Scholar: Vol. 8, No. 1 (2016)

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  • Item
    The relationship between teachers' perceptions on the school director's leadership style and the school's organizational climate at Assumption College English Program, Bang Rak, and Bangkok, Thailand
    (Digital Production Press, Assumption University, 2016) Saw Josaphat ; Watana Vinitwatanakhun
    The purpose of the study was to identify the relationship between teachers' perceptions on the school director's leadership style and the school's organizational climate at Assumption College English Program, Bang Rak, and Bangkok, Thailand. The research objectives of the study were: (1) to identify the teachers' demographics at Assumption College English Program, Bang Rak, Bangkok, Thailand, (2) to identify the teachers' perceptions on the school director's leadership style at Assumption College English Program, Bang Rak, and Bangkok, Thailand. (3) to identify the teachers' perceptions on the school's organizational climate at Assumption College English Program, Bang Rak, Bangkok, Thailand. (4) to determine the relationship between teachers' perception on the school director's leadership style and the school's organizational climate at Assumption College English Program, Bang Rak, Bangkok, Thailand. The study was based on the theoretical support from transformational leadership and school's organizational climate. There were three parts in the questionnaire. They are teachers' demographics, school director's leadership style and school organizational climate survey. 94% of the distributed questionnaire was returned. It was analyzed by percentage, frequency, mean, standard deviation and Pearson's Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. The study found that the overall level of school director's leadership style was high according to the research finding based on five-point Likert scale. Each dimension of the level of school director's leadership style was High, the level of the school's organizational climate was High, and there was a significant relationship between the teachers' perception on the school director's leadership style and the school's organizational climate at Assumption College English Program, Bang Rak, Bangkok, Thailand. both the school director and the departmental heads are recommended to emphasize the development of school organizational climate and transformational leadership style more, because according to the research findings, the areas of intelligent stimulation in transformational leadership and milieu in organizational climate were a bit low.
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    A comparative study of educational administrators' leadership styles in three types of universities in China: Normal University, University of Science and Technology, and Medical Universit
    (Digital Production Press, Assumption University, 2016) Meiyu, Yu ; Watana Vinitwatanakhun
    This study compares educational administrators' leadership styles in three types of universities in China: Normal Normal
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    Factors influencing the psychological well-being of street venodrs in HPA-An township, Karen State, Myanmar: a path analytic study
    (Digital Production Press, Assumption University, 2016) Aye, Nan She Lar ; Varma, Parvathy
    The present study examined the factors that influence the psychological well-being among street vendors in and around the public markets of Hpa-an township, Karen State, Myanmar. A total of 190 female participants who make a living as street vendors in the local markets were obtained by convenience sampling method. The findings of this study revealed that the vendors reported having average levels family functioning, social support, stress, and psychological well-being, used average levels of coping styles. The results showed that the vendors' social support has direct and positive influence on their psychological well-being. Moreover, the findings yielded direct and positive influences of family functioning, problem-focused coping, and emotion-focused coping on their level of stress. Regardless of having healthy relationships in the family and employing two types of coping strategies, these vendors still reported experiencing certain levels of stress. It is evident that these vendors certainly need professional advice and guidance in order to deal with various stressors in their daily lives.
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    The relationship between the levels of students' satisfaction and their achievement at Kant Kaw Education Center in Myanmar
    (Digital Production Press, Assumption University, 2016) Aung, Ja Sawm ; Yan, Ye
    The purpose of this study were to determine the students' satisfaction level, their achievement level, and test whether or not was there any a relationship between students' satisfaction and students' achievement at Kant Kaw Education Center, Yangon, Myanmar. The supportive theories used in this study were Effective School Indicator Theory, Student Achievement and Variables related to student achievement. The revised "High School Satisfaction Questionnaire" (2006) from Arkansas department of higher education in USA were used as a research tool in this investigation and they were distributed to all the current students from Kant Kaw Education Center, Yangon in July 2014. In this study, Means, Standard Deviation and Pearson Product Moment of Correlation were applied to describe and test the hypotheses of this study. The research results revealed that students were most satisfied with school instruction, and students were least satisfied with school library. Besides, the students' achievement as represented by their GPA were on "high" level. Furthermore, the correlation analysis found that there were positive relationships between the levels of students' satisfaction and achievement at Kant Kaw Education Center, Yangon, Myanmar. The study recommended the center's leaders to develop and initiate their leadership skills to create a better administrative system. The results also recommended that the center administrators to maintain the management in the focus of eight areas including instruction, courses, grading, testing, guidance, rules, library and school assistance. So as to keep the students satisfaction highly, and to convince more future students and parents to trust and come to study in the center.
