Fazilah Idris

The Effect of Response Style on Self-Reported Conscientiousness Across 20 Countries:

Rankings of countries on mean levels of self-reported Conscientiousness continue to puzzle researchers. Based on the hypothesis that cross-cultural differences in the tendency to prefer extreme response categories of ordinal rating scales over moderate categories can influence the comparability of self-reports, this study investigated possible effects of response style on the mean levels of self-reported Conscientiousness in 22 samples from 20 countries. Extreme and neutral responding were estimated based on respondents’ ratings of 30 hypothetical people described in short vignettes. In the vignette ratings, clear cross-sample differences in extreme and neutral responding emerged. These responding style differences were correlated with mean self-reported Conscientiousness scores. Correcting self-reports for extreme and neutral responding changed sample rankings of Conscientiousness, as well as the predictive validities of these rankings for external criteria. The findings suggest that the puzzling country rankings of self-reported Conscientiousness may to some extent result from differences in response styles.

Comparability of self-reported conscientiousness across 21 countries

In cross–national studies, mean levels of self–reported phenomena are often not congruent with more objective criteria. One prominent explanation for such findings is that people make self–report judgements in relation to culture–specific standards (often called the reference group effect), thereby undermining the cross–cultural comparability of the judgements. We employed a simple method called anchoring vignettes in order to test whether people from 21 different countries have varying standards for Conscientiousness, a Big Five personality trait that has repeatedly shown unexpected nation–level relationships with external criteria. Participants rated their own Conscientiousness and that of 30 hypothetical persons portrayed in short vignettes. The latter type of ratings was expected to reveal individual differences in standards of Conscientiousness. The vignettes were rated relatively similarly in all countries, suggesting no substantial culture–related differences in standards for Conscientiousness. Controlling for the small differences in standards did not substantially change the rankings of countries on mean self–ratings or the predictive validities of these rankings for objective criteria. These findings are not consistent with mean self–rated Conscientiousness scores being influenced by culture–specific standards. The technique of anchoring vignettes can be used in various types of studies to assess the potentially confounding effects of reference levels. Copyright

Parenting, Community, and Religious Predictors of Positive and Negative Developmental Outcomes Among Muslim Adolescents:

Despite existing research on the contribution of social context and religiosity to adolescent behavioral outcomes, few studies have attempted to explore this topic among Muslim adolescents in non-Western settings, looking at both positive and negative outcomes. In response to this gap, the current study explored the effects of three dimensions of developmental assets (positive parenting, community support, and religiosity) on risk, prosocial, and thriving behaviors among Muslim adolescents (N = 895) from Malaysia. Hierarchical regression results revealed positive parenting as the greatest protective factor against risk behavior, religiosity as the most significant promotive factor of prosocial behaviors, and community support as the greatest contributor to adolescent thriving. In the final model, unique effects varied by outcome. The findings support the importance and universality of multiple levels of developmental assets for youth development, and highlight the need to better understand their interaction in non-Western cultural contexts.

Parenting and Community Engagement Factors as Predictors of Religiosity Among Muslim Adolescents From Malaysia

Despite the plethora of research on correlates of adolescent religiosity, few studies have examined the contribution of social context to religiosity among non-Western Muslim samples using multidimensional religiosity measures. To address this gap, the current study investigated the influence of community engagement and parenting factors on religiosity among 596 Malaysian Muslim secondary school students (M age = 16.10, SD = .29). After controlling for gender, family structure, family income, and social desirability, the results showed that parental monitoring, mosque involvement, and school engagement significantly predicted religious worldview, whereas parental religious socialization, parental monitoring, mosque involvement, school engagement, and youth organization involvement accounted for a significant amount of the variance in religious personality. Implications for further research on socialization influences on religious development among adolescents are discussed.

Incorporation of Transferable Skills Through the Process of Teaching and Learning

Era globalisasi menyaksikan dunia ini sebagai satu wadah yang amat mencabar bagi universiti dalam memberikan pendidikan kepada generasi pelajar. Pelajar-pelajar prasiswazah seharusnya memiliki keupayaan dan kemahiran dalam memenuhi hasrat negara dan juga tanggungjawab sebagai professional di masa akan datang. Sehubungan dengan itu, maka pendidikan tinggi mesti memastikan pensyarah bukan sahaja menekankan soal akademik apabila mengajar, tetapi juga mengambil kira kemahiran-kemahiran kemanusiaan yang boleh disalurkan kepada pelajar seperti kemahiran berfikir secara kritis dan kreatif, penyelesaian masalah, komunikasi interpersonal, dan sebagainya. Kertas ini menyokong akan penggabungan kemahiran kemanusiian dikalangan pensyarah pada peringkat universiti. Sehubungan dengan itu, satu penyelidikan telah dijalankan di dua buah universiti: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) dan Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN). Penyelidikan ini menggunakan kaedah kuatitatif di mana data dianalisis menggunakan SPSS. Akhirnya adalah diharapkan usaha yang cukup untuk pensyarah memiliki kemahiran kemanusiaan akan memastikan kurikulum universiti yang lebih berkesan selari dengan hasrat pendidikan tinggi