published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

published_or_final_version / abstract / Psychology / Master / Master of Philosophy

Cheung, Sin Sze. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 56-63). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / ABSTRACT --- p.i / 摘要(Abstract in Chinese) --- p.ii / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.iii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iv / Chapter CHAPTER I: --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / A Tripartite Model of Parenting --- p.1 / Component 1：Parenting Goals and Values --- p.4 / Component 2：Parenting Style --- p.5 / Component 3：Parenting Practices --- p.6 / Interim Summary --- p.7 / Measurement Issues --- p.8 / Comparing Alternatives --- p.9 / Inter-Observer Agreement --- p.11 / Overview of the Present Study --- p.12 / Chapter CHAPTER II: --- METHOD --- p.14 / Participants and Procedure --- p.14 / Measures --- p.14 / Chapter CHPAPTER III: --- RESULTS --- p.18 / Preliminary Analyses --- p.18 / Informants' Characteristics on the Parenting Measures --- p.25 / Testing for Construct Validity：The mtmm Approach --- p.29 / Comparing Measurement Models：Tests on Parent Reports --- p.34 / Comparing Measurement Models：Tests on Child Reports --- p.36 / Structural Models --- p.38 / Moderating Role of Parenting Emotional Climate --- p.41 / Chapter CHPATER IV: --- DISCUSSION --- p.43 / Cross-Informant Characteristics --- p.43 / Desegregating Parenting Concepts --- p.45 / Process/Directionality of Influences --- p.47 / Parenting Style as a Distal Source of Influence --- p.50 / Understanding Chinese Academic Socialization --- p.51 / "Implications, Limitations, and Future Directions" --- p.53 / REFERENCES --- p.56

Childhood obesity is becoming a challenging issue in China, and parents may playa key role in the development of adolescent obesity. However, the relationships between certain parent-related factors and the development of adolescent obesity are rarely reported in China. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the relationship among Chinese parents' perception of their children's weight, parenting behaviors, parenting style, and adolescents' weight status. Two studies were performed to achieve this purpose. / Key words: adolescent obesity, parenting behaviors, parenting styles / The first study (Chapter 3) examines the validity and reliability of the questionnaires for adolescents and parents; the questionnaires are intended to measure parenting behaviors, parents' perception of their children's weight, and parenting styles in the Chinese context. Several steps were performed. First, the questionnaires were selected based on their validity and reliability, as well as their applicability to the Chinese adolescent and parenting context. Second, the questionnaires were translated into Chinese using a cross-cultural translation technique. Third, five experts were invited to evaluate the content validity and feasibility of the questionnaires for application in the Chinese population. Fourth, 15 pairs of adolescents and their parents were invited to attend a short interview after completing the experimental version of the questionnaires. They were asked to share comments on the readability and cultural relevance of the questionnaire. The questionnaires were then revised according to their feedback. Fifth, 127 pairs of adolescents (10-15 years old) and their parents (Ganzhou: 62 pairs, Shantou: 65 pairs) were recruited to examine the retest reliability and internal consistency of the questionnaires. Sixth, the data collected in the main survey were used to examine construct validity. The result showed that 10 items were excluded because of poor content validity or low intraclass correlation coefficient (<0.7). The internal consistencies of the subscales (ranging from 0.61 to 0.81) were found to be acceptable (Cronbach's alpha >0.6). The goodness-of-fit statistics (RMSEA, CFI, and NNFI) also indicated acceptable fit for the theory models. The results suggest that the validity and reliability of the questionnaires are acceptable, and the questionnaires are applicable to Chinese adolescents and parents in Southern China. / The second study (Chapters 4,5,6) determines the relationships among parenting behaviors, parents' perception of their children's weight, parenting style, and adolescent weight status. A total of 2,143 adolescents and 1,869 parents were recruited from secondary schools in Ganzhou and Shantou in China. The