Relationships between being traditional and sense of gratitude among Taiwanese high school athletes

This study examined the association of scores on measures of traditionality and gratitude. Briefly defined, traditionality refers to how strongly one endorses the traditional value of submission to authority for harmony and benefits in a collective group. Traditional Taiwanese culture is linked with collectivism, and the society tends to encourage members to respect authority and harmony. As people of a collectivistic view seek to maintain harmony within the group, gratitude and reciprocity of good is expected from members. Nevertheless, traditionality of values differs among group members, as is also true for gratitude. It is not known how scores on traditionality might relate to feelings of gratitude among athletes in the competitive sports setting. 289 Taiwanese high school athletes were administered the Sport-domain Gratitude Questionnaire by Chen and Kee and the Traditionality Scale by Kao and Lu. Data, subjected to structural equation modeling, show that traditionality scores were related to those on gratitude. Implications and limitations were discussed.     

Narrative accounts of illness in schizophrenia: association of different forms of awareness with neurocognition and social function over time

Awareness of illness in schizophrenia reflects complex storied understanding of the impact of the disorder upon one’s life. Individuals may be aware of their illness in different ways and this may be related to their functioning. A total of 76 adults with schizophrenia were assessed for their awareness of illness, neurocognition, social cognition, and social function concurrently and social function was also assessed at three later time points. A cluster analysis revealed 3 groups: generally full awareness, generally limited awareness, and superficial awareness. Comparisons between these profiles revealed the superficial group had poorer executive function, emotion recognition ability, and capacity for social relationships than the full awareness group, yet had better verbal memory and more social contacts than the limited awareness group. These results suggest assessing the narrative qualities of awareness of illness may reveal unique links with cognition and function, and this may have implications for interventions.     

Students' perceptions of constructivist Internet learning environments by a physics virtual laboratory: the gap between ideal and reality and gender differences.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of Internet users of a physics virtual laboratory, Demolab, in Taiwan. Learners' perceptions of Internet-based learning environments were explored and the role of gender was examined by using preferred and actual forms of a revised Constructivist Internet-based Learning Environment Survey (CILES). The students expressed a clear gap between ideal and reality, and they showed higher preferences for many features of constructivist Internet-based learning environments than for features they had actually learned in Demolab. The results further suggested that male users prefer to be involved in the process of discussion and to show critical judgments. In addition, male users indicated they enjoyed the process of negotiation and discussion with others and were able to engage in reflective thoughts while learning in Demolab. In light of these findings, male users seemed to demonstrate better adaptability to the constructivist Internet-based learning approach than female users did. Although this study indicated certain differences between males and females in their responses to Internet-based learning environments, they also shared numerous similarities. A well-established constructivist Internet-based learning environment may encourage more female learners to participate in the science community.     

The relationship between children's overweight and quality of life: A comparison of Sizing Me Up,PedsQL and Kid-KINDL

Background/Objective: Overweight and obese children are likely to encounter negative impact on psychological well-being and quality of life (QoL). Hence, for overweight and obese children, measuring QoL could go beyond simply assessing objective medical parameters and cover their physical health, psychological well-being, and social interaction. Generic (Kid-KINDL and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory [PedsQL]) and weight-related (Sizing Me Up) measures are two major types of QoL measurement instruments; however, little is known about the differences between them. Method: We recruited 569 3rd to 6th graders from eleven schools in Southern Taiwan. In addition to the three QoL questionnaires, the Child Depression Inventory and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were applied. Results: Depression had significantly negative associations with all three QoL questionnaires. Self-esteem was only associated with Kid-KINDL. Body mass index had a significantly stronger relationship with Sizing Me Up than its relationships with PedsQL and Kid-KINDL. In other words, the items related to body size concerns in Size Me Up significantly contributed to impaired overweight/obese children’s QoL. Conclusions: The study further identified the characters and strength of these QoL measures for better suggestions on evaluating physical and psychological issues for overweight/obese children.     

The Effects of Person-Environment Fit and External Locus of Control on Organizational Affective Commitment: a Study of Immigrant Wives in Taiwan

The National Immigration Agency of Taiwan reported that, by 2014, more than 498,000 immigrant spouses were registered in Taiwanese households, 91 % of which was female. Immigrant wives are now a significant part of Taiwanese society, and they are an important aspect of the labor force in Taiwan’s economy. However, they face major challenges in the workplace, which influences their work outcomes, results in a reduced labor force for enterprises, and increases societal costs. This pioneering study employed the person-environment fit and locus of control concepts from the organizational behavior field to address this issue. A sample of 130 immigrant wives from Indonesia and Vietnam living in Taiwan was surveyed. The results of a hierarchical regression analysis found that immigrant wives’ person-job fit and person-supervisor fit significantly influenced their affective commitments to their workplaces. An external locus of control significantly weakened the relationship between person-environment fit and affective commitment. The contributions and implications of the study results were discussed.