Longitudinal Changes In Chinese Minority College Students\u27 Health-Related Fitness: A Multilevel Latent Growth Curve Modeling Approach

Purpose: The study aimed to test the overall changes of health-related fitness (HRF) in minority Chinese college students and to examine HRF differences in gender, race, and year in college. Method: Participants (n = 1320) were minority college students with more than two-thirds females (ie 76.1%), and Hui, Tibetan, and Mongolia consisted of 13.8%, 13.8%, and 11.2%, respectively. Student HRF was tracked for four years. Data were analyzed using multilevel latent growth curve modeling. Results: Muscular strength and endurance were the weakest component in minority college students’ HRF, while body mass index was within the category of “excellent”. Males outperformed female on all components of HRF. Conclusions: It is suggested that interventions concerning minority females’ HRF and muscular strength and endurance for both genders be constructed and tested

Confronting The Difference: Ethnicity And Patterns Of Achievement In Initial Teacher Education For The Further Education And Skills Sector

In Higher Education (HE), an ongoing and incompletely understood achievement gap in degree classification has been identified between white and Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) students. BME students have been found to achieve less well than their white counterparts, even when initial A Level grades are the same. This paper examines a related issue, which has received scant attention; ethnicity and differential achievement in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) for the Further Education (FE) and Skills Sector. At the University which provides the focus for this paper, BME students are well-represented overall, and specifically well-represented on ITE provision for the sector. The introduction of a teaching observation grading pilot during 2010-11 made possible a detailed analysis of an aspect of ITE trainee progression and achievement. This paper presents the findings of further analyses of grading for the overall University trainee cohort, where differential achievement by ethnicity has been revealed. Strategies designed to promote the achievement of all trainees will be discussed

Rush to Judgment: Teacher Evaluation in Public Education

The troubled state of teacher evaluation is a glaring and largely neglected problem in public education. Co-director Thomas Toch and Robert Rothman of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform examine the causes and consequences of the crisis in teacher evaluation, as well as its implications for the current debate about performance pay

Looking to relate: teacher gaze and culture in student-rated teacher interpersonal behaviour

Abstract: Mobile eye-tracking was used to investigate the link between teacher gaze and student-rated teacher interpersonal behaviour. Teacher gaze was recorded for 10 min during a teacher-centred part of a naturally occurring lesson. The Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction was then administered to assess how UK students evaluated their teacher interpersonally in that lesson. Teachers conveyed greater dominance (or interpersonal agency) through increasing eye contact while asking questions (‘attentional gaze’). Teachers conveyed more interpersonal friendliness (or communion) through increasing eye contact while lecturing (‘communicative gaze’). Culture did not affect the way gaze was associated with students’ interpersonal perceptions

Looking to relate: teacher gaze and culture in student-rated teacher interpersonal behaviour

Abstract: Mobile eye-tracking was used to investigate the link between teacher gaze and student-rated teacher interpersonal behaviour. Teacher gaze was recorded for 10 min during a teacher-centred part of a naturally occurring lesson. The Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction was then administered to assess how UK students evaluated their teacher interpersonally in that lesson. Teachers conveyed greater dominance (or interpersonal agency) through increasing eye contact while asking questions (‘attentional gaze’). Teachers conveyed more interpersonal friendliness (or communion) through increasing eye contact while lecturing (‘communicative gaze’). Culture did not affect the way gaze was associated with students’ interpersonal perceptions

Chinese high school to American university: The effects and outcomes of international college preparation programs

