Body image and self-esteem among Asian, Pacific Islander, and white college students in Hawaii and Australia

Body image and its relationship to self-esteem was examined among Asian, Pacific Islander, and White women and men from Hawaii and Australia (n = 172). Although Pacific Islander and White participants had higher body mass indices than Asians, Pacific Islanders were more satisfied than Asians with their health and more satisfied than Asians and Whites with their appearance. Thus, higher body weight and greater body satisfaction may co-occur among Pacific Islanders, whereas lower weight and lower body satisfaction may co-occur among Asians. The findings suggest different levels of risk for body image dissatisfaction, and its associated psychological consequences, across ethnic groups.

Entry-level college mathematics success predictors : developmental performance, 'stopping-out' and demographics

Institutionally collected data identifying student demographics, course performance in both the precollege mathematics course and the college-level mathematics course, and 'stopping-out' time between the pre-college course and the college-level course were used to create a predictive model of academic success for 'high risk' college-level mathematics students. The two most significant factors were the pre-college mathematics course grade and the student's over-all college GPA.

Communicating entrepreneurship and ethnicity in New Zealand

In this paper, we compare entrepreneurship practice of the Maori culture with that of the other five ethnic groups or cultures in New Zealand including European New Zealanders, Europeans, Chinese, Indians and Pacific Islanders. One of the most reported findings in previous GEM reports was that Maori are every bit as entrepreneurial as other ethnicities. Some commentators were surprised by this finding, since Maori collect more than their proportionate share of benefit entitlements. But we have shown that Maori have a history of entrepreneurship and enterprise upon which to draw (Frederick and Henry, 2004). The Maori economy, though small, is "robust and poised for continued expansion", says a recent report by the Institute of Economic Research (NZIER, 2003).

Doing things differently? : technological practice and change in higher education

Explores changes brought about by new technologies. "Technology" is seen to influence, reorder and restructure social and political relations and practices of staff. The study is intended to increase awareness of changing work practices and to encourage an informed and critical view of new technology adoption in education.

Critique and creativity : the pedagogical nexus between literary studies and creative writing

This paper will explore the nexus between literary studies and creative writing on the basis of Stanley Aronowitz’s and Henry Giroux’s work on the democratic potential embedded in a critical literacy education, which provides ‘a language of critique’ and ‘a language of possibility’ (1993: 46). This paper argues that literary studies and
creative writing, as cognate disciplines focused precisely on languages of critique and possibility, are uniquely positioned to cooperatively enact this pedagogical agenda.

Motivation and social contexts : A crossnational pilot study of achievement, power, and affiliation motives

Previous research suggests that there is a relationship between social contexts (e.g., economic growth, engagement in wars) and motives within populations. In particular, high achievement motive is associated with subsequent economic growth, which in turn increases power motive. Increased national achievement and power motives have been argued to precede social changes that lead to decreased affiliation motives, and engagement in wars. The present study aimed to examine differences in achievement, power, and affiliation motives between 266 college students in China (a nation with sustained high economic growth) and 255 college students in the USA (a nation with previously strong but now slowing economic growth, and engaged in war). Analysis of personal strivings suggested that Chinese college students showed significantly higher levels of achievement motive than the American college students, but American college students showed significantly higher levels of affiliation motive than Chinese college students. Overall, males exhibited higher achievement motivation than females. No significant interaction effects were found for gender by location for any of the three motives. The findings are discussed in relation to previous research.

Problem gambling among international and domestic university students in Australia : who is at risk?

Young people are a high risk group for gambling problems and university (college) students fall into that category. Given the high accessibility of gambling in Australia and its association with entertainment, students from overseas countries, particularly those where gambling is restricted or illegal, may be particularly vulnerable. This study examines problem gambling and its correlates among international and domestic university students using a sample of 836 domestic students (286 males; 546 females); and 764 international students (369 males; 396 females) at three Australian universities. Our findings indicate that although most students gamble infrequently, around 5 % of students are problem gamblers, a proportion higher than that in the general adult population. Popular gambling choices include games known to be associated with risk (cards, horse races, sports betting, casino games, and gaming machines) as well as lotto/scratch tickets. Males are more likely to be problem gamblers than females, and almost 10 % of male international students could be classified as problem gamblers. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that male gender, international student status, financial stress, negative affect and frequency of gambling on sports, horses/dogs, table games, casino gaming machines, internet casino games and bingo all significantly predicted problem gambling. Results from this study could inform gambling-education programs in universities as they indicate which groups are more vulnerable and specify which games pose more risk of problem gambling.