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    The relationship between motivation for learning and academic achievement among basic and advanced level students studying Chinese as a foreign language in years 3 to 6 at Ascot International School in Bangkok, Thailand
    (Digital Production Press, Assumption University, 2016) Ting, Li ; Lynch, Richard
    The purpose of this study was to determine the level of motivational goal orientation, and the relationship between the motivational goal orientation and academic achievement among basic and advanced level students studying Chinese as a foreign language in years 3 to 6 at Ascot International School in Bangkok, Thailand. The study respondents were 127 students studying Chinese as a foreign language in years 3 to 6 at Ascot International School in 2014. This study followed a quantitative research methodology employing both a questionnaire and unit quizzes to address the research objectives. There were two main parts included in the study: the level of motivational goal orientation and the relationship between motivational goal orientation and academic achievement among basic and advanced level students. In this study, the motivational goal orientation focused on intrinsic and extrinsic goal orientation. Based on the study objectives, there were eight main findings: 1) the level of intrinsic goal orientation of the basic class was high; 2) the level of intrinsic goal orientation of the advanced class was high; 3) the level of extrinsic goal orientation of the basic class was high; 4) The level of extrinsic goal orientation of advanced class was very high; 5) no significant relationship was found between intrinsic goal orientation and academic achievement among basic class students; 6) there is a significant relationship found between the intrinsic goal orientation and academic achievement among advanced class students; 7) there is a significant relationship found between the extrinsic goal orientation and academic achievement among basic class students; 8) there is a significant relationship found between the extrinsic goal orientation and academic achievement among advanced class students.
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    A comparative study of students' motivation for learning social studies according to their preferences for instructional strategies at the Escola Secundaria Catolica de Sao Jose Operario in Dili, Timor-Leste
    (Digital Production Press, Assumption University, 2016) Gama, Gaspar Florindo Noronha ; Lynch, Richard
    This research was conducted at the Escola Secundaria Catolica de Sao Jose Operario in Dili, Timor-Leste in the school year 2014. The purposes were: 1) to determine the level of students' motivation for learning social studies; 2) to determine the students' preferences among five instructional strategies; 3) to compare the students' motivation for learning social studies according to their preferences for instructional strategies. This study used a questionnaire, including 5 motivation subscales (intrinsic goal orientation, extrinsic goal orientation, task value, control of learning beliefs, and self-efficacy for learning & performance), and 5 instructional strategies subscales (direct instruction, indirect instruction, experiential learning, independent study, and interactive instruction). The sample was 178 students in grade 10 and grade 11. The findings indicated that motivation was high overall in both grade 10 and grade 11, and that the students' most preferred instructional strategies were direct instruction, interactive instruction and independent study. There was no significant difference between students' motivation for learning social studies and their preferences for instructional strategies. The article concludes with recommendations for both practice and future research.
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    The relationship between parental mediation and Facebook victimization and in-person victimization, both directly and indirectly being mediated by the intensity of Facebook use by middle school students in an International School in Bangkok, Thailand
    (Digital Production Press, Assumption University, 2016) Saunders, Claudia ; Varma, Parvathy
    The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between parental mediation and victimization that occurs from being bullied on Facebook, and victimization from bulling in-person, both directly and indirectly being mediated by the intensity of Facebook use. Also examined in the study was the overall difference in frequencies from victimization on Facebook and victimization which occurs from bullying in-person, amongst middle school students at an International school in Bangkok, Thailand. All students who participated in the study were below the authorized age for Facebook use; 13. A total of 93 students participated in the study by filling out a self-administered survey questionnaire designed to measure the primary variables of the study (styles of parental mediation: intensity of Facebook use, victimization that occurs from bullying on Facebook, and victimization that occurs from in-person bullying). results from the path analysis showed that certain forms of parental mediation directly influenced student's responses per intensity of Facebook use, victimization on the Facebook platform, and victimization that occurs in person. Also examined in the final analysis were the differences from overall victimization experiences on Facebook and those that occur in-person. The study found that students with parents that use parental mediation-guidance as a strategy for media use showed less frequency for intensity of Facebook use, victimization via Facebook bullying, and victimization from bullying in-person. Results also revealed that more students, overall, reported higher incidents of victimization from bullying on Facebook, than victimization that occurs from bullying face-to-face. The study's conclusions, implications, and avenues for future research are discussed.
