Browsing by Subject "Scholar: -- AU Graduate School of Education Journal -- 2016"
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ItemAppearance comparison and body dissatisfaction of expatriate women in Bangkok, ThailandBody dissatisfaction has a powerful influence in mental and physical wellbeing in women. It has been linked to depression, anxiety and eating disorders. The current study examined how relocating to Thailand was related to body dissatisfaction in expatriate women through appearance comparison. In Thailand, the average female BMI is roughly 15% less than those of women from the USA and the UK. Previous research has shown that women have the tendency to compare themselves unfavorably with other women who were slimmer, even though it was negatively influencing their body image and mental well-being. The current study examined the role of appearance comparison in development of body dissatisfaction in female expatriates who relocated to Thailand (n=107) by sampling those who were working and living in Bangkok. The Physical Comparison Scale - Revised, the Body Scale Questionnaire and the Stunkard Body Figure Scale were applied to this sample. The result implied that the frequency of appearance comparison in this sample remained at similar rates regardless of the length of time spent in Bangkok. Frequent appearance comparison was linked to higher levels of body dissatisfaction, this is consistent with previous studies' findings. It was also found in this sample that the level of body dissatisfaction was significantly linked to the perceived body discrepancy between the actual body shape, the ideal body shape and the perceived body shape of the average Thai women.
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ItemA comparative study of educational administrators' leadership styles in three types of universities in China: Normal University, University of Science and Technology, and Medical UniversitThis study compares educational administrators' leadership styles in three types of universities in China: Normal Normal
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ItemA comparative study of grade 12 students' motivation for learning science and social science according to gender at Escola Secundaria 5 de Maio in Dili, Timor-LesteIn the learning process, motivation is considered as the main component that encourages learning activity and empowers the process of learning to achieve learning goals. Motivation itself includes one's sense of intrinsic and extrinsic goal orientation, the impression and value of task, control of learning beliefs and self-Cognitive Theory of Motivation for learning. Although the gender gap continues to exist in all aspects of life, in education several studies on motivation for learning showed that the gender gap is gradually decreasing in the learning of science and social science. This research aimed to find out the level of grade 12 students' motivation for learning science and social science and to investigate that if there was any significant difference according to their gender at Escola Secundaria 5 de Maio in Dili, timor-Leste. The participants were 226 students among 537 students majoring in science and social science. This study utilized a questionnaire as the instrument for data collection and the collected data were analyzed by frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and independent samples t-test. The research findings indicated that the level of students' motivation for learning science and social science was very high. Also, there was no significant difference between male and female students' motivation for learning science and social science. The students also showed high average of overall motivation scales. The paper concludes with recommendations for practice and for future research.
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ItemA 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, RichardThis 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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ItemA comparative study of students' use of peer learning according to selected demographics in the Graduate School of Business, Assumption University of ThailandPeer 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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ItemA comparative study of teachers' knowledge of common ICT software, their perceptions towards using ICT and their perceived self-confidence in integrating ICT in their classes according to gender in two international schools in ThailandThis study aimed to determine teachers' knowledge of common ICT software, their perceptions towards using ICT and their perceived self-confidence in integrating ICT in their classes according to gender in two international schools in Thailand in 2015. Students in Thailand and globally need to be able to cope well with the demands of the 21st century skills and ICTs are an important element of curricula worldwide. Therefore, the researcher wanted to determine if the male or the female teachers were more skilled in ICT to be able to pass on the knowledge to their students. An online questionnaire was used as a primary data collection instrument. The questionnaire measured the three variables of interest: knowledge of common ICT software, perceptions of ICT use, and perceived self-confidence in integrating ICT in their classes. The study respondents were teachers working in two international schools in Bangkok, Thailand. A total of 145 teachers (84 male and 81 female) were targeted with the online questionnaire. Ninety-seven teachers responded out of which 49 were male and 48 were female. The study found that both male and female teachers had high knowledge of common ICT software. However, the male teachers had more positive perceptions of ICT and higher perceived self-confidence in integrating ICT in to their classes as compared to the female teachers. Recommendations For both practice and future research are provided.
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ItemA comparative study of teachers' perception of retention according to their demographic factors at Yunnan Normal University Business School in Yunnan Province, ChinaThe 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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ItemA comparative-correlational study of emotional intelligence and musical intelligence among students from years eight to eleven at modern International School Bangkok, ThailandIn 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.
