Past research on pathways to cultural influence on judgment has compared the explanatory power of personal preferences, perceived descriptive norms and institutionalization. Positive education is an education movement inspired by Western positive psychology. The present study examined how these factors jointly predict Hong Kong teachers’ evaluation of imported positive education programs in their schools. In a field study, we measured teachers’ personal endorsement of growth mindset (a positive psychology construct developed in the US) and their evaluation of adopting positive education programs in their schools. We also measured teachers’ perception of the extent of institutional and normative support for positive education in their schools. The results show that teachers’ personal preferences for growth mindset predict more favorable evaluation of positive education programs when institutional and normative support for positive education programs are both weak, or when they are both strong. We interpret these effects from the perspectives of the strong situation hypothesis and the intersubjective theory of culture. Copyright © 2020 Chan, Chiu, Lee, Leung and Tong.

A pilot study explored the effectiveness of art therapy in improving the self-motivation and emotional and behavioral adjustment of children with special educational needs in Hong Kong. Six children aged between 6 and 10 participated in an art therapy group for 14 weekly sessions. Results from a range of standardized tests administered before and after the session block indicated that the art therapy group had little impact on the children's sense of autonomy, competence, and relatedness in their learning. However, in-session observations showed that the art therapy facilitated the fulfilment of these three areas, and parental reports via interview indicated that art therapy had improved the emotional and behavioral adjustment of their children. Issues in facilitating art therapy groups for children with special education needs are discussed.