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IntroductionThere are very few studies examining the psychological well-being of university students in Hong Kong under the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides COVID-19-related stress, the “social event” in 2019-2020 has caused significant stress in young people. As such, we attempted to answer several research questions in this paper. First, what are the relationships between stresses (COVID-19 and “social event” related stresses) and psychological well-being indexed by depressive symptoms? Based on the stress and coping perspective, we predicted that there would be positive relationships between both types of stress and depression. Second, what are the relationships between different positive psychological factors (including life satisfaction, resilience and emotional management, flourishing, and beliefs about adversity) and depression? Based on different theoretical models of positive psychology, we hypothesized that negative relationships would exist between positive psychological factors and depressive symptoms. Third, do positive psychological attributes moderate the associations between stresses (COVID-19 and “social event” related stresses) and depressive symptoms? Based on the positive psychology literature, we hypothesized that positive psychological attributes would buffer the negative impact of stresses on depression.MethodsWe recruited university students roughly one year after the first wave of the pandemic (N = 1,648) in early 2021. We used 25 items to measure COVID-19-related stress and “social event” related stress. For psychological well-being indexed by depressive symptoms, we used the “Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Revised (CESD-R)”. For positive psychological attributes, we employed established measures of life satisfaction, resilience and emotional management, flourishing, and beliefs about adversity.ResultsRegarding the relationship between stress and depression, we found positive relationships between both types of stress and depressive symptoms. As predicted, negative relationships existed between all positive psychological attributes and depressive symptoms. Besides, the positive psychological attributes significantly moderated the effects of stresses on depression, suggesting that these factors can reduce the negative impacts of stresses on depression. The present findings provide support for those models, highlighting the importance of positive psychological attributes as protective factors for university students’ depression.DiscussionThe findings of this study underscore the important role of positive psychological attributes in the stress-depression relationship in university students under the pandemic. The findings also generalize the positive youth development theory in the Chinese context. In terms of practice, university administrators and service providers should consider cultivating positive psychological attributes in university students with the purpose of promoting their psychological well-being.

Depression is a common mental health problem among children, and autonomy-granting parenting was found to be an important predictor of child depression. Besides, important psychological strengths such as hope and life satisfaction were suggested to be protective factors for children’s development of depression. However, few studies explored the role of autonomy-granting parenting on child depression in Chinese families and the protective roles of hope and life satisfaction on the relationship. The present study examined the association between autonomy-granting parenting and children’s depression, and the moderating effects of hope and life satisfaction on the relationship among Chinese children in Hong Kong. Participants were 439 children in primary school Grade 4 to 6 in Hong Kong based on convenience sampling. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess the relationship among hope, life satisfaction, autonomy-granting parenting and children’s depression. Results showed that hope, life satisfaction and autonomy-granting parenting were all significantly and negatively correlated with depression. The moderation analysis showed that both life satisfaction and hope moderated the relationship between autonomy-granting parenting and children’s depression. The current findings firstly provide evidence for the negative association between autonomy-granting parenting and child depression in Chinese context. It also showed that hope and life satisfaction were two important protective factors for children’s development of depressive symptoms under the lower autonomy-granting parenting.

Positive attitude to service leadership is fundamental for the development of successful leadership qualities in the service-dominated economy. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the 46-item Service Leadership Attitude Scale (SLA) in Hong Kong. A total of 2,240 undergraduate students in Hong Kong (mean age = 20.44±1.64 years; 66.9% were female) completed a questionnaire containing the 46-item SLA and other leadership-related scales. The psychometric properties of SLA were assessed using confirmatory factor analyses (CFA), reliability analyses, measurement invariance tests, and convergent validity test. Previous exploratory factor analyses suggested a seven-factor model of SLA which was supported by CFA in this study. By adding an additional dimension ("Implicit leadership theory") in the scale, the final eight-factor model with 46 items showed superior fit using CFA. Factorial invariance tests showed that the factor structure was invariant in terms of construct dimensionality, factor loadings, intercepts, and factor covariance across gender and subgroups split based on "odd" and "even" case numbers. Convergent validity tests showed that the scale scores were correlated with several leadership-related scales. The scale and subscales also demonstrated good internal consistency reliability. This study is the first scientific work to validate a measure of attitude to service leadership via CFA. It contributes significantly to the development and validation of measures of attitude to service leadership, particularly in the higher education sector.

