Scholar: Vol. 8, No. 2 (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 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 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 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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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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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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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.
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ItemMotivation for learning among Thai students studying Korean as a foreign language in ThailandThis study was conducted to examine the degree of motivation among Thai students learning Korean as a foreign language. The Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB), developed by Gardner (1985b), was used for measuring the degree of motivation. Two parts of the AMTB, integrative and instrumental goal orientation, were administered to 120 students at the King Sejong Institute Foundation's Bangkok training institute during the 2014 academic year. The data collected were analyzed using a statistical software program. To analyze the data in accordance with the research objectives and hypothesis, different statistical methods such as mean and standard deviations, frequency were used. The study found a high degree of both integrative and instrumental motivation among the students.
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ItemThe relationship between motivation for learning Chinese as a foreign language and Chinese achievement of grade 9 students at Ekamai International School in Bangkok, ThailandThe purpose of this study was to examine the level of motivational goal orientation, and the relationship between the motivational goal orientation and Chinese achievement of grade 9 students studying Chinese as a foreign language at Ekamai International School in Bangkok, Thailand. The study respondents were 74 students studying Chinese as a foreign language in grade 9 at Ekamai International School during the second semester of the academic year 2014-2015. This study followed a quantitative research methodology employing both a questionnaire and an unofficial version of the HSK III Chinese Proficiency test to address the level of motivational goal orientation and Chinese achievement. There were three main elements included in the study: the level of motivational goal orientation, the level of Chinese language achievement and the relationship between motivational goal orientation and Chinese achievement. In this study, the motivational goal orientation focused on intrinsic and extrinsic goal orientation, and self-efficacy for learning and performance. Chinese language achievement focused on listening, reading and writing achievement. There were three main findings: 1) the overall level of motivation for learning Chinese as a foreign language of grade 9 students was high; 2) Chinese language achievement of grade 9 students was high; 3) there was a significant relationship between motivation for learning and Chinese language achievement. The article concludes with recommendations for practice and for future research.
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ItemA relationship study of teachers' perception towards professional development and their job satisfaction in Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guangxi, ChinaThe main purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between teachers' perception towards professional development and their job satisfaction in GuiLin University of Electronic Technology, GuangXi, China in the academic year 2014-2015. A total of one hundred and forty-one (141) full-time teachers from the GuiLin University of Electronic Technology were surveyed for this study. The main resource of data was the questionnaire that investigated the teachers' perception towards professional development and their job satisfaction. The collected data were analyzed by using the mean, standard deviation and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. The research findings indicated that the level of teachers' professional development was the high in the school, and from the results of teachers' job satisfaction, it was found that the level of their job satisfaction was regarded as 'moderate'. A moderate possitive relationship between teachers' perception towards professional development and their job satisfaction was existing in GuiLin University of Electronic Technology, GuangXi province of China.
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ItemValidation of the Connor Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) as applied within the Thai contextThis study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Thai version of the Connor Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), a 25-item self-report questionnaire developed to measure resilience. This was achieved by testing the factor structure of the CD-RISC when applied to a non-clinical sample of Thai adults. Exploratory factor analysis identified three resilience factors: personal competence/tolerance of negative affect; support resources; and self-efficacy. Reliability analysis identified a number of items that were not internally consistent and these were deleted from the scale. The final Thai version of the CD-RISC consisted of 18 items, which is shorter than the original 25-item scale. The scale's convergent validity was tested by assessing the scale's relationship with three states of negative affect-depression, anxiety, stress-as measured by the 21-item Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Correlation analysis revealed that the three extracted resilience factors of personal competence/tolerance of negative affect; support resources; and self-efficacy are significantly and negatively correlated with the DASS-21 factors of depression, anxiety, and stress. The utility of the CD-RISC as applied within the Thai context is discussed.