The role of need for cognition (NfC) in the effect of language modalities on integrated writing performance.

BACKGROUND: As a complex cognitive task, integrated writing (IW) requires not only different language modalities but also persistent cognitive effort. In practice, varied language modalities are taught together with IW tasks. However, little research has been done to investigate independent and integrated language tasks simultaneously. In addition, the need for cognition (NfC), which plays an important role in cognitive processing, has not been explored in the context of IW. AIMS: The present study aims to investigate the influence of different language modalities (i.e., reading and writing) on IW performance and how NfC moderates this influence. SAMPLE: A total of 246 Secondary Four students from three schools in Hong Kong. METHODS: Measures of reading, writing, NfC and IW performance were obtained. Structural equation modelling was used to explore the relationships between reading, writing and IW and investigate the role of NfC. RESULTS: Positive effects of reading and writing on IW performance were observed, and writing played a mediating role in the relationship between reading and IW at the same time. Although NfC negatively moderated the influence of reading on IW, it had no moderating effect on the influence of writing on IW. CONCLUSIONS: The teaching of different language modalities enhances IW performance. The negative moderating effect of NfC on the relationship between reading and IW performance implies that differentiated instruction is required due to individual differences in the influence of reading on IW. Regarding pedagogical implication, teachers should integrate the teaching of reading and writing and focus on cultivating students' cognitive needs to enhance their IW performance.

Understanding the Difference Between Self-Feedback and Peer Feedback: A Comparative Study of Their Effects on Undergraduate Students' Writing Improvement.

Due to the growing popularity of Assessment for Learning in higher education, self- feedback and peer feedback are often highlighted for their role in improving writing performance. In order to provide appropriate support for students' effective implementation of the feedback, teachers must comprehend the differential characteristics of self- and peer feedback. However, empirical research comparing the two remains scarce, particularly when they are used in combination. In this study, 116 Hong Kong undergraduate students participated in an abstract writing task and engaged in self- and peer feedback processes. The amount, types, and implementation of self- and peer feedback and their effects on writing improvement were analyzed and compared. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that about 25% of the variance in the students' writing improvement was collectively accounted for by the two feedback processes. One form of feedback contributed about 15% of the variance while the other form explained 10%. Feedback types and the amount of implemented feedback were found to be positive predictors of writing improvement, whereas the overall feedback amount negatively affected the improvement. Moreover, the implementation of peer feedback was found to have a greater effect on the improvement than those of self-feedback. Several pedagogical implications of these findings are addressed.

Primary School Teachers' Conceptions of Reading Comprehension Processes and Its Formulation.

Understanding reading comprehension processes is vital for teachers to effectively conduct teaching and assessment of reading in schools. Hong Kong students' outstanding reading performance internationally is commonly attributed to the implementation of reading comprehension models in its Chinese language curriculum, however, the understanding of teachers' conceptions of reading comprehension is still very limited. This phenomenographic study interviewed 28 in-service Chinese language teachers from eight Hong Kong primary schools and illustrated the elicited conceptions of a model of reading comprehension processes (i.e., Six Types of Reading Comprehension Process Model, a widely used model in Hong Kong). The three categories of teachers' conceptions found are as follows: understanding basic ideas of a text, sequential development of holistic comprehension skills, and fostering independent readers. This study further employed sense-making theory to investigate the formulation of the teachers' conceptions. It is found that the conceptions were shaped when teachers' conventional practices that focused on rote-learning interplayed with the continual regulating means of the implementation. Teachers are also highly influenced by factors like attainability by their students and agreement with own philosophy. This study also implied that teachers' beliefs will need to be brought to light in order for new learning to happen.

Strategy Use in Oral Communication with Competent Synthesis and Complex Interaction.

Strategy use is a critical competence for academic achievement and problem solving in globalised and information-based knowledge economies. It involves skills such as synthesising information from task source materials and elaborating on interlocutors' viewpoints during integrated group discussions. However, evidence from empirical studies on this topic is scarce. We recruited 171 local Hong Kong undergraduate students to participate in an integrated group discussion task in Putonghua as an L2 (i.e., second language) and to complete a strategy use inventory of the task. The students' performances and responses were analysed with multiple statistical methods. The strategy use inventory of the integrated group discussion was validated. Five categories of strategy were identified: active engagement, non-verbal, synthesis, clarification and affective strategies. These strategies significantly predicted task performance (with 19.9% variation), leading to significant improvement in oral production quality. Both the synthesis (the integrative use of information) and active engagement (including elaborating viewpoints) strategies were significantly associated with task performance, which are rarely found in existing oral communication strategy inventories. The participants with high levels of task performance demonstrated significantly more use of the active engagement, clarification and synthesis strategies (with the first two merged in the complex interaction strategy) than those with medium or low task performance levels. The implications of the results are discussed.

Birth Cohort Effects, Regions Differences, and Gender Differences in Chinese College Students' Aggression: A Review and Synthesis.

This cross-temporal meta-analysis involved 86 studies (N = 71,397) on aggression among Chinese college students conducted from 2003 to 2017. We collected articles investigating college students' aggression using the Aggression Questionnaire. The results showed that college students' aggression generally decreased steadily over 15 years. Compared to 2003, aggression in 2017 decreased by 1.030 standard deviations. The decline in physical aggression, verbal aggression, and hostility among college students were more rapid than anger. College students from the Eastern region of China demonstrated this decline more than those from the Center and Western regions. Both male and female college students showed decreasing aggression, and the decline was larger in males compared to females.

The relationship between coping style and Internet addiction among mainland Chinese students: A meta-analysis.

The matter of whether different coping styles are correlated with increased Internet addiction or not remains a topic of debate. Most researchers have argued that Internet addiction is linked to low positive coping and high negative coping; however, others have rejected this opinion. Consequently, this meta-analysis examined the link between coping style and Internet addiction to address this controversy. Seventy-seven studies comprising 46,025 Chinese adolescent students were analyzed. The results suggested a medium negative correlation between positive coping and Internet addiction and a medium positive correlation between negative coping and Internet addiction. Furthermore, coping style measures, Internet addiction, region, and gender moderated these links. The link between negative coping and Internet addiction was largest when positive coping was measured with the Coping Style Questionnaire (CSQ), smaller when using the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire, and smallest when using other measures. The negative correlation between positive coping and Internet addiction was largest when Internet addiction was measured with the Internet Addiction Test, smaller when using revised Chinese Internet Addiction Scale, and smallest when using other measures. For both positive and negative coping and Internet addiction, the correlations were largest in Eastern China, smaller in Central China, and smallest in Western China.