Cognitive competence: a key positive youth development construct for university students

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel T.L. Shek ◽  
Lu Yu
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
General Education ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Cognitive Competence ◽  
Effective Leaders ◽  
Important Quality ◽  
Intended Learning Outcomes ◽  
Learning Issues

AbstractCognitive competence is an important quality for effective leaders. To help university students understand the importance of cognitive competence and develop this quality, a lecture on cognitive competence is designed and incorporated in a general education subject entitled “Tomorrow’s Leaders”. The present paper reviews the basic concepts and theories of cognitive competence and outlines its linkages with positive youth development and effective leadership. The objectives, intended learning outcomes for students, lecture outline, and related materials of the lecture on cognitive competence are introduced. Some teaching and learning issues in relation to this lecture are also discussed.

Levels of reflection on teaching a leadership and positive youth development subject

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hildie Leung
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
General Education ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
University Curriculum ◽  
Education Environment ◽  
The Impact

AbstractTo promote holistic development in Chinese university students in Hong Kong, a general education subject entitled “Tomorrow’s Leaders” was developed and has been fully implemented in the new 4-year university curriculum since 2012. In the present article, the Onion Model is used as a framework for conducting systematic teacher reflection to enhance professional development. Challenges and issues central to the environment, behavior, competencies, beliefs, identity, and mission, as experienced and observed by a teacher of a leadership and positive youth development subject in Hong Kong, are discussed. Issues include the Hong Kong education environment, the impact of reinforcement, and the role of culture in teaching and learning, as well as postulations on leadership and human development. The article concludes with implications of the core reflection on my personal development.

Spirituality as a key positive youth development construct for university students

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel T.L. Shek ◽  
Wynants Ho
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
University Students ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Spiritual Leadership ◽  
Developmental Outcomes ◽  
Curriculum Structure ◽  
Basic Concepts ◽  
Intended Learning Outcomes

AbstractThe curriculum of a lecture about spirituality in the course entitled “Tomorrow’s Leaders” developed by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is introduced in this paper. With reference to the basic tenets of outcome-based learning, the intended learning outcomes and the curriculum structure are illustrated. The following topics related to the construct of spirituality are included in this paper: definition and basic concepts of spirituality, theories of spirituality, antecedents of spirituality, spirituality and adolescent developmental outcomes, spirituality and leadership, and ways to promote spiritual leadership. Topics for reflections are also presented at the end of the paper.

The students were happy, but did they change positively?

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel T.L. Shek ◽  
Lu Yu ◽  
Cecilia M.S. Ma
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
University Students ◽  
General Education ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Character Strengths ◽  
Leadership Qualities ◽  
Moral Competence ◽  
Service Leadership ◽  
The Subject

AbstractAt The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, a 2-credit General Education subject entitled “Service Leadership” was developed to promote service leadership qualities (including leadership competencies, moral character, and caring disposition) in university students. The subject was piloted in one class with 60 students in the 2012/2013 academic year. Pretest and posttest data utilizing measures of positive youth development, life satisfaction, and service leadership qualities were collected. Positive changes in the program participants were found, particularly for measures in behavioral competence, moral competence, character strengths, general positive youth development qualities, and overall service leadership qualities. The present study provided preliminary support for the effectiveness of the subject in nurturing service leadership qualities of Chinese university students in Hong Kong.

Developing social competence in a subject on leadership and intrapersonal development

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel T.L. Shek ◽  
Janet T.Y. Leung
Keyword(s):  
Social Competence ◽  
University Students ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Adolescent Development ◽  
Effective Leadership ◽  
The Social ◽  
Antecedents And Consequences ◽  
Intended Learning Outcomes

AbstractSocial competence is an important positive youth development attribute for adolescent development and effective leadership. In this paper, the definitions and approaches of social competence are introduced. The antecedents and consequences of social competence are highlighted. Moreover, the relationships between social competence and effective leadership, as well as adolescent development are also addressed. In particular, egocentrism as the barrier to social competence is discussed. To enhance the social competence of university students, a lecture on social competence was designed in the curriculum of a university subject entitled “Tomorrow’s Leaders”. The objectives, intended learning outcomes, lecture content and special features of the lecture are presented in this paper.

scholarly journals Psychological Morbidity among University Students in Hong Kong (2014–2018): Psychometric Properties of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) and Related Correlates

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 8305
Author(s):  
Xiang Li ◽  
Daniel T. L. Shek ◽  
Esther Y. W. Shek
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
University Students ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Morbidity

Although mental health problems among Hong Kong university students are serious, there is a lack of studies examining the psychometric properties of related assessment scales and correlates. This study attempted to validate the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) in Hong Kong university students and examine the demographic (gender), time (cohort), and well-being correlates (positive youth development attributes and life satisfaction) of psychological morbidity. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to examine the factor structure of the DASS (n = 6704). Gender and cohort invariance were further established using a multigroup CFA. The three-factor model of the DASS showed a superior fit and factorial invariance across gender and five different cohorts. Regarding gender and cohort correlates of psychological morbidity, males exhibited more depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms than their female counterparts. The intensity of psychological distress also escalated after the Umbrella Movement in 2014. Furthermore, well-being measures (positive youth development and life satisfaction) were negatively associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. In short, the Chinese DASS demonstrated good psychometric properties. This study also showed that gender, cohort (occurrence of political events), and well-being were associated with psychological morbidity indexed by the DASS measures.