adolescents' weights and heights were measured by trained testers. The dietary habits and physical activity level of the adolescents, as well as parenting behaviors, parenting styles, parents' perception of their children's weight, and demographic information were collected through questionnaires issued to the adolescents and parents validated in Study 1. Several parenting behaviors, including "pressure to eat" and "diet and PA monitoring," were found to be significantly related to adolescents' age and gender-specific BMI Z score (Z-BMI), although the correlation coefficients were low (r ranged from -0.23 to 0.09, p (r ranged from -0.23 to 0.09, p<0.01). The results of the hierarchical multiple regression revealed that "pressure to eat" and "diet and PA monitoring" were the predictors of adolescent Z-BMI. The results of Kappa statistics showed that only a slight agreement exists between parental perception of their children's weights and the adolescents' actual weights (Kappa=0.221, p<0.01). A significant difference in parenting behaviors was found between parents with correct and incorrect perceptions of their children's weight. Compared with the reference authoritative parenting style, the odds of acquiring unhealthy dietary habits were significantly higher for children with authoritarian (Father: OR=1.67, 95%CI: 1.29-2.16; Mother: OR=1.72, 95%CI: 1.31-2.26) and neglectful (Father: OR=2.17, 95%CI: 1.66-2.82; Mother: OR=2.29, 95%CI: 1.76-3.00) parents. The odds of being physically inactive for children with neglectful parents were almost twice than that for children with authoritative parents (Father: OR=2.05, 95%CI: 1.37-3.06; Mother: OR=1.77, 95%CI: 1.18-2.67). Significant differences were found in the parenting behaviors of parents with four different parenting styles. However, no association was found between parenting style and adolescent weight. The data of this study suggest that parenting behaviors are weakly but significantly associated with the development of adolescent obesity. Misclassifications of children's weight status were prevalent among Chinese parents. Parental perceptions of their children's weights were associated with some parenting behaviors related to children's weight development. The adolescents' dietary habits, physical activity, and some parenting behaviors were associated with parenting style. However, there was no direct association between parenting style and adolescent weight. / Wen, Xu. / Adviser: Stanley Sai-Chuen Hui. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-03, Section: A, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 130-163). / 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.

Ma Man-yan. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 54-71). / Text in English; abstracts in English and Chinese. / Ma Man-yan. / Abstract --- p.i / Acknowledgements --- p.iii / List of Table --- p.vii / List of Figure --- p.viii / Chapter CHAPTER ONE --- Introduction --- p.1 / General introduction --- p.1 / Early participation in physical activity --- p.1 / The childhood years --- p.2 / Parental influence --- p.3 / Purpose of study --- p.4 / Theoretical framework --- p.5 / Operational definition --- p.6 / Delimitations --- p.7 / Limitations --- p.8 / Significance of the study --- p.9 / Chapter CHAPTER TWO --- Review of Literature --- p.11 / Physical activity and the public health --- p.11 / Sedentary life --- p.12 / Promoting active lifestyle --- p.12 / Parental influences in physical activity --- p.14 / The early childhood years --- p.15 / Overview of results --- p.16 / Beliefs --- p.18 / Parental beliefs and the influence on children --- p.19 / Achievement goal --- p.21 / The case in Hong Kong --- p.24 / Hong Kong children's lives --- p.24 / Parents in Hong Kong --- p.25 / Cultural values: The Confucian ethic --- p.26 / Instrumental society --- p.27 / Filial Piety --- p.29 / Definition of success --- p.31 / Summary --- p.32 / Chapter CHAPTER THREE --- Method --- p.34 / Participants --- p.34 / Instrumentation --- p.34 / Measures of children's physical activity levels --- p.34 / Measures of parental beliefs regarding their child's participation in physical activity --- p.35 / Goal orientations --- p.35 / Reasons for children's physical activity participation --- p.36 / Parents' exercise behavior --- p.36 / Family background information --- p.37 / Procedure --- p.37 / Statistical analysis --- p.38 / Chapter CHAPTER FOUR --- Results --- p.40 / Descriptive statistics --- p.40 / Gender and parental beliefs --- p.41 / The relationship between parents' and children's level of physical activity --- p.43 / Parents' self-reported level of physical activity --- p.43 / Physical activity participation with children --- p.43 / Family characteristics --- p.44 / Chapter CHAPTER FIVE --- Discussion --- p.45 / Limitations --- p.52 / Conclusion --- p.53 / References --- p.54 / Appendix A --- p.72 / Appendix B --- p.73 / Appendix C --- p.74 / Appendix D --- p.75 / Appendix E --- p.76 / Appendix F --- p.77 / Appendix G --- p.83

