Mantak Yuen

• Professor (Associate) at The University of Hong Kong

This paper draws on a comparative study of seven jurisdictions in the Asia-Pacific region to examine current challenges to progressing inclusive education for students with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools. The study used a qualitative approach to collect data from each jurisdiction through a purposive sampling of knowledgeable...

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Background Academic success is extremely important for international medical students enrolled in Chinese universities, as it affects their performance in their licence exams and future work opportunities. However, insufficient research has been conducted on university academic staff’s awareness of teaching-related factors that affect their student...

In recent years, language models such as GPT and LLaMA have demonstrated their amazing capabilities in solving complex tasks. However, although they can use tools to solve specific tasks, they essentially lack the insights and learning from past successes and failures.

China has become an attractive destination for international medical students, particularly those from developing countries in Asia and Africa. These students are known to face difficulties in adapting to Chinese medical universities and they tend to score poorly on subsequent examinations to enter the medical profession in their home or in a third...

School is an important setting for adolescents to develop connectedness to peers, teachers and school, and this connection has the potential to play a protective role in promoting and enhancing their psychological well-being. The meta-analytic study described here used a random-effect model to examine previous studies that explored school connected...

Existing measurements tend to focus on the measurement of how cognitive aspects of life skills development can influence students’ school-to-work transition. Less attention has been paid to the noncognitive aspects of it. Specifically, “career planning” has often been ignored as a contemporary life skill. The purpose of this study was to validate t...

Phenomenon: China hosts a large number of international medical students from low-income countries, and some fail examinations in the early stage of the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) program. Little is known about how failing international medical students cope to recover their academic performance. It would be beneficial to i...

The ongoing COVID19 pandemic is having detrimental effects on the mental and emotional well-being of many adults and children. It is relevant therefore to explore the combination of personal strengths and attributes that can help an individual develop resilience to such stress. Little is known about how psychological strength assets resilience fact...

Possession of hope and meaning in life is critical for mental health, especially in times of adversity. In previous research, the most frequently used measure to assess hope has been the Dispositional Hope Scale. However, there has been debate over some aspects of the scale’s factor structure. Similarly, meaning in life has been assessed mainly usi...

Meaning in Life Children Questionnaire (MIL-CQ) was developed with reference to Frankl’s meaning triangle that has dimensions of Attitude, Creativity, and Experience. The current study translated MIL-CQ into Chinese (MIL-CQ-C), and evaluated its psychometric properties in a sample of 264 upper primary and secondary school gifted students in Hong Ko...

This study examined the career adaptability model of the career construction theory (CCT, Savickas, 2021) using data collected from two time points and measures that covered the inter-related domains of career and life planning. Participants were high school students (470 women and 338 men) from 14 secondary schools in Hong Kong. Students completed...

Until 1997, the education system in Hong Kong had very clear separation between special and mainstream education, with almost all students with special educational needs being placed in special schools or special classes. The first step toward inclusive education came in 1997 in the form of a pilot project to increase “integration” of students with...

The multicultural societies considered in this book deliver services and supports in varied ways for students with special education needs. Taken together, these efforts provide a clear picture of the changing landscape of inclusive education across the Asia-Pacific region. In this final chapter, legislation and policies are examined to highlight c...

Background: Academic success of international medical students enrolled in Chinese universities is of great significance, because it directly influences their performance in the license exam and in obtaining a job. Insufficient research has been conducted on academics’ awareness of factors related to teaching that affect their students’ academic su...

Background: The number of international students who choose China as their destination for quality medical education is rising, particularly those from developing countries, but little is known about their adaptation and educational experiences at Chinese universities. This study explored the factors that these students perceived to have influenced...

The COVID-19 global pandemic continues, and in Hong Kong numerous measures have been put in place to contain the spread of the coronavirus. One of the many facets of life that is being affected is education, with many face-to-face classes suspended and students having to go online for lessons. The virus continues to be active in the city, so our us...

