3,653 research outputs found
Self-esteem and Ability Grouping: a Hong Kong investigation of the Big Fish Little Pond Effect
The aim of this paper was to test the strength of the relationships between student self-esteem, and the ability group of the school band and class stream they attend, as well as their self-perceived academic performance in a non-Western context. Responses of 280 Hong Kong secondary school students to the Chinese Adolescent Self-Esteem Scale were analysed by Performance × Stream × Band Multivariate Analysis of Variance. Statistically significant main effects for Performance and Stream, but not Band were found. Higher self-esteem was reported by students who perceived their academic performance as higher and who attended lower ability stream classes. The findings supported the Big Fish Little Pond effect of ability grouping within, but not between schools. Implications of the findings for school policies such as classes for the gifted and inclusion of children with learning difficulties are also discussed.published_or_final_versio
A longitudinal study of the psychosocial environment and learning approaches in the Hong Kong classroom
published_or_final_versio
Adenovirus-mediated gene transfer to liver grafts: An improved method to maximize infectivity
Background. Adenoviral gene therapy in liver transplantation has many potential applications, but current vector delivery methods to grafts lack efficiency and require high titers. In this study, we attempted to improve gene delivery efficacy using three different delivery methods to liver grafts with adenoviral vector encoding the LacZ marker gene (AdLacZ). Methods. AdLacZ was delivered to cold preserved rat liver grafts by: (1) continuous perfusion via the portal vein (portal perfusion), (2) continuous perfusion via both the portal vein and hepatic artery (dual perfusion), and (3) trapping viral perfusate in the liver vasculature by clamping outflow (clamp technique). Results. Using 1x109 plaque-forming units of Ad-LacZ (multiplicity of infection of 0.4), transduction rate in 3-hr preserved liver grafts, determined by 5-bromo-4-chromo-3-indolyl-β-D-galactopyranoside staining and β-galactosidase assay 48 hr after transplantation, was best with clamp technique (21.5±2.7% 5-bromo-4-chromo-3-indolyl-β-D- galactopyranoside-positive cells and 81.1±3.6 U/g β-galactosidase), followed by dual perfusion (18.5±1.8%, 66.6±19.4 U/g) and portal perfusion (8.8±2.5%, 19.7±15.4 U/g). Further studies using clamp technique demonstrated a near-maximal gene transfer rate of 30% at multiplicity of infection of 0.4 with prolonged cold ischemia to 18 hr. Transgene expression was stable for 2 weeks and slowly declined to 7.8±12.1% at day 28. Lack of inflammatory response was confirmed by histopathological examination and liver enzymes. Transduction was selectively induced in hepatocytes with nearly no extrahepatic transgene expression in the lung and spleen. Conclusions. The clamp technique provides a highly efficient viral gene delivery method to cold preserved liver grafts. This method offers maximal infectivity of adenoviral vector with minimal technical manipulation
Cross-cultural validation of models of approaches to learning: An application of confirmatory factor analysis
Six structural equation models were tested by analysing responses to the Learning Process Questionnaire of 10 samples of primary and secondary school students from Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Malaysia, Beijing, Hong Kong and Canada. Confirmatory factor analyses provided general support for the cross-cultural within-construct validity of the questionnaire. As predicted, the dimensions of deep and surface approaches to learning received cross-cultural support, but the positioning of the achieving dimension varied across cultures. This is in line with the notion that students who adopt an achieving approach will adopt different strategies which will be likely to maximise their achievement according to particular course and teacher characteristics.published_or_final_versio
Validation of the Chinese version of the Sense of Self (SOS) Scale
published_or_final_versionSpringer Open Choice, 28 May 201
Hong Kong Student Teachers' Personal Construction Of Teaching Efficacy
This study employed the repertory grid technique to investigate how a sample of 27 student teachers in Hong Kong developed a personal sense of teaching efficacy. The analysis indicated that the third year students' perceptions were more homogenous than were those of the first year students. The results also indicated that teaching efficacy was viewed in terms of the dimensions of concern for instructional participation and learning needs of pupils, communication and relationships with pupils, academic knowledge and teaching skills, lesson preparation, management of class discipline, teaching success, teaching commitment, and a sense of self-confidence. Experiences of teaching practice, electives, pupils, and teaching practice supervisors (Electives) were the major sources for the development of a sense of teaching efficacy. Implications of how those aspects of teacher training can be more effective in engendering a sense of efficacy in the student teachers are discussed.published_or_final_versio
Cosmic Flows on 100 Mpc/h Scales: Standardized Minimum Variance Bulk Flow, Shear and Octupole Moments
The low order moments, such as the bulk flow and shear, of the large scale
peculiar velocity field are sensitive probes of the matter density fluctuations
on very large scales. In practice, however, peculiar velocity surveys are
usually sparse and noisy, which can lead to the aliasing of small scale power
into what is meant to be a probe of the largest scales. Previously, we
developed an optimal ``minimum variance'' (MV) weighting scheme, designed to
overcome this problem by minimizing the difference between the measured bulk
flow (BF) and that which would be measured by an ideal survey. Here we extend
this MV analysis to include the shear and octupole moments, which are designed
to have almost no correlations between them so that they are virtually
orthogonal. We apply this MV analysis to a compilation of all major peculiar
velocity surveys, consisting of 4536 measurements. Our estimate of the BF on
scales of ~ 100 Mpc/h has a magnitude of |v|= 416 +/- 78 km/s towards Galactic
l = 282 degree +/- 11 degree and b = 6 degree +/- 6 degree. This result is in
disagreement with LCDM with WMAP5 cosmological parameters at a high confidence
level, but is in good agreement with our previous MV result without an
orthogonality constraint, showing that the shear and octupole moments did not
contaminate the previous BF measurement. The shear and octupole moments are
consistent with WMAP5 power spectrum, although the measurement noise is larger
for these moments than for the BF. The relatively low shear moments suggest
that the sources responsible for the BF are at large distances.Comment: 13 Pages, 7 figures, 4 tables. Some changes to reflect the published
versio
Forgiveness and interpersonal relationships: A nepalese investigation
The present study examined the practice of forgiveness in Nepal. A model relating collectivism and forgiveness was examined. Participants (N = 221) completed measures of collectivism, individualism, forgiveness, conciliatory behavior, and motivations for avoidance and revenge toward the offender. Collectivism was positively related to forgiveness. Forgiveness was strongly related to conciliatory behavior and motivations for avoidance and revenge toward the offender. Decisional forgiveness was a stronger predictor of motivations for revenge than was emotional forgiveness. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.postprin
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