scholarly journals Development and Evaluation of a Positive Youth Development Course for University Students in Hong Kong

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel T. L. Shek ◽  
Rachel C. F. Sun ◽  
Y. H. Chui ◽  
S. W. Lit ◽  
Walter W. Yuen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
University Students ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Outcome Evaluation ◽  
Preliminary Evaluation ◽  
Holistic Development ◽  
Developmental Problems ◽  
Academic Year

With higher education, university graduates are important elements of the labor force in knowledge-based economies. With reference to the mental health and developmental problems in university students, there is a need to review university’s role in nurturing holistic development of students. Based on the positive youth development approach, it is argued that promoting intrapersonal competencies is an important strategy to facilitate holistic development of young people in Hong Kong. In The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, a course entitled Tomorrow’s Leader focusing on positive youth development constructs to promote student well-being will be offered on a compulsory basis starting from 2012/13 academic year under the new undergraduate curriculum structure. The proposed course was piloted in 2010/11 school year. Different evaluation strategies, including objective outcome evaluation, subjective outcome evaluation, process evaluation, and qualitative evaluation, are being carried out to evaluate the developed course. Preliminary evaluation findings based on the piloting experience in 2010/11 academic year are presented in this paper.

scholarly journals Postlecture Evaluation of a Positive Youth Development Subject for University Students in Hong Kong

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel T. L. Shek
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
University Students ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Global Evaluation ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Leadership Qualities ◽  
Teacher Attributes ◽  
The Subject

The purpose of this study was to examine the postlecture evaluation by the students taking a course (Tomorrow's Leaders) that attempted to promote their leadership qualities and intrapersonal competencies at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong. Except for the last lecture, students were invited to respond to a 12-item postlecture questionnaire after each lecture. Results showed that the students had positive perceptions of the subject, class, and teacher attributes, and they had positive global evaluation of the teacher and the subject. The postlecture evaluation questionnaire was found to possess good psychometric properties. Multiple regression analyses showed that subject, class, and teacher attributes were predictive of global evaluation of the lecture and the teacher. In conjunction with other evaluation findings, the present findings strongly suggest that students had positive perceptions of the attributes and benefits of “Tomorrow's Leaders.”

scholarly journals The 5Cs of Positive Youth Development, Purpose in Life, Hope, and Well-Being Among Emerging Adults in Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nor Ba’yah Abdul Kadir ◽  
Rusyda Helma Mohd
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Purpose In Life ◽  
Emerging Adult ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Positive Development

A substantial body of evidence supports Lerner and colleagues’ 5Cs model of positive youth development (PYD) in the United States (U.S.). Nonetheless, it remains unclear whether the 5Cs can be used to identify positive development in the under-researched Asian contexts, such as Malaysia. Thus, this study examined the 5Cs of PYD (competence, confidence, character, connection, and caring) and their importance to purpose in life, hope, and well-being in a sample of emerging adult undergraduate university students in Malaysia. Data were collected from 400 participants from 15 Malaysian universities (132 males, 268 females; ages ranged from 18 to 26 years old, M = 22). A hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that two of the 5Cs of PYD (confidence and connection) as well as hope were important to explaining variation in well-being. The findings imply that there are strong links between PYD, especially confidence and connection, and well-being, while purpose in life and hope were indirectly related to the 2Cs (confidence and connection) of PYD and well-being. Therefore, mental health professionals are encouraged to review and redefine their treatment design to include confidence, connection, purpose in life and hope when working with Malaysian emerging adult university students.

scholarly journals Nurturing Holistic Development of University Students in Hong Kong: Where Are We and Where Should We Go?

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 563-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel T. L. Shek
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
University Students ◽  
General Education ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Interpersonal Relationship ◽  
Freshman Seminar ◽  
Holistic Development ◽  
Developmental Problems ◽  
Relationship Skills ◽  
Development Approach

With reference to the mental health and developmental problems among university students, there is a need to review the university's role in nurturing holistic development of students. This paper explores the question of how holistic development of university students in Hong Kong can be promoted. Based on the positive youth development approach, it is argued that promotion of intrapersonal competencies, interpersonal relationship skills, civic responsibilities, and citizenship among university students is an important strategy to facilitate holistic development of young people in Hong Kong. Two general education or freshman seminar courses that focus on the cultivation of intrapersonal competencies, interpersonal relationship skills, civic responsibilities, and sense of citizenship among university students in Hong Kong are proposed.

scholarly journals Cognitive Competence as a Positive Youth Development Construct: A Conceptual Review

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel C. F. Sun ◽  
Eadaoin K. P. Hui
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Adolescent Development ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Creative Thinking ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Task Completion ◽  
Cognitive Competence ◽  
Completion Problem

This paper focuses on discussing critical thinking and creative thinking as the core cognitive competence. It reviews and compares several theories of thinking, highlights the features of critical thinking and creative thinking, and delineates their interrelationships. It discusses cognitive competence as a positive youth development construct by linking its relationships with adolescent development and its contributions to adolescents' learning and wellbeing. Critical thinking and creative thinking are translated into self-regulated cognitive skills for adolescents to master and capitalize on, so as to facilitate knowledge construction, task completion, problem solving, and decision making. Ways of fostering these thinking skills, cognitive competence, and ultimately positive youth development are discussed.

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