and points out that education for lifelong learning should emphasise more on the inner qualities of a person than personal skills. The policy also recognises for the first time that human knowledge is constructed. This paper analyses the texts of the 2006 progress report and the 2000 policy document and discovered that the progress reported has essentially neglected the priority stated in the policy. In parallel with the textual analysis, the paper explores the meanings of the four socio - psychological elements from the perspective of personal inner qualities. Suggestions: The paper is a reminder that the priority stated in the policy is what the public want and what the EC has promised to act on. It would be undemocratic and negligent for the EC to bypass it quietly. The paper suggests that the deep meanings of the four socio-psychological elements should be explored, to be followed by modification of the strategies of the reform so as to fulfil what the public want. The paper also suggests supplementary empirical studies involving educational professionals to validate the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present three studies to examine intellectual humility (IH) contextualized to existential challenges across cultures. With samples (N = 1714) drawn from three regions (United States, Hong Kong, Netherlands), we explore the benefits and drawbacks of various configurations of IH and commitment to beliefs. In two studies, we created a measure of IH contextualized to existential concerns (Study 1; N = 344 adults in the U.S.), replicated its factor structure, and identified distinct profiles of belief commitment and IH (Study 2; N = 340 adults in the U.S.). Then, in our primary study (Study 3; N = 1030 adults from the U.S., Netherlands, and Hong Kong), we examined evidence for the cultural generalizability of the measure and profiles. Implications for future research on the measurement of IH, its manifestation across cultures, and its relevance to the existential domain are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Passion and perseverance for long-term goals (often referred to as grit) has been found to be associated with well-being in typically developing students and adults. However, previous studies primarily relied on a two-factor model of grit, underpinned by perseverance of effort and consistency of interests. This model has received considerable theoretical and methodological criticisms. The research examined the association of an alternative model of grit underpinned by perseverance of effort and adaptability to situations as key dimensions, with students' life satisfaction in Chinese gifted adolescents in Hong Kong. Structural equation modeling via maximum likelihood estimation approach demonstrated that perseverance was linked to higher levels of life satisfaction. Adaptability was indirectly linked to increased life satisfaction via the intermediate variable – career development self-efficacy. Results indicate that perceived confidence in career-related activities might serve as a mechanism through which grit may be linked to higher well-being in gifted students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growing research interest in work–family enrichment, this study explores how negative workplace phenomenon affects store managers' experience of work‐to‐family enrichment. Using two‐wave survey data collected from 156 retail store managers who had frequent interactions with customers, we found that customer misbehavior had a negative effect on their work‐to‐family enrichment through work meaningfulness. Furthermore, store managers' organizational affective commitment acted as an effective buffer on such negative relationship. Our findings thus fill in one missing piece in the current work–family enrichment literature and carry important implications for organizations to help retail store managers attain work meaningfulness and enrich their family life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the roles of perceived value, customer satisfaction, and affective commitment as they mediate the effect of service quality on customer loyalty at Hong Kong–style tea restaurants, which are quick-service restaurants with a fusion menu of Western and Asian foods. Based on the analysis of data collected from 382 customers of these tea restaurants, the study found the following relationships: (1) service quality positively influences perceived value, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty; (2) perceived value is a mediator of the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction; (3) customer satisfaction positively influences affective commitment and customer loyalty; and (4) affective commitment is a mediator of the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Contrary to expectations, however, perceived value does not have a significant effect on customer loyalty for these restaurants. This study highlights the role of affective commitment in the study of service quality, and also is one of the few that addresses Asian restaurants because it demonstrates the moderating effects of culture in the relationships between Hong Kong–style tea restaurants and their customers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Aims. To report a study of the relations of prenatal psychosocial adaptation, social support, demographic and obstetric characteristics, uncertainty, information-seeking behaviour, motherhood normalization, self-efficacy, and commitment to pregnancy. Background. Prenatal psychosocial assessment is recommended to identify psychosocial risk factors early to prevent psychiatric morbidities of mothers and children. However, knowledge on psychosocial adaptation and its explanatory variables is inconclusive. Design. This study was non-experimental, with a cross-sectional, correlational, prospective design. Methods. The study investigated Hong Kong Chinese women during late pregnancy. Convenience sampling methods were used, with 550 women recruited from the low-risk clinics of three public hospitals. Data was collected between January-April 2007. A self-reported questionnaire was used, consisting of a number of measurements derived from an integrated framework of the Life Transition Theory and Theory of Uncertainty in Illness. Explanatory variables of psychosocial adaptation were identified using a structural equation modelling programme. Results. The four explanatory variables of the psychosocial adaptation were social support, uncertainty, self-efficacy, and commitment to pregnancy. In the established model, which had good fit indices, greater psychosocial adaptation was associated with higher social support, higher self-efficacy, higher commitment to pregnancy, and lower uncertainty. Conclusion. The findings give clinicians and midwives guidance in the aspects to focus on when providing psychosocial assessment in routine prenatal screening. Since there are insufficient reliable screening tools to assist that assessment, midwives should receive adequate training, and effective screening instruments have to be identified. The explanatory role of uncertainty found in this study should encourage inquiries into the relationship between uncertainty and psychosocial adaptation in pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although there are studies that tested Hirschi's social bond elements with Asian samples in the past, however, no study has examined all his social bond elements. Objective: Therefore, this study aims to test all Hirschi's social bond elements with a sample of secondary educated male and female Hong Kong adolescents. Methods: A total of 1,377 adolescents (666 males and 711 females) aged between 12 and 17 years who are randomly selected out of nine selected secondary schools in Hong Kong are surveyed. In addition to descriptive and bivariate analyses, multivariate analyses are performed to examine the differential social bond effects in predicting the propensity to commit theft and violent crime among male and female adolescents, with and without controlling for their age. Results: Findings indicate that a strong belief in the legal system, a healthy parent-child bonding, and a strong school commitment are significant protective factors to prevent adolescents from engaging theft and violent delinquency. However, though not uncommon, the increased level of involvement in organizational activities is likely to result in the increase of propensity to involve in delinquent conducts. Conclusions: This study further offers several implications for social service that may benefit adolescents, by which an improvement of the police-youth relationship as a way to provide an accurate understanding of the criminal justice system, a healthy parent-child bonding, and a strong school commitment may reduce the adolescents' propensity to commit delinquent acts. Limitations and directions for future research are also outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to examine the within- and cross-domain influences of work and family domain stressors and support on two forms of work–family conflict (i.e. WIF: work interference with family, and FIW: family interference with work). To test our hypotheses, we collected multi-source data from 248 Hong Kong employees and their spouses. Among the proposed work domain antecedents of WIF, time commitment and work role expectation were significant. Among the proposed family domain antecedents of FIW, parental demands were significant. Direct cross-domain effects included family role expectation and parental demand on WIF and work role expectation and family-friendly policies on FIW. Tests of the moderating effects of work and family support resulted in support for both within-domain and cross-domain interactions. Implications for researchers and human resource managers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]