Students with special education needs (SEN) face challenges in developing career adaptability and self-efficacy. Using a sample of 355 students with SEN in Hong Kong, this study evaluated effects of social connectedness and meaning in life on career adaptability and career self-efficacy. Data were collected twice, participants completing self-repor...

Passion and perseverance for long-term goals (often referred to as grit) has been found to be associated with well-being in typically developing students and adults. However, previous studies primarily relied on a two-factor model of grit, underpinned by perseverance of effort and consistency of interests. This model has received considerable theor...

The aim of this study was to evaluate relationships among the primary school students’ social connectedness to parents, teachers and peers, and their career and talent development self-efficacy (CTD-SE). CTD-SE encompasses talent development, career exploration and the acquisition of good work habits. Results suggest that the connectedness with par...

The role of storybooks in offering an educational resource that promotes young children’s cognitive and creative development has been recognised in the previous literature. The small-scale exploratory study reported here investigated children’s senses of humour through pop-up storybook production. A workshop in Hong Kong, entitled Storybook Product...

We explored Chinese adolescents’ perceptions of the types of career-related teacher support they had experienced and found helpful. Four focus group discussions were conducted with 30 15–18-year-old high school students in Hong Kong, China. Students perceived the most helpful forms of teacher support for career planning to be those that related to...

It is vital to foster children’s ability to cooperate with others, communicate effectively, and exercise self-control. These competencies represent a set of transferrable skills required in many aspects of daily life and along any career path. In Hong Kong, a play-based training programme was launched to support parents to target these areas of soc...

Approximately one-third of countries in the world are regarded as small states. There are also subnational jurisdictions, or small territories, that share similar characteristics of small states. Their small size renders them vulnerable to changes in the global economy, and this, in turn, has an impact on trade, business, and employment. In this pa...

This paper explores the importance of self-regulation and the role of feedback in encouraging such regulation from socialcognitive and socio-cultural perspectives. The effects and value of various influences within the social and culturalenvironment are reviewed. In the context of inviting schools, thought is presented to the issue of how the ‘Five...

This article describes the use of the Chinese translation of the revised Inviting School Survey (ISS-R; Smith, 2005; Smith &Bernard, 2004) to measure the invitational climate of seven invitational secondary schools in Hong Kong. The five subscales ofChinese version of ISS-R were found to be valid and reliable in a sample of 706 Grade 11 students. S...

Teachers play a critical role in facilitating the career and life planning of secondary school students. This paper describes the development of the Career-Related Teacher Support Scale (Hong Kong Secondary Students Form). Based on data obtained from 493 students in Hong Kong, five types of career-related teacher support were identified with the mo...

The Chinese short form of Career Adapt‐Abilities Scale (CAAS‐SF) is a newly validated scale to measure career adaptability. The present study examined the psychometric properties of this measure and the role of career adaptability as a mediator between social capital and career engagement. Based on data obtained from a sample of 610 university stud...

The mixed-method study reported here was designed to evaluate a strengths-based career intervention program for secondary school students with mild special educational needs (SEN). A sample of 32 SEN students (19 boys: 13 girls) from 5 inclusive schools in Hong Kong were recruited to a treatment group. An additional 32 SEN students (19 boys: 13 gir...

The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) is one of the commonly used self-report scales to measure empathy. Davis (1980) reported a four-factor structure in empathy in developing this scale, including empathic concern, perspective taking, personal distress, and fantasy. Empirical studies among different populations with Western culture provided sol...

Transitions that all young children have to make (including children with special needs) involve: starting school, moving from kindergarten to primary school, and sometimes moving from one school to another. With increasing awareness of the importance of early childhood education and intervention, transition planning for young children is attractin...

