title: Chinese students' complaining behavior: Hearing the silence

authors: FitzPatrick, Mary

subjects: China

abstract: Purpose – Despite the competitive internationalization of higher education, international students' responses to dissatisfaction (consumer complaining behavior or CCB) are not well understood in New Zealand. While studies show that many factors, including culture, influence CCB, the None-Action mode in particular has been largely overlooked by researchers. The purpose of this paper is to examine Chinese student's CCB.
Design/methodology/approach – The study employed a qualitative exploratory focus group design examining Chinese students' CCB. Data were analyzed in two stages. First, data were coded into various CCB modes. Next, data relating to the specific mode of None-Action were thematically analyzed. Five key themes for None-Action were revealed: Futility, Inadequate Information, Fear of Consequences, Complexity, and Internalization.
Findings – This exploratory research found a high level of None-Action responses. It was apparent that culture was highly influential in participants' CCB responses and that these None-Action responses had an affective dimension.
Research limitations/implications – Understanding None-Action responses to dissatisfaction among international students in higher education is critical if universities are to avoid adverse funding consequences. There are cultural and personal implications for students and strategic implications for higher education institutions in understanding Chinese students' Non-Action. The exploratory nature of the research means that it is designed to stimulate thought and debate on how to expand the body of knowledge on this mode of CCB.
Originality/value – The research highlights the importance to higher education institutions of understanding the cultural and service-specific explanations for Non-Action as a response to student-consumer dissatisfaction.

text: Chinese students' complaining behavior: Hearing the silence Purpose – Despite the competitive internationalization of higher education, international students' responses to dissatisfaction (consumer complaining behavior or CCB) are not well understood in New Zealand. While studies show that many factors, including culture, influence CCB, the None-Action mode in particular has been largely overlooked by researchers. The purpose of this paper is to examine Chinese student's CCB.
Design/methodology/approach – The study employed a qualitative exploratory focus group design examining Chinese students' CCB. Data were analyzed in two stages. First, data were coded into various CCB modes. Next, data relating to the specific mode of None-Action were thematically analyzed. Five key themes for None-Action were revealed: Futility, Inadequate Information, Fear of Consequences, Complexity, and Internalization.
Findings – This exploratory research found a high level of None-Action responses. It was apparent that culture was highly influential in participants' CCB responses and that these None-Action responses had an affective dimension.
Research limitations/implications – Understanding None-Action responses to dissatisfaction among international students in higher education is critical if universities are to avoid adverse funding consequences. There are cultural and personal implications for students and strategic implications for higher education institutions in understanding Chinese students' Non-Action. The exploratory nature of the research means that it is designed to stimulate thought and debate on how to expand the body of knowledge on this mode of CCB.
Originality/value – The research highlights the importance to higher education institutions of understanding the cultural and service-specific explanations for Non-Action as a response to student-consumer dissatisfaction.

year: 2012

title: Parents’ and caregivers’ perceptions of the school climate: development and validation of the Parent and Caregiver Survey (PaCS)

authors: Aldridge, Jill M.

abstract: School climates are known to be associated with a range of student outcomes (including academic, social, behavioural and affective), and much work to date has focused on gathering students’ perceptions of their school climate to inform ongoing improvement efforts. However, parents and caregivers, as well as students, are also influenced by the psychosocial school climate. Although less attention has been given to capturing parents’ and caregivers’ perceptions, the way parents and caregivers feel about a school can affect their children’s attitudes towards the school as well as the parents’ and caregivers’ engagement with the school. Therefore, the perceptions of parents and caregivers with respect to the school climate offer critical information about both strengths and areas for improvement in terms of ensuring that schools are places that foster students’ wellbeing and achievement. In this article, we report the development and validation of the Parent and Caregiver Survey (PaCS) for gathering parents’ and caregivers’ perceptions of the socioemotional school climate. The PaCS is underpinned by strength-based and culturally-responsive perspectives on parent and caregiver engagement, as well as a socioecological perspective of child and adolescent development. Responses to the PaCS from 1276 parents and caregivers at 23 Australian schools confirmed the validity and reliability of the instrument. Given its theoretical underpinnings and successful validation, the PaCS could be useful for researchers and practitioners seeking to support parent engagement and school improvement.

text: Parents’ and caregivers’ perceptions of the school climate: development and validation of the Parent and Caregiver Survey (PaCS) School climates are known to be associated with a range of student outcomes (including academic, social, behavioural and affective), and much work to date has focused on gathering students’ perceptions of their school climate to inform ongoing improvement efforts. However, parents and caregivers, as well as students, are also influenced by the psychosocial school climate. Although less attention has been given to capturing parents’ and caregivers’ perceptions, the way parents and caregivers feel about a school can affect their children’s attitudes towards the school as well as the parents’ and caregivers’ engagement with the school. Therefore, the perceptions of parents and caregivers with respect to the school climate offer critical information about both strengths and areas for improvement in terms of ensuring that schools are places that foster students’ wellbeing and achievement. In this article, we report the development and validation of the Parent and Caregiver Survey (PaCS) for gathering parents’ and caregivers’ perceptions of the socioemotional school climate. The PaCS is underpinned by strength-based and culturally-responsive perspectives on parent and caregiver engagement, as well as a socioecological perspective of child and adolescent development. Responses to the PaCS from 1276 parents and caregivers at 23 Australian schools confirmed the validity and reliability of the instrument. Given its theoretical underpinnings and successful validation, the PaCS could be useful for researchers and practitioners seeking to support parent engagement and school improvement.

year: 2020

title: Outdoor education: Opportunities provided by a place based approach

authors: Brown, Mike

subjects: place-based

abstract: This paper calls for educators to consider the role that ‘place’ has in outdoor education experiences. It is suggested that greater emphasis and acknowledgment be given to ‘place(s)’ and how they may help students make sense of both their personal and communal identity. The paper is interwoven with a narrative from the author’s experiences of working with Pākehā and Māori students on a course that consciously utilised a ‘place-based’ approach to teaching and learning. The paper challenges the conception that outdoor education requires ‘high-impact’ adventurous activities, instead suggesting that we seek to develop a modest pedagogy which acknowledges our relationships with place(s) as a way to understand who we are , how we connect to others and how we both give and take meanings from the places in which we live and learn. These issues have potential implications for educators and programme designers.

text: Outdoor education: Opportunities provided by a place based approach This paper calls for educators to consider the role that ‘place’ has in outdoor education experiences. It is suggested that greater emphasis and acknowledgment be given to ‘place(s)’ and how they may help students make sense of both their personal and communal identity. The paper is interwoven with a narrative from the author’s experiences of working with Pākehā and Māori students on a course that consciously utilised a ‘place-based’ approach to teaching and learning. The paper challenges the conception that outdoor education requires ‘high-impact’ adventurous activities, instead suggesting that we seek to develop a modest pedagogy which acknowledges our relationships with place(s) as a way to understand who we are , how we connect to others and how we both give and take meanings from the places in which we live and learn. These issues have potential implications for educators and programme designers.

year: 2008