Traditional sending countries of international students in East Asia have emerged as increasingly desirable higher education destinations. Yet little is known about the experiences of international students in East Asia as most research focuses on those in the Anglophone West. In this study, we explored the trajectory and interactions between intercultural communication, acculturation strategies, and adaptation outcomes of international students in Hong Kong. We conducted in-depth interviews with international students from other Asian countries (n = 14) and Western countries (n = 10). Our research reveals a paradox where international students’ eagerness to engage with diverse peers is overshadowed by limited interaction with local students. Cultural and language differences were perceived to create a wall separating them from the local students, inhibiting a cosmopolitan learning environment. Additionally, international students often gravitate towards familiar national or cultural groups, which can hinder broader integration. Sociocultural challenges and outsider feelings were also reported, potentially leading to psychological issues. We propose an interactive framework that connects intercultural communication, acculturation strategies, and adaptation outcomes. The paper offers theoretical and practical insights for policymakers, administrators, educators, and students, aiming to foster effective communication and successful acculturation in a multilingual and multicultural educational setting. Copyright © 2024 The Author(s).

According to the statistics provided by the Office of the Communications Authority of the government of Hong Kong SAR, mobile subscriber penetration rate in Hong Kong is 286.6% (2021). This figure indicates that mobile devices have become ubiquitous as Hong Kong people are increasingly using them to surf the Internet. Although smartphones and tablets, the two most popular categories of mobile devices, provide prevailing features for users in this information age, they also become prevailing targets for collecting users’ personal data. As higher education institution (HEI) students are usually active users of mobile devices for surfing the Internet, visiting social networking platforms, using instant messaging applications (hereinafter ‘apps’) and making online purchases, this research, as an exploratory study, investigated their online privacy concerns.This study aims at providing background information and insight for educators to enhance existing privacy education and also for policymakers in developing privacy policy in tertiary level and thus elevate students’ concerns on protecting their online personal data privacy while using mobile devices.Communication privacy management theory developed by Petronio (2002, 2013) was employed in this study to design the teaching materials including teaching notes and student assignments. Design-based research (DBR) approach with convergent mixed method design was adopted in this study as the mixed methods approach is able to maximise the validity and increases the objectivity and reliability of the current research. In addition, most DBR literature agree that the mixed methods approach is proper for collecting and analysing data (Alghamdi & Li, 2013; Bell, 2004; Design-Based Research Collective, 2003; Wang & Hannafin, 2005). Therefore, in DBR methodology, qualitative and quantitative research methods were adopted to address the research questions (Bogdan & Biklen, 2006; Li & Chu, 2018; MacDonald, 2008). To collect quantitative

This study examined the processes that contributed to students’ aspirations for STEM careers and unpacked the relationships between students’ self-concept in science and mathematics learning, perceived parental expectations, perceptions of STEM professionals, career outcome expectations and STEM career aspirations. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse quantitative survey data of 2,477 primary and secondary school students studying in seven Asian regions (Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mainland China, Indonesia, Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore). The results demonstrated that students’ self-concept, perceptions of STEM professionals, and their career outcome expectations all significantly and positively predicted their aspirations for STEM careers. However, this study failed to establish a direct relationship or positive correlation between perceived parental expectations and STEM career aspirations. Students’ self-concept negatively predicted their career outcome expectations related to seeking parental approval. While no significant positive effects of perceived parental expectations on career aspirations were found, an indirect effect of perceived parental expectations on STEM career aspirations via career outcome expectations was observed. Moreover, career outcome expectations mediated the relationships between students’ STEM career aspirations and their perceptions of STEM professionals more strongly than self-concept. The implications of these results for STEM education are discussed. Copyright © 2024 National Institute of Education, Singapore.