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ItemA correlative study of motivation for learning Chinese according to academic achievement and parental encouragement among grade four to grade six students at Ladprao Bilingual School (LBS), Bangkok, ThailandParental encouragement has been shown to have a positive relationship with students' learning motivation and their academic achievement. This study examined the level of the students' Chinese learning motivation, the student's perception of parental encouragement and the relationship among parental encouragement, Chinese learning motivation and academic achievement. The researcher used a questionnaire as the main instrument for data collection. One hundred and thirteen students at Ladprao Bilingual School (LBS) grades four to six in the academic year 2014 participated in this study. The collected data were analyzed by mean, standard deviation, and Pearson-Moment Correlation. The findings indicated that the level of the students' Chinese learning motivation was high. Also, the students had a relatively high level of the perception of parental encouragement. The findings showed that a significant relationship existed among the students' Chinese learning motivation and academic achievement, students' perception of parental encouragement and Chinese learning motivation, students' perception of parental encouragement and academic achievement. Recommendations for both practice and future research are provided.
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ItemCross-validation of the Australian-developed smoking inventory: an investigation of votives underlying the decision-making processes leading to the uptake, maintenance, and possible cessation of smoking among students in Assumption UniversityThe present study was designed to cross-validate the Australian developed Australian Smoking Inventory as applied to the Thai context. Exploratory factor analysis identified the three factors of 'perceived utility of smoking', 'pleasure/addiction needs', and 'need for social acceptance' as three major motives for smoking behavior among Thai young adults. These findings are similar to those obtained from Ho's (1989) Australian study and suggest that Thais and Australian hold similar beliefs about the decision-making processes underlying smoking behaviors. The implications of the study's findings, which include the development of intervention programs and strategies to lower the motivation and perception of the perceived utility of smoking, are discussed.
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ItemThe development and testing of a positive psychology-based program for increasing happiness among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder in ThailandThe current research investigated the role of positive psychology in contributing to the development of happiness among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To fulfill the main objectives, this research comprised three studies. Study I employed a qualitative design which used the hermeneutic phenomenological framework in which in-depth interviews were conducted to identify thematic dimensions to inform the development of the Happiness in Parents of Children with ASD Scale (HPCA). Study II involved a quantitative approach in which exploratory factor analysis, reliability analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis were used to develop a psychometrically sound measurement instrument the HPCA Scale. Tests of validity via both convergent and divergent tests of validity showed that this newly developed scale is valid. Study III employed the nine-component factor structure identified for the HPCA to develop the modified positive psychology-based intervention program and test its effectiveness. The last study investigated the effectiveness of the modified positive psychology-based program via multivariate 2X2 mixed-repeated measures design. The results of Study I found three main themes for creating the new survey questionnaire. The results of Study II revealed the final nine-component structure of Happiness in Parents of Children with ASD Scale (HPCA). The findings in Study III indicated that seven of the nine components were significant, namely, hope in the child's independence, positive acceptance of the child's disorder, parental self-efficacy, confidence in helping child development, mind-body relaxation, contribution to society, and stress management. Promoting positive family support and resilience were not found to be significantly related to developing happiness among parents. The modified program also had an effect on decreasing depression, one of the components in the DASS-21. Further application of the program that integrates positive psychology should be considered in promoting parental happiness in other areas of child and adolescent disabilities.
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ItemThe development of principal curriculum leadership capabilities model for secondary schools in Shanghai, ChinaThe purpose of the study aimed to develop principal curriculum leadership capabilities model for secondary schools in Shanghai. Both qualitative content analysis and quantitative survey were employed by this study. From the findings, the highest curriculum leadership capabilities of principals of current practice and expectations are the same factor, namely, empathizing. Findings from the gap analysis showed that the priorities of improvement of curriculum leadership capabilities for principals listed by the ranking of: (1) knower and expertise, (2) skills in curriculum development process, (3) diagnosis, (4) building a learning school, (5) strategy, (6) influencing, (7) self-regulation, (8) flexibility and responsiveness, and (9) decisiveness. All above major findings and the foundational theories including Shanghai context and academic leadership capabilities framework (Fullan & Scott, 2009) along with its supported theories were utilized to create the model. The proposed model was constructed in form of bloom graphics presenting its vision, mission, objectives, as well as its applications. It will be applied to equip principals well to shape the future curriculum leadership: leading from curriculum to currere in order to meet the needs of students and the society, and also, make principals become change capable curriculum leaders who have been dedicating to school sustainable development orientated to "Go global, and Stay local".