這項研究探討父母角色、性格及性別相關的變量對香港中學生於事業相關的自我概念發展的影響。事業相關的自我概念包括兩個關鍵構念：職業興趣和職業選擇目標(即抱負和實際期望)。同時，這項研究量度職業抱負和實際期望之間的不一致性(包括興趣類型、職業地位及性別典型性)。研究的六大目標包括：(1)確定社會認知事業理論於香港學生的適用程度，(2) 研究個人(即職業決策自我效能、性格及性別相關的變量)及環境變量(即父母的影響)對職業選擇目標的影響，以拓展社會認知事業理論，(3)識別具文化獨特性的性格維度，以解釋職業興趣和職業選擇目標，(4)估計父母對學生職業選擇目標的影響因素，包括父母社會經濟地位、學生感知的集體職業決策效能、父母期望及支持，(5)探索父母個人對孩子的學業成就和職業選擇的期望，以及對於協助孩子作職業決策的自我效能，及(6)調查性別和性別相關變量(即性別角色的傳統觀念)對於職業選擇目標的影響。一共有1382名中學生參與這項研究。另外，其中114位參加者的父或母親亦參加了這項研究，組成114對親子二人組合。結構方程模型顯示社會認知事業理論中的選擇模型適用於香港學生。此外，具文化普遍性及具文化特定價值的性格因素有效解釋了社會認知事業理論模型中的職業興趣和對興趣類型的自我效能。學生的職業選擇目標及抱負和實際期望的不一致性，亦與職業決策自我效能、父母社會經濟地位、及性別角色觀念直接相關。學生感知的母親影響因素，與學生的職業決策自我效能有直接關係。父親因素對事業發展的影響並無顯著性。大多數性格因素都有效預測職業決策自我效能，而人際取向因素亦與感知的父母影響因素相關。研究亦發現男生和女生於職業興趣、自我效能、性別角色觀念及職業選擇目標有顯著的性別差異。親子二人組合的子樣本顯示父母的期望和學生的選擇目標具一致性。這項研究將個人及文化相關因素融入現有的理論模型，在理論層面上擴大了西方的事業理論框架。在應用層面上，研究結果將有助研究員及教育工作者理解香港中學生的事業發展。 / This study investigated the roles of parental influences, personality and gender variables in career-related self-concept development among secondary school students in Hong Kong. Two key career constructs, namely vocational interests and choice goals (i.e., aspirations and expectations), were included to assess the career-related self-concept. The incongruence between aspirations and expectations, in terms of interest types, occupational status and gender-typicality, was also estimated. The six major goals of this study include: (1) to determine to what extent the choice model of Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) is applicable to Hong Kong students, (2) to expand the SCCT by examining how individual (i.e., career decision-making self-efficacy, personality and gender-related variables) and contextual variables (i.e., parental influences) may account for the aspirations and expectations as well as the aspiration-expectation incongruence, (3) to identify the value of culture-relevant, relationship-oriented personality dimension beyond the culture-general dimensions in explaining interests and aspiration-expectation incongruence, (4) to estimate the specific roles of paternal and maternal influences, including parental socio-economic variables, collective contributions to career efficacy, perceived parental expectation and parental support, in the development of aspiration-expectation incongruence, (5) to explore the parents’ perceived expectation on their child’s academic achievement and career choices, as well as their efficacy in assisting their child’s career decision-making, and (6) to investigate the differential effects of gender and gender-related variables (i.e., gender role traditional attitudes) on the development of aspiration-expectation incongruence among boys and girls. A total of 1382 secondary school students and a sub-sample of 114 parent-child dyads were used in this study. Results from structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that the choice model of SCCT was applicable to Hong Kong students. In addition, both culture-general and culture-specific personality factors were useful in explaining vocational interests and self-efficacy in interest types in the SCCT models. In relation to students’ aspirations, expectations and aspiration-expectation incongruence, these factors were directly associated with career decision-making self-efficacy, parental socio-economic variables and gender role attitudes. Perceived parental influences from mother (i.e., collective contributions to career efficacy, perceived parental expectation and parental support) were directly associated with students’ career decision-making self-efficacy and indirectly related to outcomes of aspirations and expectations (via career decision-making self-efficacy). The effects of perceived parental influences from father on career variables were insignificant in general. Most personality factors were predictive of career decision-making self-efficacy. Furthermore, Interpersonal Relatedness was related to perceived parental influences from both parents. Gender differences in interests, self-efficacy, gender