Domestic and foreign bias in global real estate mutual fund investment allocations

The purpose of the study is to seek a better understanding of the investment allocation behaviour of the real estate mutual funds by focusing on asset allocation at the country level. Analysing the country allocation of 553 real estate mutual funds domiciled in 20 countries, we attempt to trace how investment bias exists across countries and affects their country allocations. Our results evidence the existence of disproportionate country allocation to their domestic markets (domestic bias) and to each foreign market (foreign bias). We also find each bias is influenced by different sets of variables: real estate market influences for domestic bias and familiarity influences for foreign bias. This difference in factors influential for each bias in part explains the conflated relationship between the two biases.

A study of students' metacognitive beliefs about foreign language study and their impact on learning

This article reports on an investigation into the language learning beliefs of students of French in England, aged 16 to 18. It focuses on qualitative data from two groups of learners (10 in total). While both groups had broadly similar levels of achievement in French in terns of examination success, they dffered greatly in the self-image they had of themselves as language learners, with one group displaying low levels of self-eficacy beliefs regarding the possibility of future success. The implica tions of such beliefs for students' levels of motivation and persistence are discussed, together with their possible causes. The article concludes by suggesting changes in classroom practice that might help students develop a more positive image of them selves as language learners.