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ItemFactors influencing the psychological well-being of street venodrs in HPA-An township, Karen State, Myanmar: a path analytic studyThe 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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ItemImpact of occupational stress and coping styles on burnout among physicians in Yun nan, ChinaThis 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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ItemImpact of parental involvement, teacher-student relationship, and resilience on academic performance among middle school students in Kang Won Province, in South KoreaThe study investigated the impact of parental involvement, teacher-student relationship, and resilience on the academic performance of middle school students in Kang Won Province, South Korean. The study's participants consisted of students selected from three middle schools in Kang Won Province, South Korea. The research measures employed included the Parental Home and School Involvement Scale, Teacher-Student Relationship Inventory, and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 25. Results from multiple regression analysis showed that perception of parental involvement and resilience are significantly and positively associated with academic performance. However, teacher-student relationship was not found to be significantly related to academic performance. The results also demonstrated that, overall, both male and female students did not believe that their parents were highly involved in their lives; likewise, they did not think highly of the quality of their relationship with their teachers. On the other hand, they reported themselves as being highly resilient. The results also demonstrated gender differences in their perceived teacher-student relationship in that male students' perception of their relationship with their teachers in more positive than female students' perception. The results indicated no significant gender differences in reported parental involvement and resilience.
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ItemThe impact of video game addiction on depression, anxiety, and stress among Thai adolescents, mediated by self-regulation and social supportThe primary purpose of this study was to examine the direct and indirect influences of video game addiction on Thai adolescents' levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, being mediated by self-regulation and social support. A total of 200 Thai adolescents (aged between 18 and 20 years) participated in this study by filling in a self-administered survey questionnaire designed to measure the study's primary variables (video game addiction, depression, anxiety, stress, self-regulation, and social support). Results from the path analysis showed that the respondents' level of depression, anxiety, and stress. Video game addiction has indirect influences on the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress when mediated by self-regulation. However, video game addiction has no indirect influence on anxiety and stress when mediated by social support. Nonetheless, video game addiction was found to have a positive influence on social support, such that the higher the level of addiction, the higher is the level of social support. Among the three dependent variables of depression, anxiety, and stress, it was found that only depression decreases in level when the mediator social support is increased, even when the level of video game addiction is high. The study's conclusions, implications, and avenues for future research are discussed.
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ItemThe influence of materialism on well-being among Thai adolescentsThis 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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ItemInfluence of parenting styles on self-regulated learning behavior mediated by self-efficacy and intrinsic valueThe main objective of the current study was to investigate the direct and indirect influences of parenting styles on self-regulated learning behavior, being mediated by self-efficacy and intrinsic value. In order to meet this objective, a quantitative study with correlational research design via path analysis was utilized to establish statistical associations between the core variables. The participants of the study consisted of 206 male and female high school students from a selected international school in Bangkok, Thailand. The Parental Authority Questionnaire (PAQ) was employed as the research instrument to test parenting styles while the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) was the research instrument chosen to measure intrinsic value, self-efficacy, and self-regulation. The results revealed the following major findings: (1) authoritative parenting style had a significant direct influence on self-regulated learning behavior; (2) permissive and authoritarian parenting styles did not have a significant direct influence on self-regulated learning behavior; (3) authoritative parenting has a significant indirect influence on self-regulated learning, being mediated by self-efficacy and intrinsic value; (4) permissive and authoritarian parenting styles did not have a significant indirect influence on self-regulated learning, being mediated by self-efficacy; (5) permissive parenting style did not have a significant indirect influence on self-regulated learning behavior, being mediated by intrinsic value; and (6) authoritarian parenting has a significant indirect influence on self-regulated learning behavior, being mediated by intrinsic value.
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ItemInternationalization of higher education: case studies of Thailand and MalaysiaInternationalization 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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ItemLife satisfaction of seminary final year students in Yangon, Myanmar: a path analytic study of the direct and indirect influences of coping styles being mediated by stress, anxiety and depressionThe purpose of this study was to investigate the influences of coping styles on the life satisfaction of a sample of seminary final year students in Yangon, Myanmar, both directly and indirectly being mediated by their levels of reported stress, anxiety and depression. A total of 218 Yangon seminary final year students (aged between 20 to 45 years) participated in this study by filling in a self-administered questionnaire designed to measure the study's primary variables (stress, anxiety, depression, problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping, avoidance-focused coping, and life satisfaction). The results of the study indicated that the Myanmar seminary final year seminary students' employment of the emotion-focused coping and avoidance-focused coping styles is directly and significantly related to their reported level of life satisfaction, although in opposite directions. The results also showed that the more the seminary students employed emotion-focused coping to deal with stressful situations, the higher their reported levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. The more the seminary students employed avoidance-focused coping to deal with stressful situations, the lower their reported level of depression. The implications of these findings in relation to the need to assist final year students identify which coping strategy is most effective in helping them cope with the daily stressors they encounter during their final year period were discussed.