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    The relationship between the teachers' demographics and their conflict management styles at Anuban Damrongrachanusorn School, Sisaket, Thailand
    (Digital Production Press, Assumption University, 2016) Bennagen, Markimson ; Yan, Ye
    This study was conducted mainly to determine the correlation between the teachers' demographics and their conflict management styles at Anuban Damrongrachanusorn School, Sisaket, Thailand in the academic year 2015. The demographics and the conflict management styles of the teachers were both surveyed and investigated by a questionnaire developed by Patana (2003). The demographics questionnaire surveyed the education background, age, and years of work experience while the conflict management styles questionnaire which was based on Thomas and Kilmann's (2008) theory of conflict management investigated the conflict management styles of the teachers. Eighty-four full-time teachers at the school participated in the study. Various tools were used to calculate the data gathered for this study: descriptive statistics (Percentage and Mean) and Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient. The findings indicated that majority of the teachers were bachelor's degree holders, 49 years old and below, and had at least 10 years of work experience. Moreover, the teachers' conflict management styles, ranked from the highest to the lowest, were often compromising, often accommodating, often collaborating, occasionally avoiding, and occasionally dominating. Furthermore, the teachers conflict management styles as classified by their education background were accommodating and compromising; by their age were compromising and accommodating; and by their years of work experience were collaborating, compromising, and accommodating. Finally, there was no significant relationship between the teachers' demographics and their conflict management styles at Anuban Damrongrachanusorn School, Sisaket, Thailand.
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    The relationship between grades four to six students' perceptions towards Montessori teaching method and their achievement at Mahachai Christian Wittaya School, Thailand
    (Digital Production Press, Assumption University, 2016) Basumatary, David ; Yan, Ye
    The primary purpose of this research study was to investigate students' perceptions towards Montessori teaching method and whether there is any relationship between students' perceptions towards Montessori teaching method and their academic achievement. The study was conducted upon grade 4,5 and 6 students at Mahachai Christian Wittaya School, Mahachai, Thailand in a Montessori setting. A questionnaire was used for data collection and 97 students completed the surveys that measured their perceptions towards Montessori teaching method. The data analysis showed that the students' perceptions were positive. A one-way ANOVA indicated that statistically no significant difference in the perceptions towards Montessori teaching method existed between the three groups. It was found that the students were most positive towards the construct of challenge and were not sure of their positions towards control and captivate, which had the lowest mean scores. Students' GPAs were found to be very good. A Pearson Correlation conducted to investigate the relationship between students' perceptions and their achievement found the existence of a strong positive relationship between students' perceptions and their achievement levels and supports previous research. It is recommended that Mahachai Christian Wittaya School could use current data to plan future changes and improvements and consider students' perceptions in future strategies. Future research should investigate the constructs of control and captivate to find out the effects of these variables upon student performance.
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    The influence of materialism on well-being among Thai adolescents
    (Digital Production Press, Assumption University, 2016) Mattaneeya Chotima ; Blauw, Jon
    This investigation attempted to examine the influence of materialism on well-being, mediated by gratitude, anxiety, and depression among Thai adolescents. Operationally, well-being encompassed the factors of academic performance, social integration, and life satisfaction. Data were collected from 1,200 university students in the Bangkok area. A self-administered survey questionnaire in Thai was employed for data collection. The questionnaire consisted of the following: a researcher-constructed set of questions to elicit demographic information, the Material Values Scale (MVS) to measure materialism, the Gratitude Questionnaire-6 (GQ-6) to measure gratitude, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to measure anxiety, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) to measure depression, the Engaged Living in Youth Scale (ELYS) to measure social integration, and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) to measure life satisfaction. The findings of Study 1 revealed that the Thai versions of the GQ-6 and the ELYS are psychometrically sound and, therefore, reliable and valid for use with Thai participants. Study 2 demonstrated the indirect negative influence of materialism on well-being, being mediated by gratitude, anxiety, and depression, nonsignificant correlation between materialism and gratitude, direct negative influence of materialism on well-being, and identified the full-direct model as the model that best explains the interrelationships among the core variables.
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    A comparative study of students' use of peer learning according to selected demographics in the Graduate School of Business, Assumption University of Thailand
    (Digital Production Press, Assumption University, 2016) Sina Sobhanian ; Yan, Ye
    Peer learning has been shown to be one of the most effective strategies for improving students' learning, boosting motivation, and strengthening friendship. The study set out to investigate the use of peer learning and to explore the extent to which the students use this strategy in their academic lives. It also aimed to report the differences in the use of peer learning among the students according to the selected demographics. The research involved students from the Graduate School of Business, Assumption University of Thailand. A convenience sampling was used and the data were collected through the researcher-created questionnaire. Findings demonstrated that the students often used peer learning and the learning environment was desirable to encourage this type of learning. At the same time, there were significant differences in the use of peer learning according to the students' gender, nationality, and employment status. Yet, for the variable of age, no significant difference was found.