The General University Requirements (GUR) is the core general education component of the new 4-year undergraduate curriculum at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) commencing from the 2012/2013 academic year. The major objective of the GUR is to widen students’ horizons and promote their holistic development in their undergraduate years. To evaluate the perceived effectiveness of the GUR in its second year implementation, 18 focus group interviews (n=74 students) were conducted in the 2013/2014 academic year. Findings showed that subjects under the GUR framework were overall welcomed by students for the well-designed subject contents, dedicated teaching staff, and collaborative and experiential learning methods. Students perceived that the GUR was beneficial to their development in effective communication, critical thinking, problem solving, lifelong learning, and ethical leadership. Some challenges encountered by students were noted to further revamp the GUR curriculum in the future.

Following the North American model, the length of undergraduate program in Hong Kong has been extended from 3 to 4 years since 2012. To maximize the impact of the additional year, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has implemented a new general education framework entitled “General University Requirements (GUR)” aiming to cultivate students in a holistic manner. This study explored students’ impressions of the GUR subjects using a survey collecting primarily qualitative data. Results from 163 students of eight faculties showed that students perceived the GUR subjects favorably. Having opportunities to make new friends from other departments and the teaching and learning methods, particularly experiential learning stimulated students’ interest and enriched their learning experiences which were reportedly are unforgettable. Some of the obstacles encountered by students in several subjects were identified. The beneficial effects of the GUR subjects in different domains were voiced by the students.

Under the new four-year undergraduate programme, a general education framework titled ‘General University Requirements’ (GUR) has been developed and implemented since 2012/2013 at Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). To evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the GUR in its first year, focus group interviews with students were carried out. In 13 focus groups, 62 first-year students from eight faculties/schools who took GUR subjects in 2012/2013 academic year were interviewed by trained researchers. Results showed that students generally had good perceptions of the GUR in terms of the subject content, teaching methods and the overall effectiveness of the subjects. The interactive teaching and learning initiatives adopted in GUR subjects were particularly appreciated, although students expressed minor concerns on the administration of GUR subjects. The results suggest that the first-year implementation of the GUR at PolyU was generally smooth and successful from the perspectives of the students.

The General University Requirements (GUR) is a component of the new 4-year undergraduate program at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). This study examined students’ views and experiences of the GUR using a qualitative methodology. Written comments of 240 freshmen, sophomores, and senior-year students with reference to open-ended questions on their memorable experiences in the GUR study were collected. The qualitative findings suggested that students generally had positive views on the GUR in terms of its widely adopted active and experiential learning pedagogy, useful and attractive contents, caring teaching staff, and rich learning outcomes. Challenges were also identified for further improvement of the GUR.

A series of amphiphilic dendrons (G1-G4) have been designed and synthesized, which have a highly branched aliphatic hydrocarbon skeleton and a hydrophilic hydroxyl functionality to enable conjugation with other substrates. The higher generation dendrons (G3 and G4) were synthesized by a double-stage convergent method, which shortened the synthetic route significantly and provided the products in an efficient manner. The key branching step involved a double alkyl-metal addition to an ester functionality followed by deoxygenation of a resulting tertiary alcohol by triethylsilane.

This chapter examines the development of liberal arts education in Chinese higher education and in particular, the histories and reforms over the years of Fudan University in mainland China and Lingnan University in Hong Kong and these institutions’ attempts to adapt the Western model of liberal arts education to Chinese contexts.

The novel double-stage convergent synthesis of a new class of polyisoprene terpenoid (PIPTP) dendrons is described. PIPTP dendrons bear a highly branched aliphatic hydrocarbon skeleton and a hydrophilic hydroxy focal point functionality. These dendrons have the specific formula C((5×2)(G+1)(-5))H((5×2)(G+2)(-8))O, and each dendritic layer is constructed from an isoprene unit. The key branching steps involve a double alkyl-metal addition to an ester functionality, followed by deoxygenation of the resulting tertiary alcohol by triethylsilane and trifluoroacetic acid, then hydrogenation or hydrogenolysis. The dendrons were also attached to oligo(phenylene ethynylene)s (OPEs) so as to function as protective shells to allow fine tuning of the nanoscopic environment around the OPE moiety, and to exert precise control of the packing density and intermolecular interaction between the OPE cores. Fluorescence quantum yield data reveal that the OPE core is better encapsulated by the PIPTP dendrons than by Fréchet dendrons.