Emotional autonomy and perceived parenting styles: relational analysis in the Hong Kong cultural context

Three hundred and seven teacher education students of a Hong Kong university were administered two questionnaires, one measuring emotional autonomy (EAS) and the other measuring perceived parenting styles (PAQ) of their parents. It was found that the Hong Kong teacher education students tended to be autonomous and they characterized their parents as authoritative instead of authoritarian. In addition, the emotional autonomy scale was positively related to authoritarianism, but negatively related to authoritativeness and permissiveness of parenting. Emotional detachment instead of autonomy seemed to be a more appropriate meaning of EAS for the interpretation of results. Implications were drawn for future research including development of an improved instrument in measuring emotional autonomy to study its associations with perceived parenting styles of young people across cultures.     

Issues of cultural appropriateness and pedagogical efficacy: exploring peer review in a second language writing class

This paper reports on a study designed to investigate (a) whether peer review is an effective pedagogical activity with adult Chinese students in the teaching of second language (L2) academic writing and (b) how factors such as perceptions of the influence of peer reviewers’ L2 proficiency, previous experience with peer review, feedback preferences, and culturally-based beliefs and practices relate to the effectiveness of the pedagogical activity. Participants were 20 English-as-an-L2 learners from China who were enrolled in an academic writing class for postgraduate students at a Singaporean university. Data included first drafts of an academic writing assignment, written peer comments, revised drafts of the assignment, responses to a questionnaire, and interviews. Quantitative analyses of the peer comments and revisions to the drafts show that significant improvement in the revised drafts was linked to peer feedback. Further statistical analyses indicate that the learner variables of interest did not affect the effectiveness of the peer review activity. In addition, qualitative analyses of the questionnaire data and the interviews reveal a general acceptance of peer review as a socioculturally appropriate pedagogical activity for Chinese students. The results of the study are interpreted with an understanding of its limitations, and directions for further research are also discussed.     

Teacher alienation in Hong Kong

Teachers’ negative emotions began to receive attention in the Hong Kong context in the mid-1990s. As negative emotions may affect both teachers’ well-being and the quality of their teaching, Hong Kong education policy-makers and educators have used psychological approaches to determine the reasons why teachers experience negative feelings. However, these approaches fail to accommodate the social causes of negative emotions. Therefore, this study investigates the possible social causes of teachers’ negative emotions from the perspective of alienation theory. In-depth interviews with 21 teachers in Hong Kong reveal that Hong Kong teachers may be suffering from alienation (characterised by a sense of powerlessness, meaninglessness, isolation, and self-estrangement) due to their experiences of teaching, their employment status, and their structural position in schools, which are related to the occupational and organisational structure of teaching. The findings also indicate that patterns of alienation may differ between more and less experienced teachers.     

Microfluidic fabrication of polymeric core-shell microspheres for controlled release applications

We report a facile and robust microfluidic method to fabricate polymeric core-shell microspheres as delivery vehicles for biomedical applications. The characteristics of core-shell microspheres can be precisely and easily tuned by manipulating the microfluidic double emulsion templates. The addition of a shell can significantly improve the versatility as well as functionality of these microspheres as delivery vehicles. We demonstrate that the nature of the shell material plays an important role in the properties of the core-shell delivery vehicles. The release kinetics is significantly influenced by the material of the shell and other characteristics such as the thickness. For example, by adding a poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) shell to an alginate core, the encapsulation efficiency is enhanced and undesired leakage of hydrophilic actives is prevented. By contrast, adding an alginate shell to PLGA core can lead to a reduction of the initial release rate, thus extending the release period of hydrophobic actives. Microfluidic fabrication enables the generation of precisely controlled core-shell microspheres with a narrow size distribution, which enables the investigation of the relationship between the release kinetics of these microspheres and their characteristics. The approach of using core-shell particles as delivery vehicles creates new opportunities to customize the release kinetics of active ingredients.     

Generation of nitric oxide gradients in microfluidic devices for cell culture using spatially controlled chemical reactions

In this paper, we develop a microfluidic device capable of generating nitric oxide (NO) gradients for cell culture using spatially controlled chemical reactions. NO plays an essential role in various biological activities, including nervous, immune, and cardiovascular systems. The device developed in this paper can control NO gradients without utilizing expensive and hazardous high purity NO gas sources or direct addition of NO donors. Consequently, the device provides an efficient, cost-effective, robust, and stable platform to generate NO gradients for cell culture studies. In the experiments, NO gradients are first characterized using a NO-sensitive fluorescence dye, and cell experiments using aortic smooth muscle cells are conducted. The results demonstrate that the device can alter the intracellular NO concentrations and further affect the Ca²⁺ concentration oscillation for the cells. The device developed in this paper provides a powerful platform for researchers better study the biological roles of NO and its spatial distribution using in vitro cell models with minimal instrumentation.     

