Education and the market place in Hong Kong and Mainland China

This paper attempts to examine how market forces have affected educational development in Hong Kong and Mainland China. In both places, there has been a trend to the decentralisation and marketisation of education in recent years, particularly in the realm of higher education. Based upon recent research conducted in Hong Kong and China, the author argues that higher education in these two places has been significantly affected by emerging market forces. The core of the paper is confined to the discussion of two major issues: user charges and the introduction of competition and cost recovery in education. The main focus of this paper is on what strategies educational institutions in Hong Kong and China have employed in response to the strong tide of marketisation. Particular attention will be given to discussing how markets and competition have affected the governance and delivery of educational services in Hong Kong and China. This comparative study has demonstrated that even though the recent developments in higher education in these two places have been experiencing a similar global trend, the global tide of universal trend in which private charges, market competition, non-state provision, corporate governance, system-wide performance management should not be treated as a simplistic notion of undifferentiated universal trend. Instead, different places may take different configurations in cases of marketization which remain national-specific as well as global.     

The Social and Demographic Characteristics of Direct and Delay Entry Nursing Students in Australian Universities

This national study compares the social and demographic characteristics of direct and delay entry nursing students in a earlier group of 1551 students in higher education programs (1987‐1990) with the national study group of 2295 students sampled in 1995. Using a specially constructed socio‐economic variable for comparison the analyses demonstrated a significant difference in the socio‐economic level of the household for the direct entry group but not for the delay entry group. There was also a significant difference between males and females in their direct and delay entry patterns. Further, there was a significant difference in the location of school attended for most of their secondary education for the direct entry group but not for the delay entry group. For both direct and delay entry students there was a significant difference in the number of siblings, the level of education attained by the mother and the income received by the mother in the households of the earlier and latter study groups.     

The biomechanical difference between running with traditional and 3D printed orthoses

ABSTRACT

Running-related injuries have been associated with excessive foot pronation and high vertical loading rates. Traditional plaster-molded (TPM) foot orthoses are commonly prescribed to minimize these atypical biomechanical patterns. Recently, 3D printed (3DP) orthoses have become popular, yet the functional difference between these two types of orthoses remains unknown. Therefore, this study compared running biomechanics and perceived comfort during treadmill running in three orthotic conditions: 3DP orthoses, TPM orthoses, and a no-orthoses control condition (CON). Thirteen female asymptomatic runners with excessive foot pronation were recruited. Rearfoot eversion angle and velocity (at initial contact and peak) during stance, vertical loading rates, and perceived comfort were compared. Results showed lower peak rearfoot eversion angles during running with TPM (p=0.001, d=0.38) or 3DP orthoses (p=0.002, d=0.24) than CON. No differences were observed in other biomechanical parameters among the three conditions (p>0.05). Running with TPM (p≤0.001, d=1.74–1.82) and 3DP orthoses (p<0.003, d=1.06–1.34) resulted in better perceived comfort in “medial-lateral control” and “heel cushioning” than CON. There were no statistical differences in all parameters between TPM and 3DP orthoses. The present findings indicate improved comfort during running with TPM or 3DP orthoses, which hinted 3DP orthoses could be a viable alternative to TPM orthoses for clinical practice.     

‘My family’s goals are also my goals’: the relationship between collectivism,distal utility value,and learning and career goals of international university students in Germany

International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance - The utility value of an academic task can affect university students’ learning behavior and career choices. For...