Quantitative research on the linguistic acculturation of sojourners in non-Western and multilingual social contexts remains scarce. Revising the Framework of Acculturation Variables (FAV), we propose a parsimonious model exploring the effect of acculturation conditions (trilingual language usage and perceived discrimination), orientations (social connectedness to mainstream and minority community), and outcome (psychological well-being). In particular, we examined the alternative paths enabled by non-local languages in the acculturation process, revealing the complexity of multidimensionality in trilingual linguistic acculturation. The findings highlight the crucial mediating role of acculturation orientation in the acculturation process. The effects of Cantonese, Mandarin, and English usage on the acculturation process of Mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong (N = 798) were examined. Copyright © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Introduction: This study aimed to develop the Healthy Eating Report Card for Pre-school Children in Hong Kong for evaluating the prevalence of healthy eating behaviours and favourable family home food environments (FHFEs) among pre-school children in Hong Kong. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 538 parent-child dyads from eight kindergartens in Hong Kong were recruited. Parents or guardians completed a questionnaire comprising Report Card items. The Report Card included two indicators of Children’s Eating Behaviours (ie, Children’s Dietary Patterns and Children’s Mealtime Behaviours) and three indicators of FHFEs (ie, Parental Food Choices and Preparation, Avoidance of Unhealthy Foods, and Family Mealtime Environments). Each indicator and its specific items were assigned a letter grade representing the percentage of participants achieving the predefined benchmarks. The grades were defined as A (≥80%, Excellent); B (60%-79%, Good); C (40%-59%, Fair); D (20%-39%, Poor); and F (<20%, Very poor). Plus (+) and minus (-) signs were used to indicate the upper or lower 5% of each grade. Results: Overall, Children’s Eating Behaviours were classified as Fair (average grade of ‘C’), whereas FHFEs were classified as Good (average grade of ‘B’). The sub-grades ranged from ‘C’ to ‘A-’, as follows: Children’s Dietary Patterns, ‘C+’; Children’s Mealtime Behaviours, ‘C’; Parental Food Choices and Preparation, ‘C+’; Avoidance of Unhealthy Foods, ‘B’; and Family Mealtime Environments, ‘A-’. Conclusion: The findings highlight areas for improvement in healthy eating among children. The Healthy Eating Report Card could offer novel insights into intervention tools that promote healthy eating. Copyright © 2024 Hong Kong Academy of Medicine.

Objective: This study examined the views of secondary school students on sexuality and sexual health education in Hong Kong, China. Methods: A total of 818 secondary school students (mean age = 15.3 years, SD = 1.6) participated in this study by completing a questionnaire consisted of items on sociodemographic characteristics, sexual attitudes, and other measuring scales. Results: Students were slightly permissive in sexual attitudes and supported sexual health education. However, students who were male, highly liberal in sexual attitudes, and low in religiosity and spirituality were less supportive. Conclusions: Educators may need to address these deterring factors of sexual health education before teaching specific sexual health topics. Copyright © 2024 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Private tutoring, or shadow education, is one of the unintended outcomes of high-stakes testing worldwide. This study investigated the role of private tutoring in a context of high-stakes testing through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. This year-long in-depth study with 18 Grade-12 learners in private tutoring in Hong Kong shows that learning is skewed towards acquiring examination skills, and mainstream education can be devalued. Conceptualised with Freire’s Pedagogy of the oppressed, the findings reveal that learners are oppressed in the washback of high-stakes testing, and shadow education exploits such negative washback to run a business which reinforces contextual oppression. The findings provide implications for educational change in contexts where education systems increasingly rely on accountability and selection through high-stakes testing. Copyright © 2024 AERA.

The purpose of this pilot study was to test the reliability of a game-based assessment tool to assess the four dimensions of career adaptability (i.e., Curiosity, Control, Confidence, Concern, hereafter called “4C”) among students with special educational needs (SEN). The 4C tool is a board game developed in relation to the short form of the career adaptability scale (CAAS) for SEN adolescents. Unlike self-reported CAAS without specifying career-related scenarios, the board game provides researchers and practitioners with an assessment platform to evaluate SEN students’ 4Cs in multiple employment-related scenarios. Participants in this pilot study were 44 secondary school leavers with SEN. They were studying in a training course organized by Youth Academy for SEN. They were assessed through the board game assessment tool before and after the training in the year. Statistical analyses included spearman’s rho coefficient and intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). It was noted that the 4Cs assessed by the board-game are 1) positively correlated with each other (correlation coefficients ranged from .42 to .63, p<.05), 2) with good inter-rater reliability, rs= .688(92), p<.01, 95% CI [.565, .797], and 3) with moderate test-retest reliability, ICC = 0.66, p<.001, 95% CI [.433, .805]. These findings supported the reliability of this game-based assessment tool for assessing the 4Cs of SEN youths. Aside from self-reported data, this game-based assessment tool can provide supplementary information on the 4Cs of school leavers with SEN from other assessors (e.g., teachers and practitioners) across career-related scenarios. The presentation will further discuss limitations and further direction of research. Copyright © 2023 The Education University of Hong Kong.

To create a socially just teaching method in higher education (HE), we used Fraser’s social justice framework to create a new pedagogical method called student voice for social justice (SVSJ). SVSJ emphasizes student voice and empowerment by developing a co-constructed learning space where students can influence the procedure and content of the class. Applying a participatory action research (PAR) methodology, we explore the skill development of students engaged in SVSJ. Students highlighted five primary learning outcomes (self-learning, critical thinking, knowledge generation, cognitive development, and expression of voice) in the interviews as well as challenges in implementing the model. By employing SVSJ, students’ recognition and representation of their identity groups are enhanced, and the knowledge held by them is redistributed to peers and the lecturer through active participation. In addition, they are equipped with skills that can empower them in their education and future life. Copyright © 2024 The Education University of Hong Kong. All Rights Reserved.