role attitudes, and gender-typicality in aspiration-expectation incongruence were observed. As demonstrated in the parent-child dyads, there was a good degree of concordance in interest types and gender-typicality between parents’ expectation and students’ choice goals. Parents’ efficacy in assisting child’s career decision-making was positively associated with students’ perceived career-related parental support. On a theoretical level, this study expanded the current western-based theoretical frameworks by incorporating individual, contextual and cultural variables relevant to the Chinese culture into the existing career models. On an applied level, the findings would inform researchers, practitioners and educators about the career development of secondary school students in Hong Kong. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Wan, Lai Yin. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 228-262). / Abstract also in Chinese. / ABSTRACT --- p.i / Acknowledgements --- p.v / Table of Contents --- p.vi / List of Tables --- p.viii / List of Figures --- p.ix / Chapter CHAPTER I: --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Cultural generalizability of western career theories and models --- p.3 / Possible cultural gaps and cultural biases in current career theories --- p.4 / Need for studying career choices among Hong Kong students --- p.9 / Chapter CHAPTER II: --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.13 / Vocational interests --- p.13 / Vocational choice goals --- p.26 / Theoretical frameworks in studying vocational aspirations and expectations in adolescence --- p.38 / Evaluation of theoretical frameworks in studying vocational interests and choice goals --- p.48 / Predictors of vocational interests and choice goals --- p.52 / Chapter CHAPTER III: --- OBJECTIVES and research questions of the study --- p.77 / Chapter CHAPTER IV: --- METHOD --- p.100 / Participants --- p.100 / Measures --- p.108 / Procedure --- p.119 / Planned analysis --- p.121 / Chapter CHAPTER V: --- RESULTS --- p.123 / Descriptive statistics of major variables --- p.123 / Inter-correlations among demographics and major variables --- p.128 / Differences in major career variables across gender --- p.146 / Measurement applicability of adopted instruments --- p.149 / Identification of the original SCCT choice models --- p.150 / Role of personality factors in the SCCT choice models --- p.155 / Effects of personality, gender role attitudes and perceived parental influences on students’ career decision self-efficacy, occupational status and gender-typicality in career choices --- p.165 / Effects of personality, gender role attitudes and parental influences on career decision self-efficacy and discrepancies in occupational status, gender-typicality and interest types between aspirations and expectations --- p.173 / Concordance between parents’ expectations and students’ aspirations and expectations --- p.182 / Gender differences in parents’ expectations --- p.183 / Inter-relationships between parental efficacy, parental expectation on academic achievement and career choices, and students’ career variables --- p.186 / Incremental values of parent-child concordance, parents’ efficacy and parents’ expectation in explaining students’ career decision-making self-efficacy --- p.194 / Chapter CHAPTER VI: --- DISCUSSION --- p.198 / Applicability of SCCT’s choice models in Hong Kong Chinese adolescents --- p.198 / Interest types of aspirations, expectations, and aspiration-expectation incongruence among Hong Kong students --- p.200 / Interest types, occupational status and gender-typicality of aspirations, expectations, and aspiration-expectation incongruencea gendered pattern --- p.202 / Career decision-making self-efficacy as a key predictor in aspirations, expectations, and aspiration-expectation incongruence --- p.205 / Perceived parental influences on adolescents’ vocational choices in the SCCT framework --- p.206 / Concordance between parents’ expectations and students’ aspirations and expectations --- p.213 / Roles of socio-economic status of parents in adolescents’ career development --- p.215 / Roles of culture-general and culture-specific personality in explaining interests, choice goals and career-related parental influences in SCCT --- p.216 / Limitations of study --- p.220 / Directions for future research --- p.222 / Implications and significance of study --- p.224 / REFERENCES --- p.229

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education