Nurturing Talents APFG Newsletter 2021 Issue 8 No. 1 Special Issue on Support for Gifted Learners during the COVID19 Pandemic Published by Asia-Pacific Federation on Giftedness Editors: Mantak Yuen & Suzannie Leung

Geopolitical changes worldwide, together with rapid advances in technology, have created a situation where an individual’s working life can present many new challenges. Helping students develop the attitudes and skills necessary to adapt to constant change along a career path has become a priority in education. Developing this career adaptability i...

We examined relationships among career‐related parental support, vocational identity, and career adaptability in a sample of 1,163 Chinese technical college students. Structural equation modeling of the relationship between career‐related parental support and students' career adaptability revealed positive mediation effects of three types of vocati...

In the twenty-first century, digital play has become an inevitable experience for young children and an art form that aligns with the STEAM approach. Researchers in various countries have investigated how digital technologies relate to children’s learning experiences at school. This chapter describes the successful attempt to facilitate the product...

Support from teachers is essential to students’ career preparation and planning, but few instruments assess their career-related support. We describe the development and validation of the Career-related Teacher Support Scale (CRTSS) among Chinese technical college students (N = 1674). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicate: (a) three...

Despite the popularity of the Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (BMSLSS) for use in research, this instrument has not yet been validated with adolescents of different intellectual ability levels and across different cultures. This study examined the psychometric properties and measurement equivalence of BMSLSS with a sample o...

The present research was designed to examine the psychometric properties of a Chinese version of the MLQ using a construct validation approach in 1,089 Hong Kong secondary school students. Confirmatory factor analyses were used to examine the structural validity of MLQ. Correlational analyses were done to assess how meaning in life dimensions relat...

Alfred Adler considered social interest may contribute to an individual’s sense of belonging and confidence to engage in intimacy, friendships and work. This study was conducted with 2,638 Chinese adolescents (mean age = 14.92, SD = 1.32) to investigate associations among variables of meaning in life, social connectedness, and career self-efficacy....

The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) is one of the commonly used self-report scales to measure empathy. Davis (1980) reported a four-factor structure in empathy in developing this scale, including empathic concern, perspective taking, personal distress, and fantasy. Empirical studies among different populations with Western culture provided sol...

China is advancing in its bid to internationalize higher education, but little is known to date about the life satisfaction of overseas students in that country. Life satisfaction can be understood as the extent to which individuals’ experiences in a host country help them achieve their personal goals and satisfy their expectations regarding accult...

Preparing adolescents for transitioning from school to work has become a priority across the world, due to the increasingly difficult labor market conditions and changes related to technological advances. This article reviews the concept of career-related teacher support (CRTS) and illustrates the different perspectives school teachers may have abo...

Limited research has been conducted so far to explore how meaning in life can promote key academic and psychological benefits in a school context. The research reported here aimed to address this issue by assessing how meaning in life is associated with dimensions of connectedness, academic self-efficacy (Study 1) and personal self-efficacy (Study...

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 career” and “set...

The Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (CAAS) is a widely used measure to assess career adaptability. The initial design covered four areas — concern, control, curiosity, and confidence. Recent research validated a 12-item version of the scale (CAAS-SF) and a five-factor version that includes the additional factor of cooperation (CAAS-5). The study repor...

Students’ connectedness to various social agents has been linked to specific domains of self-efficacy but little is known about the mechanisms linking connectedness to adaptive student outcomes. This research aimed to examine the association of connectedness academic self-efficacy (Study 1) and career development self-efficacy (Study 2) via the med...

The psychological construct of self-efficacy plays a salient role in students’ pursuit of a career path. Career-related self-efficacy is strongly associated with life satisfaction and emotional well-being. Most of what is known about this construct has come from research with mainstream students in the West, and considerably less attention has focu...

In this chapter, the authors use a policy and program perspective to explore the specific career development needs of gifted learners in Hong Kong. They first examine recent developments in gifted education and career education policies in Hong Kong, then draw on relevant literature to highlight salient career development needs of gifted learners....