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    A comparative study of teachers' perception of retention according to their demographic factors at Yunnan Normal University Business School in Yunnan Province, China
    (Digital Production Press, Assumption University, 2016) Jing, Zhao ; Yan, Ye
    The main purpose of this study aimed to compare the teachers' perception of retention according to their age, gender, marital status, major, education level, residence registration and income at Yunnan Normal University Business School, China in the academic year 2013-2014. A total number of full-time teachers at Yunnan Normal University Business School in Yunnan Province of China were surveyed for this study. The study utilized Frequency and Percentage, Mean and Standard Deviation, and The Independent Samples t-test to analyze the data. Dealing with the collected data, the study reported the demographic factors of teachers at the current school; identified the teachers' perception of retention at the current school; compared the teachers' perception of retention according to their demographic factors at the current school. The significant differences in teachers' perception of retention according to their demographic factors at Yunnan Normal University Business School in Yunnan Province, China were found by the study.
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    Internationalization of higher education: case studies of Thailand and Malaysia
    (Digital Production Press, Assumption University, 2016) Napaporn Armstrong ; Sangob Laksana
    Internationalization of Higher Education has grown considerably as a topic for several different reasons as for instance, a desire to promote mutual understanding, the migration of skilled workers in a globalized economy, the desire of institutions to generate additional revenues or the need to build a more educated work-force in the home countries which are generally emerging economies (OECD, 2004). Moreover the impact of ASEAN Communities which will be implemented at the end of 2015 supports the development of internationalization of higher education in Thailand to being into a very significant area that should be considered as an important agenda item at the level of ASEAN. This article aims to present the findings of the study on internationalization of higher education from the case studies of Thailand (Assumption University in Thailand) and Malaysia (International Islamic University Malaysia) which are ASEAN member countries. The objectives of this study are: to explore critical components of internationalization in higher education, to identify the factors that effectively enhance the achievement of internationalization in higher education from case studies in Thailand and Malaysia and to create then validate a best practice model of internationalization for higher education in Thailand. This study uses a mixed method of qualitative and quantitative. Data is collected by interviewing key people from the government and case studies in universities of both countries together with questionnaires directed to experts and experienced practitioners relating to internationalization and including focus group of selected experts on higher education and internationalization. This data is then brought together where the findings identified the critical components of internationalization in higher education and the factors that effectively enhance the achievement of internationalization in higher education from case studies in Thailand and Malaysia and after this, then a best practice model of internationalization for higher education in Thailand was created and validated. The model comprises seven key components: the first three components are in the public sector which are government, the Higher Education Commission and the Office of Higher Education Commission, the fourth is higher education institutions which have six quality elements inside, the fifth is international network/partner, the sixth is employers and the seventh is the bodies or agencies related to quality enhancement.
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    Impact of occupational stress and coping styles on burnout among physicians in Yun nan, China
    (Digital Production Press, Assumption University, 2016) Wang, Zhi Lin ; Ho, Robert
    This study was conducted to investigate the impact of occupational stress and coping styles on burnout among physicians in Yun Nan province, China. the sample consisted of 208 participants, consisting of 80 male and 128 female in-service physicians, recruited from different public hospitals. They voluntarily filled in a survey questionnaire consisting of the Occupational Stress Indicator-2 (OSI-2), the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), and the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS). The results revealed that the Chinese physicians' reported level of occupational stress directly influenced their reported level of burnout. It was also found that the more they applied emotion-focused coping, the higher was their reported level of burnout. Their reported level of occupational stress was not found to have any significant influence on their employment of either problem-focused or avoidance-focused coping style. All three coping styles were found to be associated with burnout. The more the participants employed problem-focused coping style as well as emotion-focused style, the higher was their reported level of burnout. On the other hand, the more they employed avoidance-focused coping style the lower was their reported level of burnout.
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    A comparative-correlational study of emotional intelligence and musical intelligence among students from years eight to eleven at modern International School Bangkok, Thailand
    (Digital Production Press, Assumption University, 2016) Laxshmi Sachathep ; Lynch, Richard
    In this study, emotional intelligence and musical intelligence were investigated and analyzed among the students from year's eight to eleven in MISB. One hundred and eighty three students participated in this study in the first semester of the 2014-2015 academic year. The quantitative data collected by means of the EMI questionnaire, the findings indicated that the participants had average levels of both emotional intelligence and musical intelligence and there were no significant differences in the emotional intelligence of the participants according to year levels and gender. There was no significant difference in the musical intelligence of the participants according to year levels. However, a significant difference was found in the musical intelligence of the participants according to gender. Furthermore, a positive relationship was found between emotional intelligence and musical intelligence. In addition to the results of this study, recommendations for practice and future research are also provided.