published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Chemistry / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Physical Education and Sport Science / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Sports Science / Master / Master of Science in Sports Science

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Auditory sensitivity was associated with speech perception which influenced Chinese word reading mainly through morphological awareness and rapid automatized naming. In contrast, for English word reading, the best model required an additional direct path from suprasegmental sensitivity (in Chinese) to English word reading on the basis of the proposed model. To be specific, auditory sensitivity was fully mediated by segmental and suprasegmental speech perception which further impacted English word reading mainly through phonological awareness; in addition, suprasegmental perception or speech prosody (in Chinese) was directly associated with word reading. Third, stress sensitivity in English was highly associated with speech prosodic sensitivity in Chinese. Hierarchical regressions also showed that suprasegmental speech perception failed to account unique variance for English word reading beyond phonological awareness when stress sensitivity was further controlled, suggesting that Chinese suprasegmental speech sensitivity may influence English word reading at least partly through its overlap with stress sensitivity. / This study investigated the associations of auditory sensitivity, speech perception, Chinese reading as a first language (L1) and English reading as a second language (L2) in Hong Kong Chinese children. Participants were 180 second and third graders (98 boys and 82 girls, mean age=98.6months). Apart from auditory sensitivity (both temporal and rhythmic processing measures), English stress sensitivity and English word reading, children were also tested on Chinese tasks of speech perception (both segmental and suprasegmental tasks), phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming (digit), verbal short-term memory, morphological awareness and Chinese word reading. I proposed a four-stage model, in which auditory sensitivity is fully mediated by speech perception at both the segmental and suprasegmental levels. These further impact word reading through phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, verbal short-term memory and morphological awareness. A series of nested model comparisons were conducted to test this model for both Chinese and English word reading using structural equation modeling. For Chinese word reading, the proposed four-stage model was demonstrated to be the best model. / Zhang, Juan. / Advisers: Catherine A. McBride-Chang; Him Cheung. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-06, Section: B, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103-118). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese.

1598 students (from Primary 2 to Primary 4) participated in Study One on prevalence. Data on internalizing problems were collected using the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL). The overall prevalence rate in the current sample was 11.4 percent. Association between children's internalizing problem and mother-child relationship was assessed using the Parent-Child Relationship Questionnaire (PCRQ). Warmth in PCRQ had the highest negative correlation with Anxious/Depressed in CBCL. / Early identification of internalizing problems in young children is important as internalizing behaviour may intensify over time and lead to psychiatric disorders (e.g., Seligman & Ollendick, 1998), or even suicide (e.g., Lewinshon, Rohde, & Seeley, 1998). The internalizing problems of Hong Kong young children also reached an alarming point. A recent survey released by the Hong Kong Association for Careers Masters and Guidance Masters (HKACMGM) in late 2005 indicated that around 75 percent of primary school children considered themselves unhappy in their daily life. The present research looked into the internalizing problems among Hong Kong primary school children. It consisted of two studies. Study One was on the prevalence of childhood internalizing problems, and its association with mother-child relationship. Study Two was a treatment outcome research on the effectiveness of different intervention programs for these children. Three interventions were compared with the waitlist control group in order to identify the effectiveness of interventions on reducing internalizing symptoms, enhancing mother-child relationship, and increasing self-esteem. These interventions were: FRIENDS (cognitive-behavioural approach), THERAPLAY (relationship-based approach), and COPE (an integrative approach). / In general, this research was among the first few in Hong Kong on assessing the prevalence rate of internalizing problem and its association with mother-child relationship. The results on the impact of different interventions on children provided further insight to local practitioners in evaluating the characteristics of their intervention programs on these children. Limitations of this research were also discussed. / Results showed that intervention of any kind could help to reduce children's internalizing problems. Such reduction could, in general, be maintained to the follow-up period despite fluctuations in between. Three major findings on the intervention programs were highlighted. First, COPE, using an integrative approach, had the biggest drop in internalizing problems as measured by CBCL. Second, FRIENDS and COPE were particularly effective in enhancing warmth, disciplinary warmth (as seen by mothers) and personal relations (as reported by children). Third, THERAPLAY was reported to be effective in reducing children's social anxiety and in enhancing children's social self-esteem. / Study Two included 92 children whose CBCL score reached at least the cutoff point (i.e., they were considered as "high risk" for having internalizing disorders) and met the selection criteria for the treatment groups. These children and their mothers were randomly allocated either to one of the three treatment conditions (n=23, 22, 23 respectively) and completed an 8-session intervention program, or to a wait-list control condition (control group, n=24). Children completed the Reynold's Child Depression Scale (RCDS), Screening for Children Anxiety-Related Disorders (SCARED) Culture-free Self-Esteem Inventory (CFSEI) at pre- and post-intervention while mothers completed the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) and the Parent-Child Relationship Questionnaire (PCRQ) at post-intervention. 1-month follow-up assessment on the above measures was conducted. Peer nomination was done at pre- and post-intervention as well as at 1-month follow-up time points to explore more on the impact of these interventions on children's social world. / Siu Fung Ying Angela. / "June 2006." / Adviser: David W. Chan. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-01, Section: A, page: 0115. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 162-180). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.

published_or_final_version / History / Master / Master of Philosophy