This ethnographic study provides insight into the effects and outcomes of the rapidly growing international college preparation programs (CPPs) being operated in China to make students ready for a smoother transition from a Chinese high school to an American university. Specifically, this study not only examines the Chinese students\u27 learning experiences and path to college readiness through CPPs, but also identifies the longer-term outcomes of the programs occurring after they are successfully enrolled. This study explores Chinese students\u27 learning experiences in specific CPPs to reveal their short-term outcomes, and investigates former CPP students\u27 subsequent transition experiences to American universities to understand CPPs\u27 longer-term outcomes. Aiming at analyzing the efficacies of the CPPs from the perspective of students\u27 learning experience, this study collected qualitative data from two sides: Chinese high school students currently attending CPPs in China and Chinese undergraduate international students in American institutions. Interviews were adopted to explore students\u27 learning experiences. Focus group semi-structured interviews of CPP students on the Chinese side were conducted in six Chinese high schools, while nine individual in-depth and open-ended interviews on the U.S. side were conducted in an American Midwestern Research University. This study adopts two theoretical frameworks to answer the research questions: Conley\u27s (2010) theoretical model of college readiness and Schlossberg Walters, and Goodman\u27s (1995) Transition Theory. College readiness (Conley, 2007; 2010; Lombardi, Downs, Downs, & Conley, 2012), particularly for international students in CPPs, includes five dimensions: key cognitive strategies, key content knowledge, academic behaviors, contextual skills and awareness (Conley, 2007; 2010; Lombardi, Downs, Downs, & Conley, 2012), and international context and awareness. Additionally, with respect to students\u27 transition experiences, four themes appear in this study: self, situation, support and strategies. Overall speaking, this study reveals that, as a demonstration of CPPs\u27 outcomes, Chinese undergraduate students in American universities with previous CPP experiences are capable of quickly adapting to academic practices (e.g., presentations, team work assignments and speeches) and expectations in American colleges (e.g., academic writing in English, and speaking skills in English) by being an independent, confident, and collaborative individual. Furthermore, in addition to serving as extra merits in the admission process, in terms of student success, the advanced credits help secure a smoother academic transition. However, despite the merits of CPPs in terms of English proficiency and academic preparation, culture adaptation (e.g., establishing social networks, living in an American way) may not be sufficiently prepared, which may lead to a difficult cultural transition. Broad implications from this study directly relate to aspects of both practices and policies. With respect to practices, this study proposes implications not only for the Chinese students and their parents, but across American higher education. Various types of American higher education professionals can benefit from this study related to efficacies of CPPs in preparing Chinese students to transition from Chinese high school to American university. They include higher education recruiters, academic advisors, and student affair practitioners. Additionally, CPP program directors can better develop their programs to improve students\u27 learning experiences in CPPs. This study also provides insights for policies, including policies related credit transfer policy, National College Entrance Exams (CEE) policy, and international student admission. Future research is recommended to focus on further understanding the efficacies of CPPs from administrative perspectives or the programs themselves. Moreover, future researchers could follow a number of students from the point when they participate in CPPs in China to the point when they achieve a Baccalaureate degree in American universities

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationThe purpose of this study was to explore the first-year academic experiences and achievement of Chinese international undergraduate students in American higher education. To do so, I tracked a cohort of Chinese international undergraduates through their first-year at a public research university in the United States. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected through surveys, interviews, and an existing database to gain a better understanding of students' background characteristics, study abroad decision-making processes, application to U.S. universities, and first-year academic experiences including challenges and coping strategies. I also examined students' academic achievement in relation to that of comparison groups and identified the factors that affect their academic achievement. Many students in the study were not adequately prepared to face the rigor of college in the U.S. and encountered significant challenges in navigating their first-year academic experiences, including engaging in active and collaborative learning, interacting with American faculty and peers, and maintaining academic integrity. They faced particular challenges coping with the dramatic increase in personal freedom and taking ownership of their own learning. However, despite these challenges, Chinese international undergraduates in the study made gains in academic achievement on par with their American counterparts. Additionally, this study found that gender, high iv school class rank, English language proficiency, the initiation of the idea to study abroad, and absence from class were significantly associated with participants' cumulative firstyear GPA, while high school class rank and absence from class were significantly correlated with their first- to second-year persistence. As one of the first studies to empirically examine the academic experiences and achievement of Chinese international undergraduates on American campuses, this study extends the literature in meaningful ways to provide valuable insights for policymakers, administrators, faculty, and staff who are involved with this population. The findings of this study also help Chinese international undergraduates address cross-cultural learning barriers and facilitate their efforts to become successful cross-cultural learners

Approaches to learning : perceptions about Chinese international undergraduates in Australian Universities

