An Investigation of Broad and Narrow Personality Traits in Relation to General and Domain-Specific Life Satisfaction of College Students

Based on a sample of 532 undergraduates at a Southeastern U.S. university, Big Five and narrow personality traits were examined in relation to a measure of satisfaction with specific domains of college experience (College Satisfaction) and a measure of General Life Satisfaction. Four of the Big Five traits—Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability and Extraversion—as well as the narrow traits of Aggression, Career Decidedness, Optimism, Self-Directed Learning, Sense of Identity, and Work Drive were positively, significantly related to both satisfaction measures. Results of hierarchical regression analyses showed that the Big Five traits accounted for 45% of Life Satisfaction variance with Sense of Identity contributing an additional 7%, and College Satisfaction, 6%. It was suggested that who students become in college and how satisfied they are with different aspects of collegiate experience may be primarily determined by who they are when they enter college. Similarities were noted to findings of personality traits and academic performance, job performance, and adult career and life satisfaction. Implications were discussed in terms of Chickering and Reisser’s major vectors for college development as well as for admissions decisions and enhancing student-environment fit in advising, orientation, counseling, and career planning, among others.     

Towards an Applied Cognitive Science Perspective in Education

The paper argues for the role of an applied cognitive science perspective in education. It outlines the nature of cognitive science, and discusses the relevance and inadequacy of the brains metaphor and the computing metaphor. The concept of parallel distributed processing, bolstered by the social construction of knowledge, provides powerful frameworks for the teaching and learning of basic school subjects.     

A Tale of Two Cities: Education Responds to Globalisation in Hong Kong and Singapore in the Aftermath of the Asian Economic Crisis

It has been suggested that although the most theorisation about globalisation has emerged from “western” contexts, the material implications of globalisation have been felt most strongly in non‐western regions. With this in mind, we are undertaking a situated analysis of how two states, Singapore and Hong Kong, are interacting with the broader processes of globalisation through their educational policies. We apply Foucault's conceptual tool of governmentality to understand (i) the conduct of governing in the contemporary nation‐state, and (ii) how the “right” rationalities are being inculcated by government to create “desiring subjects” who will play their part in ensuring national prosperity. We use the Asian Economic Crisis as a point of departure to show how global‐local tensions are being managed by Singapore and Hong Kong. We conclude that both these global cities have adroitly managed the Asian economic crisis to steer their citizens away from pursuits of greater political freedom and towards concerns of material well being. They have done so through a selective interpretation of globalisation, by simultaneously resisting and embracing the contradictory strands of globalisation. Education has emerged as a critical space for this selective absorption of globalising trends.     

Continuing professional development for RMIT International University Vietnam library staff: Adding value through an international partnership: A case study

The aim of this study was to explore the effectiveness of blended learning – the fusion of face-to-face and online learning experiences – to implement an effective and culturally sensitive program of professional development in an Australian university working in a developing country. It sought insight into pertinent pedagogical approaches for staff development across multiple locations including across national boundaries. The project demonstrated how learners can develop new capabilities and approaches by building on existing skills and knowledge as they interact in communities of practice. The immediate purpose was to design and deliver a continuing professional education program to meet the needs of librarians working at RMIT International University Vietnam in the context of the demands of the academic community and in the light of the challenge library staff experienced in seeking to meet explicit and tacit expectations. The project ran from late January to mid December 2010. The research questions were: ‘Is blended learning effective as an approach to continuing professional development when working across cultures in a multinational organization?’ and ‘What contribution do face-to-face and online components make to learning outcomes?’ The methodology used was an action learning approach. A 2009 consultant’s report into the RMIT Vietnam Library established professional developmental needs which were further detailed in February 2010 by the project leader from RMIT University, Melbourne using a skills audit. Workshops in Vietnam, visits to Melbourne by several Vietnam staff members, and an online forum were then delivered. Reflective practice and ongoing input from staff were utilized to form a feedback loop to modify the project timing and approaches as needed. Evaluation included participant feedback on workshops, tracking changes in Library services, a customer survey, a project-end survey of participants’ behavioral changes against learning topics as self-reported, and discussion with participants. The authors were actively involved in the project: Julia Leong as project leader and Loc Nguyen as project champion at the Saigon South Campus. Blended learning was found to be effective in meeting continuing professional developmental needs and in promoting positive changes in library service provision. Online discussions were effective for extending existing knowledge, gaining practical hints, and examining attitudes. Face-to-face workshops and visits were more effective for learning new material in a systematic way. It is recommended that consideration be given to applying the blended learning model used in this project to continuing professional developmental work in similar contexts.     

Food policy in cyberspace: A webometric analysis of national food clusters in South Korea

This study analyzes the Triple Helix (TH) structure of an online national food cluster. Although the university–industry–government (UIG) approach provides useful insights into innovation and its diffusion, few studies have examined how such systems are organized and operate in cyberspace. Foodpolis is an export-oriented national food cluster targeting markets in Northeast Asia, including China and Japan. Foodpolis encompasses national food industry complexes and government-led agricultural and food R&D institutes whose goal is to advance food-processing technologies. This study employs the webometric analysis method to reveal the communication pattern of interactions between participating actors. The study evaluates web mentions and hyperlink networks to investigate links to and from the website of Foodpolis (Foodpolis.kr) by using the NodeXL software package. The results for links to and from Foodpolis do not indicate sufficient interactions between UIG websites and Twitter accounts. Instead, the website and Twitter account of Foodpolis were linked to its own online café, websites of individuals, and government websites. The results suggest that UIG actors should employ online communication channels in a more proactive manner for diffusing innovative initiatives such as Foodpolis.     

Influence of team identification,game outcome,and game process on sport consumers’ happiness

The purpose of the study is to examine the relative effects of game process (i.e., boring versus exciting) and outcome (i.e., losing versus winning) on sport consumers’ happiness depending on their level of team identification. The authors investigated how sport consumers’ levels of happiness are different after recalling (Study 1) and imagining (Study 2) a game when the positivity of the game process and the outcome contradict each other. Results indicate that sport consumers with high team identification exhibited greater degrees of happiness after recalling and imagining a boring win game compared to an exciting loss game. Meanwhile, sport consumers with low team identification exhibited similar degrees of happiness between a boring win game and an exciting loss game.     

Supporting High School Student Accomplishment of Biology Content Using Interactive Computer-Based Curricular Case Studies

Research in Science Education - Research into the efficacy of modules featuring dynamic visualizations, case studies, and interactive learning environments is reported here. This quasi-experimental...     

The Relationship between Metacognitive Ability and Metacognitive Accuracy

Metacognition and Learning - Judgments of learning (JOLs), as one type of metacognitive judgments, are assessments that people make about how well they have learned material. The effective use of...     

The Unfolding of Student Adjustment During the First Semester of College

Research in Higher Education - College sense of belonging and well-being constitute critical components of college student adjustment and success. Previous studies have generally measured these...