Abstracts – Session Three

2:00 – 3:00 – 6EN – 516

Chair:  Niro Rajapaksha

Lan Anh Thi Nguyen: Approaches to Student Evaluation of Teaching in higher education: A case study in Vietnam

The trajectory of the implementation of student evaluation of teaching (SET), reflected internationally and in New Zealand, illustrates a shift in governance approaches of higher education institutions (Barrow & Grant, 2015). In Vietnam, though SET has become compulsory in higher education institutions since 2009, its impact on teaching and learning is controversial (Phan, 2012; Tran & Nguyen, 2015). This study was based on empirical and archival data from four member institutions in a multi-disciplinary university in Vietnam. The purpose of the study is to reveal a holistic picture of approaches to SET at the meso- and micro-levels of practices. Preliminary findings from this study confirm existing literature in which SET is considered an essential part of the institutions’ audit system and as “a more pastoral mode of power relations” between the institution and its teaching staff at a quite early phase of SET implementation (Barrow & Grant, 2015, p.589). We also provide a clarification in the participants’ conceptualisations of student evaluation of teaching from formal versus informal sources. The extent to which SET is considered by teachers to be meaningful was found to vary according to their conceptualisations of SET. Though the data comes from a specific case in Vietnam, the arguments, reasons and implications associated with our findings can shed light on approaches to SET implementation in other higher education settings that share similar stages of development.

Wenjing Yao: Terraces of Assessment Preparation: The construction and implementation of language testing and assessment courses in different cultural and academic contexts

This research investigates the construction and implementation of language testing and assessment courses (LTACs) in different cultural and academic contexts (Chinese undergraduate, Chinese postgraduate and New Zealand postgraduate) with an intention to identify similarities and differences across the courses in contrasting contexts, examine how LTACs develop students’ assessment literacy, and provide implications for assessment literacy preparation in teacher education programs across different contexts. An exploratory mixed-method research comprising two sequential phases of data collection and three inter-connected studies was designed and conducted. Study 1 employed content analysis to analyse 20 LTAC course syllabi and revealed the different focus across the three contexts; Study 2 applied thematic analysis to analyse 20 LTAC course instructors’ interviews and added to Study 1 findings. Informed by Study 1 and Study 2, Study 3 surveyed senior pre-service teachers from the Chinese undergraduate context and statistically analyse the impact of LTACs on their conceptual model of assessment literacy (i.e., conceptions of assessment, self-efficacy for assessment, and practices of assessment). Collectively, the findings informed a model of contextual factors for course construction and assessment literacy preparation that applicable to different contexts. It also confirmed previous findings in terms of the societal influence on teachers’ conceptions and practices but its original and substantial contribution is the findings that individual differences impacted course construction and implementation in higher education.

Wenli Zhang: Gambling addiction as a relationship issue: Chinese immigrants experience recovering from gambling addiction in New Zealand

Legalised commercial gambling has influenced the landscape of addiction field over the last decades. Gambling-related harm is attracting more attention in research and treatment strategies. Forming an addictive relationship with gambling has major consequences for gamblers, families, communities, and society. As the third-largest migrant ethnic group in New Zealand, the Chinese community faces increasing challenges in their engagement with gambling.  

The presentation illustrates a qualitative study which investigates Chinese immigrants’ lived-experience of recovering from gambling addiction in New Zealand. The study is guided by the principle of hermeneutic phenomenology. The researcher interviewed eight families, which included a member who had a problematic relationship with gambling and an affected member. All interviews were audio-recorded with consent. Data analysis applied a comprehensive thematical approach to reveal the essence of the phenomenon.  

Findings of the research showed that recovery from gambling addiction involves a return to a normalised life and that this is a long and rocky journey. Paths of becoming addicted to gambling were varied, but evidence from the study indicated they are closely related to the immigration experience and the gambling environment in the host country. Strengthening the family and close social relationship was presented as a strong influence in recovery. The implementation of the results, limitations and the areas for further research are also discussed. It is hoped that the participants’ experience can inspire more immigrant’ families to move on from lives negatively affected by gambling-related harm.