Career and life planning is extremely important for all adolescents in order to enhance transition outcomes, but to date, little attention has been paid to its role in education for students with special educational needs (SENs). There is no specific model in Hong Kong for supporting career and life planning for SEN students, nor has there been any...

Career guidance has long been regarded as an integral part of secondary education. This form of guidance is particularly important for students with specific learning difficulties because they face many unique challenges in their career development. For these students, career guidance programs need to be carefully planned to address their special n...

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...

This study examined Chinese technical education students’ (N = 18) perceptions of career-related support received from teachers using thematic analysis. Six themes emerged from the interviews: enhancement of self-improvement and self-exploration, informational support, career-related role models, instrumental support, emotional support and support...

This book addresses in detail a range of issues in connection with preparing individuals with disabilities or other special needs for gaining employment and planning a career path beyond school. It presents strategies for personnel preparation, parent education, effective programs for career development and transitions, policies and policy research...

The education system in Macao now implements the principle of equal opportunities for learning for all children, including those with special educational needs. This principle gives rise to the notion of 'one curriculum framework for all'-meaning that all children in mainstream and special schools follow a common curriculum, but with necessary adju...

Our purpose in this study was to validate the existing Career-Related Parental Support Scale (CRPSS) for use with mainland Chinese students. We conducted two studies involving exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses with samples of more than 1,000 technical education students in China. Based on the data obtained, we retained 24 out of 27 items...

In the 21st century, along with fine arts, media art has become an important genre for young children. Undoubtedly, early visual arts give children a powerful language with which to express themselves aesthetically, cognitively and creatively through the use of symbolic representations. However, digital play remains a controversial issue in early c...

The authors provide an overview of past and present trends in career guidance, career education, and vocational training in Hong Kong. Particular attention is given to evaluating career education policies and how these have evolved and affected practices in secondary schools over the past few decades. Topics also covered within the paper include st...

This article highlights findings from a case study research investigating factors that foster the academic achievement of community college students in Hong Kong. Data was collected from in-depth interviews with six community college students in a middle-sized, self-funded community college. The findings illustrate nuanced facets of teacher care th...

This article provides an overview of the evolution of career guidance and counseling in secondary schools in Hong Kong over the last 60 years. The first stage of development (early 1950s to late 1970s) marked recovery from the aftermath of World War II and the Cultural Revolution in China. The earliest examples of career services in secondary schoo...

According to career construction theory, cultural beliefs represent a social construct that may shape an individual’s career path. In Chinese society, the Confucian concept of filial piety is one such influential belief. More specifically, reciprocal filial piety involves mutually supportive processes between parents and their offspring, whereas au...

Developing a vocational identity is one of the most important tasks facing any adolescent, and vocational identity has become a focus of attention in career education and guidance for decades. However, few studies have been conducted on this topic in China due to a lack of relevant measures. The purpose of this study was to validate a Chinese versi...

Previous investigations mostly relied on the two-factor model of grit (with perseverance of effort and consistency of interests as major dimensions) which received a number criticisms in the extant literature. Recent studies have provided promising lines of evidence regarding the triarchic model of grit (TMG) which posits three dimensions of grit i...

Career adaptability manifests itself through 4 self‐regulated internal resources for coping with occupational challenges and transitions: concern, control, curiosity, and confidence. Few studies have examined career adaptability specifically in the Hong Kong context. The Career Adapt‐Abilities Scale–China Form (CAAS‐China; Hou, Leung, Li, Li, & Xu,...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review identified key features of teacher support and its influence on students’ career decision making and development. It also examines the types of research approaches to data collection and analysis in order to provide a more in-depth evaluation of this field of study. Design/methodology/approach The rev...

Existing studies have focused on examining how academic buoyancy or the ability to cope with day-to-day challenges in school may be linked to academic functioning. This review article reported the current state of the academic buoyancy literature in the educational contexts. Findings from previous investigations on the theorizing, measurement, pred...

