Magdalena Mo Ching 莫慕貞 Mok

The relationship between neurobehavioural problems of severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), family functioning and the psychological well-being of the spouse/caregiver: path model analysis.

This study used a modern theory of stress as a framework to strengthen the understanding of the relationship between neurobehavioural problems of TBI, family functioning and psychological distress in spouse/caregivers. The research was an ex post facto design utilising a cross-sectional methodology. Path analysis was used to determine the structural effect of neurobehavioural problems on family functioning and psychological distress. Forty-seven female and 17 male spouse/caregivers of partners with severe TBI were recruited. Spouse/caregivers who reported partners with TBI as having high levels of behavioural and cognitive problems experienced high levels of unhealthy family functioning. High levels of unhealthy family functioning were related to high levels of distress in spouse/caregivers, as family functioning had a moderate influence on psychological distress. Furthermore, indirect effects of behavioural and cognitive problems operating through family functioning intensified the level of psychological distress experienced by spouse/caregivers. Additionally, spouse/caregivers who reported high levels of behavioural, communication and social problems in their partners also experienced high levels of psychological distress. This study was significant because the impact of TBI on the spouse/caregiver from a multidimensional perspective is an important and under-researched area in the brain injury and disability field.

Self‐assessment in higher education: experience in using a metacognitive approach in five case studies

This study describes the use of a metacognitive approach for self‐assessment of teacher education students. The design of the study was guided by the principles of learning‐oriented assessment and the centrality of reflection for teachers. The study comprised five case studies undertaken in five teacher education programmes. In each programme, students self‐assessed at the beginning, middle and end of learning. Subgroups of students were invited to represent their learning using concept maps and were interviewed on their progression in self‐assessment. Analysis indicated that students found the metacognitive approach supportive of their learning and self‐assessment. Students were more aware of their learning and thinking processes at the end of the study. Further, teachers involved in the project found the method demanding yet generating useful feedback which enhanced their teaching.

Academic Self-Concept and Learning Strategies: Direction of Effect on Student Academic Achievement.

This study examined the prediction of academic self-concept (English and Mathematics) and learning strategies (deep and surface), and their direction of effect, on academic achievement (English and Mathematics) of 8,354 students from 16 secondary schools in Hong Kong. Two competing models were tested to ascertain the direction of effect: Model A posited the effect of academic self-concept on learning strategies, whereas Model B posited the effect of learning strategies on academic self-concept. Structural equation modeling indicated that the data fit both models adequately, although Model B was found to have more applied heuristic value for practitioners than Model A because intervention is easier for learning strategies than self-concept. Further investigation also supported the reciprocal relationship between academic self-concept and academic achievement. The findings suggest that academic self-concept, learning strategies, and academic achievement have reciprocal relationships with each other.

Differential pathways of psychological distress in spouses vs. parents of people with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI): multi-group analysis.

Primary objective: A contemporary model of psychological stress based on an amalgamation of Conservation of Resources theory and the McMaster Model of Family Functioning was devised to compare the effects of neurobehavioural impairments on family functioning and psychological distress in spouses and parents caring for relatives with TBI. Method: Participants were 64 spouses and 58 parents. They completed the Neurobehavioral Problem Checklist, Family Assessment Device and the Brief Symptom Inventory. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to test the model for the combined (spouses and parents) sample. Multi-group analysis was then employed for examining differences in structural weights for spouses and parents. Main results: SEM supported the model for the combined sample. Multi-group analysis showed for spouses cognitive and behavioural impairments significantly disrupted family functioning, which in turn increased psychological distress. In contrast, cognitive and behavioural impairments did not significantly disrupt family functioning in parents. For parents, however, cognitive impairments increased psychological distress. Furthermore, parents who reported disrupted family functioning also experienced higher levels of psychological distress. The effect of cognitive impairments was statistically more influential on the level of distress in parents when compared to spouses. Conclusions: Understanding these differences can assist in better targeting family support interventions.

A Theory of Self-Learning in a Networked Human and IT Environment: Implications for Education Reforms.

Aims to develop a theoretical model for understanding and enhancing effective self‐learning in a networked human and information technology (IT) environment. Recent educational reforms in different parts of the world emphasize that independent self‐learning throughout the life span is a sine qua non of education. Parallel to this is the development that the Internet and information technology have changed the modes of teaching and learning fundamentally and created unlimited opportunities for learning. There is an urgent need to develop a theory or model that can be used to deepen the understanding of the nature and process of self‐learning and facilitate students becoming highly motivated and effective self‐learners with the support of a networked human and IT environment. The implications drawn from the theory can contribute to the paradigm shift of education in current worldwide education reforms.