Chinese students constitute the largest cohort of international undergraduates in Australian universities, comprising 37.3% in 2019. However, there is a scarcity of research examining perceptions of how Chinese international students (CIS) learn in Australian universities, from the broader context of the students themselves, their Australian teachers and Australian domestic student (ADS) counterparts. Drawing on the 3P (Presage-Process-Product) framework by Biggs, Kember, and Leung (2001), this thesis explored the perceptions of CIS, and their lecturers and classmates regarding their approaches to learning in Australian universities. Utilising a mixed methods approach (Creswell, 2014), surveys were conducted with 156 CIS and 212 ADS incorporating a validated survey by Biggs et al. (2001) called the R-SPQ-2F. Interviews were also conducted with 10 CIS and 10 Australian academics from two Australian universities, one regional and the other metropolitan. The findings demonstrated that perceptions of CIS were characterised by a unique learning structure that differed from ADS in a number of ways, particularly in relation to group learning, the use of understanding and memorisation strategies, and classroom engagement. It was noted that these disparities did not support the generally held view of CIS as mainly surface oriented learners who preferred rote-learning techniques (Grimshaw, 2007). While adopting similar levels to ADS of deep approach strategies in their learning, CIS also used more surface and achieving approaches than ADS, and tended to incorporate memorising with understanding in their learning process. However, it was also evident that the approaches used by CIS in Australia were often more complex than what was easily observed. For instance, their reticence in class was not necessarily indicative of passive learning, but instead, suggestive of the complexity of context that needs to encompass the ‘whole being’ of these students, i.e., their personality, culture, and most of all, the dynamics of their perceived approaches to their learning. This study also investigated negotiations that occurred between CIS and their Australian lecturers. While CIS’ learning approaches were greatly shaped and determined by academics’ instructional decisions involving curriculum, teaching patterns and assessment procedures, it was also found that academics’ instructional activities were reshaped and counter-determined by CIS’ learning approaches. As a result, a Co-constructed Model of Learning and Teaching (CMLT) for CIS in Australian universities, based on the 3P framework (Biggs et al., 2001), was developed to assist future education experiences for international students. This study is significant in that it has given voice to Chinese students, enabling a greater understanding of their experiences in Australian universities to emerge, in conjunction with and supplemented by insights provided by their Australian student counterparts and educators. It has enabled both international and domestic students the opportunity to reflect on possible cultural impacts on learning, hopefully improving their capacities to act as effective global citizens. It has also afforded an opportunity for academics to reflect on their beliefs and practices in relation to teaching diverse student cohorts, which will hopefully deepen their understanding of the complexities that come with the increasing globalisation of education.Doctor of Philosoph

A Culturally Aware Approach to Learning System Interface Design

This mixed methods research explored interface design strategies for users from different cultures and localized settings. Guided by the cultural-historical development theory and HCI research, four critical factors—navigation design, information organization, layout design, and visuals—were investigated in designing culturally relevant interfaces for Americans and Taiwanese. American and Taiwanese groups—both contained two sub-groups of 30 participants—were recruited for the quantitative phase. Each participant was exposed to only one interface with content composed in their native language. However, one sub-group in each ethnic group was exposed to a culturally relevant interface and another was exposed to an alien interface. MANOVA on overall performance in both American and Taiwanese groups were significant. Americans performed better using the American interface (Wilks’s Λ=.85, F= 5.15, p< .01). They had significantly shorter performance time in the American (M=775) than the Taiwanese (M=1003) interface (F=6.29, p<.05), but differences on performance accuracy were not significant (F=2.74, p=.103). Taiwanese performed better using the Taiwanese interface (Wilks’s Λ=.67, F=14.06, p< .01). They had shorter performance time in the Taiwanese (M=743) than the American (M=1353) interface (F=6.29, p<.05), and they also had higher performance accuracy on the Taiwanese (M=11.7) than the American (M=10.0) interface (F=7.94, p<.01). In addition, t-test on overall preference in both American and Taiwanese groups were significant. Americans preferred the American (M=58.5) over the Taiwanese (M=53.0) interface (t=2.11, p< .05). And Taiwanese preferred the Taiwanese (M=58.7) over the American (M=46.9) interface (t=3.48, p<.01). Qualitative interviews of six American and six Taiwanese participants revealed three themes: First, when searching, Taiwanese were explorative and relied on hierarchical relationships; while Americans relied on prior experiences and analytical categorizations. Second, both groups have higher affiliation with design features matching their preferences. Finally, matching design features with users’ expectations and needs promotes positive perceptions and enhances interface usability. Both quantitative and qualitative Results imply that user interface designers should consider cultural perspectives when designing interfaces for online learning systems. Further studies might consider the relative impacts of the navigation, information structure, layout, and visual design on a broad range of user differences might have on learning

Understanding the Chinese Superintendency in the Context of Quality-Oriented Education

The implementation of national educational reform in China calls for newer and stronger school administration. Recognizing the need to establish a knowledge base for leadership development, we employ a set of existing US professional standards for educational leaders as a frame of reference to unpack the complex role of Chinese superintendents. Using data collected from two surveys administered to more than 200 Chinese superintendents in 2007, we find that many indicators of leadership considered essential in the United States are also viewed as necessary for effective superintendency in China. Feedback from the superintendents also points out gaps between what is perceived as important and what is in practice. This article contributes to the efforts of building meaningful global dialogues among researchers and practitioners on developing a new generation of education administrators