Creative literacy activities promote positive reading attitude in children learning English as a foreign language

This study investigated the effects of creative literacy classroom activities on the acquisition of English as a foreign language. Ninety Chinese second graders were tested on reading attitude and English receptive vocabulary knowledge. They were randomly assigned to either a control group or an experimental group, which engaged in English creative classroom activities for 10 weeks. Repeated measures analyses showed a significant interaction effect for reading attitude, providing empirical evidence that English creative classroom activities can enhance reading attitude. This study extends past research by demonstrating the links between creative activities and reading attitude, as well as highlights the feasibility of incorporating creative literacy activities within foreign language education. This provides a new direction for researchers and educators to develop instructional practices that incorporate a stimulating environment for English‐as‐a‐foreign‐language students. Future longitudinal research could examine whether these benefits can be maintained over a longer period.     

Voices of donors: Case reports of body donation in Hong Kong

Body donation is important for medical education and academic research. However, it is relatively rare in Hong Kong when compared with many Western countries. Comprehensive research has been performed on the motivation for body donation in Western countries; however, there is still insufficient research on body donation in Hong Kong to provide information on how to increase the body‐donation rate. To understand the factors involved in the decision to donate one's body, the authors interviewed a registered donor and the daughter of another donor in Hong Kong. The authors interpreted the information collected in light of the available published reports, which mostly focus on body donation in Western countries. Despite the consistency of some demographic factors and motivations between the participants in our study and those investigated in the published reports from Western countries, there are differences in education level and socioeconomic status between the donors in our study and those from Western studies. The authors also suggest that Confucianism and Buddhism in Chinese culture may motivate potential body donors in Hong Kong. Other important factors that influence the body‐donation decision may include family members' body donation, registration as organ donors, and good doctor–patient relationships. Although case report studies have their limitations, this study allows us to explore the complexity of events and establish the interconnectivity of factors involved in body donation, which could not be achieved in previous survey‐based studies. © 2012 American Association of Anatomists.     

Advertising images among Hong Kong Chinese: Use of individual modernity and western orientation clusters in determining market segmentation∗

Advertising is a highly visible force in Hong Kong society. Within this diverse environment, media organizations and marketers attempt to define target markets (market segmentation) composed of persons who are most likely to be influenced by their marketing and advertising efforts. This research, based on a 1,019 sample face‐to‐face intercept survey, segments the market based on measures of self‐ascribed individual modernity and individual traditionalism and Chinese and Western value orientation. The scales are statistically analysed by cluster analysis, to place each respondent into clusters. The segmentation scheme viability is analysed in relation to media consumption and attitudes about specific advertising issues in six areas: 1. consumer benefits and economic force; 2. credibility; 3. entertainment value; 4. social force; 5. manipulation and motivation; and 6. repetition. The segmentation of individual modernity/traditionalism and Chinese/Western orientation provides greater differentiation than age, gender, income, education or place of residence.     

Evaluating Secondary Students’ Scientific Reasoning in Genetics Using a Two‐Tier Diagnostic Instrument

While genetics has remained as one key topic in school science, it continues to be conceptually and linguistically difficult for students with the concomitant debates as to what should be taught in the age of biotechnology. This article documents the development and implementation of a two‐tier multiple‐choice instrument for diagnosing grades 10 and 12 students’ understanding of genetics in terms of reasoning. The pretest and posttest forms of the diagnostic instrument were used alongside other methods in evaluating students’ understanding of genetics in a case‐based qualitative study on teaching and learning with multiple representations in three Western Australian secondary schools. Previous studies have shown that a two‐tier diagnostic instrument is useful in probing students’ understanding or misunderstanding of scientific concepts and ideas. The diagnostic instrument in this study was designed and then progressively refined, improved, and implemented to evaluate student understanding of genetics in three case schools. The final version of the instrument had Cronbach’s alpha reliability of 0.75 and 0.64, respectively, for its pretest and the posttest forms when it was administered to a group of grade 12 students (n = 17). This two‐tier diagnostic instrument complemented other qualitative data collection methods in this research in generating a more holistic picture of student conceptual learning of genetics in terms of scientific reasoning. Implications of the findings of this study using the diagnostic instrument are discussed.     

The Value of Reading and the Effectiveness of Sustained Silent Reading

In this article, we explore the association between students’ value of reading and their behavior during a sustained silent reading (SSR) period, and their attitudes toward SSR and reading leisure books. 362 secondary students participated in this study and data were collected by means of a questionnaire. The results showed that more students in the high value of reading (HVR) group behaved better during SSR periods and had a more positive attitude toward SSR and leisure book reading than those in the lower value of reading (LVR) group. The value of reading was also found to be associated with the frequency of interaction with parents in reading activities, and we thus suggest that parents should be involved in the SSR program.