Quality Assurance and School Monitoring

Responding to the rapid development of new knowledge, new technology and globalisation, education quality, quality assurance and school monitoring are key policy issues in many countries around the world, particularly those in the Asia-Pacific region (Cheng & Townsend, 2000). Quality in education can be defined in a number of ways, including the fitness of educational outputs for use (Juran & Gryna, 1988); the achievement of the mission and goals (Crosby, 1979; Mukhopadhyay, 2001); adding values to students or institutes (Saunders, 1999); continuous improvement (Deming, 1986); excellence, exceptional or high standard (Gaither, 1998); lack of defects (Crosby, 1979); and satisfying the needs and expectations of strategic constituencies (Cheng & Cheung, 2001; Crosby, 1979). Quality in education is multifaceted and multidimensional (Cheng & Cheung, 2001) and is described by some as a dynamic positive concept (Mukhopadhyay, 2001). One of the consistent features of concern with quality has been the establishment of quality assurance and school monitoring systems.

Economic considerations in education policy making: a simplified framework

Attempts to propose a simplified framework from an economic perspective for analyzing education policy. The framework takes into account the demand for and supply of education, the education system structure, the economic effects and consequences, and their interrelations. Maps out some key economic areas, issues and concerns in analysis and discussions of education policy. The framework will serve to facilitate economic considerations and analyses in current education policy debate in different parts of the world.

What effective classroom? Towards a paradigm shift

The initiatives for educational effectiveness experienced 3 waves of movements. Each wave had its own paradigm in conceptualizing the nature of education and its effectiveness and formulating related initiatives for improvement of educational practice in the classroom. This article aims to discuss how the conceptualization and characteristics of the effective classroom are changed with the paradigm shift from the traditional site-bounded paradigm toward the new Contextualized Multiple Intelligences (CMI)-triplization paradigm. With the support of empirical data, the profiles of effective and ineffective classrooms in the 1st and 3rd waves are mapped and discussed, and some implications are drawn for research and development of a new type of classroom effectiveness.

Academic Attribution of Secondary Students: Gender, Year Level and Achievement Level.

This study is concerned with the attribution of secondary students. Causal interpretations for academic success and failure were analysed to investigate the effect of gender, year level and achievement level on students’ academic attributions in Hong Kong, a Confucian Heritage Culture. The sample for the study comprised 14,846 students currently enrolled in Secondary 1 to Secondary 6 in Hong Kong. Multivariate analyses of variance found significant gender differences in ascriptions to ability, effort and strategy use reasons for school performance of students who shared a common cultural background. These effects remained after controlling for achievement and year levels. Chinese females in this sample were more inclined than Chinese males to explain their academic failure in terms of their lack of ability and strategy use. Females were also more likely to explain their academic success in terms of their effort or strategy use. Nevertheless, the study found secondary students of both genders and across all achievement and year levels, consistently ascribed to effort as the most important reason for academic outcomes. Secondary 4 students were significantly more inclined than students of lower levels to attribute their academic outcomes to effort and strategy use. Cultural influences are discussed in interpreting the findings.

Reform of Teacher Education in the Asia-Pacific in the New Millennium

Preface Part I Introduction Reform of Teacher Education Amid Paradigm Shift in School Education Y.C. Cheng, K.W. Chow and Magdalena M.C. Mok Part II Trends of Teacher Education Reform The Contending Models of and Debate in Teacher Education in the United States David G. Imig Canadian Teacher Education in Transformation F. Michael Connelly and D. Jean Clandinin Current Trends in Canadian Teacher Education: The Ontario Experience Clare Kosnik and Clive Beck Patterns of Development of Chinese Teacher Education in a Reform Context Ying Jie Wang Malaysian Teacher Education into the New Century Molly N.N. Lee Reform of Teacher Education in India: Trends and Challenges Kiran Walia Part III Challenges in Teacher Education in the 21st Century The Quest for Professional Teaching Standards: The NBPTS Model Richard Beach Challenges and Prospects of Teacher Education Colleges and Institutions in Japan Masahiro Arimoto Korean National Universities of Education: Reform and Further Reform Hye Sook Kim Incorporating ICT in Practicum: An Australian Experience Geoff Rogers An American Cluster Placement Model for Enriching Field Experience Connie Titone, Robert Cunningham Professional Development of School Principals for Revitalizing Schooling in Malaysia Ibrahim Ahmad Bajunid Institutions of Teacher Education in Asia: Changes and Challenges Yin Cheong Cheng and King Wai Chow