Business relationship development and management in China

The Australian Government's White Paper on Australia in the Asian Century, released in October 2012, is based on the premise that the transformation of the Asian region into the world's economic powerhouse is not only unstoppable, it is gathering pace. Asia's extraordinary ascent has already changed the Australian economy, society and strategic environment. Within a few years, Asia will be the world's largest producer of goods and services, as well as the largest consumer market and the home of the majority of the world's middle class. The White Paper notes that thriving in the Asian century requires the Australian nation to have a clear plan to seize the economic opportunities and manage the strategic challenges that will arise, by taking a farsighted approach focused on fairness. To do so, Australians must be Asia-literate and Asia-capable, with a thorough understanding of Asian cultures and languages. These capabilities are needed to build stronger connections and partnerships across the region. Australia's commercial success in the region requires that highly innovative, competitive Australian firms and institutions develop collaborative relationships with others m the region. Australian firms need new business models and new mind-sets to operate and connect with Asian markets. Against this backdrop, this chapter discusses several important issues relating to Australian firms developing and managing their business relationships in China, in the context of urban planning, architecture, civil engineering and construction. The chapter examines the Chinese business environment, in terms of guanxi, business opportunities, risks and strategies, in a case study of the successful partnerships established to manage the 'Water Cube' for the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.

What young people say about physical activity: the children's sport and physical activity study

The Children’s Sport Participation and Physical Activity (CSPPA) study is a unique multi-centre/ discipline study undertaken by three Irish institutions, Dublin City University, University of Limerick and University College Cork. The study sought to assess participation in physical activity, physical education and sport (PAPES) among 10-18 year olds in Ireland. This paper shares what Irish children and young people convey, using their own voices, about their sport and physical activity (PA) experiences and how such experiences may result in their feeling included or excluded in PAPES. Eighteen focus groups (FG) with 124 boys and girls elicited descriptive data from students and were conducted with homogeneous groups of 6-8 boys and girls aged 12-18 years (selected for convenience) identified as male/female, primary/post-primary and generally active/ inactive. Five themes (‘being with friends’, ‘variety in activity content’, ‘experiencing fun’, ‘time constraints’ and ‘opportunity to be outside’) ran across the three PAPES opportunities for young people. Overall data revealed that these young people have a positive attitude towards PA which does not diminish as they age despite activity levels decreasing. Other choices of activity participation (e.g. debate, music), or more focused activities took the place of previous choices as young people came to realise what they most enjoyed. If we are to encourage and provide opportunities for young people to choose active lifestyles, it is important that we address what these young people report affects their involvement in PA across a number of contexts. Two such developments within Irish school and community contexts are discussed: Active School Flag initiative and Senior Cycle Physical Education framework.

The role of personality in leadership: an application of the five-factor model in the Australian military

This study investigated the relation between the five-factor model (FFM) of personality trait domains and leadership effectiveness. Ninety-nine Australian Army commissioned officers completed the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO-PI-R; Costa & McCrae, 1992) and were rated by their superior officer on the Australian Army annual leadership effectiveness evaluation schedule. Participants indicated whether they had been selected to attend a leadership promotion course at the Army Command and Staff College, widely regarded within the Army as indicative of an officer's effectiveness. It was hypothesized that leadership effectiveness would be predicted by the personality trait domains of high Conscientiousness, Openness, Agreeableness, and Extraversion and by low Neuroticism. High Conscientiousness and low Extraversion scores predicted high leadership effectiveness and the likelihood of attending the leadership promotion course. High Openness scores also predicted the likelihood of attending the promotion course. The results support the utility of the FFM in exploring the role of personality in leadership effectiveness among military leaders.

A gendered view of computer professionals: preliminary results of a survey

The under-representation of women in the computing profession in many parts the western world has received our attention through numerous publications, the noticeable low representation of women at computer science conferences and in the lecture halls. Over the past two decades, the situation had become worse. Please refer to the other articles in this special issue for detailed statistics, a discussion of factors that contribute to the low participation rate by women, and for suggestions on how to reverse the current trend.This paper seeks to add to the dialogue by presenting preliminary findings from a research project conducted in four countries. The aim of this research was to gain an insight into the perceptions future computer professionals hold on the category of employment loosely defined under the term of "a computer professional." One goal was to get insight into whether or not there is a difference between female and male students regarding their view of computer professionals. Other goals were to determine if there was any difference between female and male students in different parts of the world, as well as who or what most influences the students to undertake their courses in computing.The team of researchers gave an extensive questionnaire to undergraduate students enrolled in a variety of computing degree programs. The students enrolled in these programs at Victoria University of Technology in Melbourne, the University of East London, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Ithaca College located in Ithaca, New York. This article reports on the analysis of the results from the questionnaire. It discusses the gender differences in the responses from the students in these countries to try to get a worldwide perspective. At this time, it does not yet report on the similarities and differences between the groups of participants from each of the four countries. Instead, it investigates whether there are gendered differences in the views of this rather broad sample of student population of future computer professionals.