Hong Kong secondary students' perspectives on selecting test difficultly level and learner washback: Effects of a graded approach to assessment

This sequential mixed-methods study investigates washback on learning in a high-stakes school exit examination by examining learner perceptions and reported behaviours in relation to learners’ beliefs and language learning experience, the role of other stakeholders in the washback mechanism, and socio-educational forces. The focus is the graded approach of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education English Language Examination (HKDSE-English), incorporated in 2012, that allows test-takers to choose between easier and more difficult sections for reading and listening-integrated skills papers. Inductive coding of focus groups involving 12 secondary students fed into the development of the Washback on Students’ Learning questionnaire, which was administered to another 150 learners. Exploratory factor analyses of identified washback effects revealed four major types straddling different settings (classrooms, tutorial schools, learners’ personal environment), and seven categories of mediating variables pertaining to learners themselves, other stakeholders, and societal influences. Simultaneous multiple regressions identified influential clusters of mediating variables and showed the strongest predictors for each macro-level washback type varied. At least one intrinsic and one extrinsic factor category significantly contributed to all types, reaffirming learner washback as a socially situated, negotiated construct. Implications related to the consequences, use, and fairness of the graded approach are discussed

An adaptive multipath protocol for efficient IP handoff in mobile wireless networks

Achieving IP handoff with a short latency and minimal packet loss is essential for mobile devices that roam across IP subnets. Many existing solutions require changes to be made to the network or transport layer, and they tend to suffer from long handoff latency in either soft or hard handoff scenario, or both; and some are difficult to deploy in practice. We propose a new protocol, called the adaptive multipath protocol, to achieve efficient IP handoff. Based on link-layer signal strength measurements, two different schemes are used to handle soft and hard handoff respectively. Seamless IP handoff is achieved by using multiple transport layer connections on top of persistent link-layer connectivity during soft handoff. To achieve low handoff latency during hard handoff, a set of distributed sessions repositories (SRs), which are independent of the end hosts, are employed. Simulation results clearly support our claims. In particular, the latency for hard handoff is found to be as low as 50% of that of Fast handoff. © 2006 IEEE.published_or_final_versio

Optical studies of ZnS:Mn films grown by pulsed laser deposition

Author name used in this publication: C. L. MakAuthor name used in this publication: K. H. Wong2002-2003 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Effects of niobium doping on the piezoelectric properties of sol-gel-derived lead-zirconate-titanate films

Author name used in this publication: K. W. KwokAuthor name used in this publication: R. C. W. TsangAuthor name used in this publication: H. L. W. ChanAuthor name used in this publication: C. L. Choy2003-2004 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Evidence of the influence of phonon density on Tm³⁺ upconversion luminescence in tellurite and germanate glasses

Author name used in this publication: C. L. MakAuthor name used in this publication: W. L. TsuiAuthor name used in this publication: K. H. Wong2001-2002 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Exhaled nitric oxide predicts lung function but not quality of life in subjects with non-small cell lung cancer

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Bronchiolitis obliterans in bone marrow transplant recipients in Hong Kong

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Measuring and Validating a General Cancer Predisposition Perception Scale: An Adaptation of the Revised-IPQ-Genetic Predisposition Scale

Background Illness perceptions are linked to individual help-seeking and preventive behaviors. Previous illness perception studies have identified five dimensions of illness-related experience and behaviour. The Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R) for genetic predisposition (IPQ-R-GP) was developed to measure illness perceptions in those genetically-predisposed to blood disease. We adapted the IPQ-R-GP to measure perceptions of generalized cancer predisposition. This paper describes the development and validation of the Cancer Predisposition Perception Scale (CPPS). Methods The draft CPPS scale was first administered to 167 well Hepatitis B carriers and 123 other healthy individuals and the factor structure was examined using Exploratory Factor Analysis. Then the factor structure was confirmed in a second sample comprising 148 healthy controls, 150 smokers and 152 passive smokers using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Results Six-factors comprising 26 items provided optimal fit by eigen and scree-plot methods, accounting for 58.9% of the total variance. CFA indicated good fit of the six-factor model after further excluding three items. The six factors, Emotional representation (5 items), Illness coherence (4 items), Treatment control (3 items), Consequences (5 items), Internal locus of control (2 items) and External locus of control (4 items) demonstrated adequate-togood subscale internal consistency (Cronbach's a = 0.63-0.90). Divergent validity was suggested by low correlations with optimism, self-efficacy, and scales for measuring physical and psychological health symptoms. Conclusion The CPPS appears to be a valid measure of perceived predisposition to generic cancer risks and can be used to examine cancer-risk-related cognitions in individuals at higher and lower cancer risk.published_or_final_versio

Coriolus versicolor Yun-Zhi could delay deterioration of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

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