The positive human attributes of passion and perseverance for long-term goals (referred to as ‘grit’) can be linked to wide range of positive educational, psychological, and employment outcomes. The original grit theory posits that there are two dimensions which characterize determination for long-term aspirations ―perseverance of effort and consis...

A Chinese version of the Online Self-Regulated Learning Questionnaire (OLSQ) was administered to 412 Hong Kong students of average ability and 374 students talented in mathematics (Grades 4–9, age 9–15 years). Data indicated that the Chinese OLSQ provides valid and reliable scores when used with these students.

This report is part of a larger project investigating school satisfaction of early adolescents in Hong Kong. The research questions in this part of the study focused on the school experience of 21 high-ability Chinese students aged 9–14 in Hong Kong primary and secondary schools. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with each of the participan...

The chapter provides an overview of the existing policy landscape in Hong Kong and Japan. Key issues in school counseling are identified in each region, and the rationale underpinning policies for school-based counseling is discussed. The impact of policy on school practices is considered, and issues arising are identified. Relevant research findin...

China’s rural to urban migration is the largest population movement in human history. To unpack the intertwining relationship between migration and education, previous research tended to view migrant children as one universally vulnerable category, while ignoring the potential disparity in family socialization and functioning. This study investigat...

The large-scale internal migration in China has provided an unparalleled scientific opportunity to study the conceptualization and measurement of adaptation processes among Chinese migrant youth. The present study aims to develop an acculturation instrument for Chinese children participating in the rural to urban migration. The newly developed accu...

The positive human attributes of passion and perseverance for long-term goals (referred to as ‘grit’) can be linked to wide range of positive educational, psychological, and employment outcomes. The original grit theory posits that there are two dimensions which characterize determination for long-term aspirations ―perseverance of effort and consis...

Gifted students usually require much less time spent in practising and revising basic skills; instead, they benefit greatly from opportunities to work through the curriculum at a faster pace (acceleration). Teachers currently working with mixed-ability classes do not always find it easy to differentiate their teaching approach in this way, so there...

Chan, P. S. F., Chan, K. & Yuen, M. T. (2015). Applying team-teach approach in Hong Kong: Evaluation of a training workshop. Hong Kong Journal of Special Education, 17, 15-27. Team-Teach is a school-wide holistic approach developed overseas and now available in Hong Kong for the management of children’s challenging behaviors. Training workshops i...

This reflection paper explores aspects of a career guidance and counseling program operating in an international school in Hong Kong. The aim of the program is to ensure that all students receive an education that develops knowledge, skills, attitudes and values important for life, so that they are in a sound position to make informed decisions con...

Social anxiety impacts functional impairment in several life domains; in children, the most notable effect is a decline in academic performance. Socially anxious children report that communicating with peers and teachers, as well as public speaking are their biggest fears in academic settings. Prior research has shown that these children attribute...

This article examines the potential benefits of possessing the personality traits of determination and perseverance (often referred to as ‘grit’) in an academic setting. Previous studies in Western individualistic societies have emphasized the advantages of possessing this attribute of grit; but to date, very few investigations have been conducted...

Chinese learners have frequently demonstrated academic achievement that outshines their Western counterparts—but paradoxically research has suggested that various nurturing, teaching, and learning conditions in the Chinese context are often believed in the West to be unfavorable to learning. Against this background, the chapter revisits this parado...

Career-related parental support plays an essential role in the process of promoting young people’s career development. Currently, research on career-related support from parents in China is still fairly limited; but at a time when the employment situation in China is changing rapidly, it is considered especially important to study this topic with r...

This study examined relationships among career adaptability, meaning in life, and connectedness in Hong Kong with Chinese male and female Grade 9 students (n = 543). The results indicated that presence of meaning in life positively predicted connectedness; and in the males career concern was predicted by presence of meaning in life. Also in males,...