This study provides insights into how Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong interpret the concept of "meaning in life." Data were collected from nine focus groups involving 57 junior secondary school students (age range: 13 to 16 years). It was found that students tended to interpret meaning in life as equivalent to "having a plan for a…

Infants and toddlers (birth to age 3) learn what it means to be members of, and to belong to and be accepted by, their societies by adopting behaviors, attitudes, manners, and ways of thinking that are deeply rooted in what is valued in their culture. Infant and toddler teachers play a pivotal role as transmitters and maintainers of culture when…

A student's 'meaning in life' and his/her connectedness to school, friends and family are believed to be factors that influence the development of life skills. Teachers could be aware of these factors in their endeavours to foster 'whole-person development' in their students. In this small-scale study, twelve secondary school teachers participated…

Demand has risen for the introduction of career education in senior secondary schooling to enhance students' transition from study to work. Against such a background, this paper aims to discuss the curriculum reforms and supporting structures in schools and to explore the challenges of life skills planning for secondary school students in China…

In contrast to a burgeoning research literature on the role of emotions in learning and instruction in Western culture, research on how emotions impact student and teacher development in Asian countries is lacking. The present paper reviews seven publications included in the 2019 Special Issue of The Asia--Pacific Education Researcher examining…

The Five-Factor Wellness Inventory was adapted to study secondary school teachers' wellness in Hong Kong. The adapted inventory has shown acceptable reliability and validity (n = 234). Profiles showed their highest score on Social Self and lowest on Physical Self. Gender, age, marriage status, and religion differences were found in overall…

People with intellectual disabilities require training to improve independence, and carers are important partners in the process. Studies show that carers are able to motivate family members with intellectual disabilities to participate in training. In addition, family members may serve as cotrainers. To increase carers' participation, it is…

Hemiplegia, or paralysis of one side of the body, is caused by injury or illness (for example, a stroke), and leads to other disabilities. People with hemiplegia are limited physically in their daily activities. This limitation affects their social well-being and thus can lead to depression. This paper provides a comprehensive literature review on…

In Hong Kong, today's students diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) receive their educational intervention through the public school system. This paper describes an application of a behaviorally based model to the only privately funded autism school in Hong Kong that serves up to 70 students diagnosed with ASD. General information…

This study explored Chinese adolescents' perceptions of their own life skills development and the importance they place on such skills. The study also investigated the within-school and outside-school influences that may help develop and enhance life skills development. Six focus groups involving 52 high school students were conducted, using a set…

Objectives: Most of the fine-motor assessment tools used in Hong Kong have been designed in Western countries, so there is a need to develop a standardized assessment which is relevant to the culture and daily living tasks of the local (that is, Chinese) population. This study aimed to (1) develop a fine-motor assessment tool (the Hong Kong…

The relationship between functional or life skills curricula (the intervention) and transition-related outcomes for secondary-aged youth with disabilities is explored in this systematic review. A total of 50 studies intervening with 482 youth with (largely) disability labels of moderate to severe mental retardation were reviewed. The findings of…

The author presents an international perspective on life skills education arguing the development of a healthy self-concept and skills in self-reflection are necessary for living in a world of rapid change. (Contains 30 references.) (Author)

Objective: Despite past findings about the contribution of home care services to older users' functional ability, the effective processes and components of the services are not transparent. Such processes appear to rely on the actual use of component services of the home care program. Method: The study gathered 116 observations during 2 years…

The article reports on the first phase of a study to locate Hong Kong residents who are both elderly and mentally handicapped. Of the 24 elderly mentally handicapped people located, the majority had well-developed self-help skills, but most had few social contacts and participated minimally in community activities. (Author/DB)