Truancy has been a universal unresolved educational problem in countries that made schooling a compulsory routine for children age seven years and older. The objective of this study is to identify the contributory factors of truancy and the correlation between the factors among secondary school students. The sample comprised 472 truants from Malaysia who have been routinely absent from school for 10 days to more than 40 days per year. Results demonstrated that teacher's personality, students' attitudes toward school, environment in school, school administration, teachers' teaching, and environment outside school, peers and family are significant contributory factors of truancy. Significant positive correlations between all the factors causing truancy were found. Correlation between teachers' teaching and teachers' personality was the highest whereas the lowest correlation was revealed between school administration and family.
The prevalence of fast food consumption and childhood obesity has increased rapidly. This study aimed to assess the association between the frequency of fast food consumption in the past week with emotional and behavioral problems of 624 adolescents with overweight and obese problems (mean age = 14.6). Frequency of fast food consumption was assessed through a pre-tested nutritional knowledge, attitude, and practice questionnaire. Meanwhile, the Youth Self-Report questionnaire was used to measure emotional and behavioral problems. Multiple linear regression was used to measure the strength of relationships. The strongest and significant positive correlation was reported between frequency of fast food consumption in the past week and aggressive behavior ( r = .65, p < .001). Weak but significant positive correlations were demonstrated between frequency of fast food intake in the past week with somatic complaints ( r = .328, p < .001) and attention problems ( r = .356, p < .001). Therefore, adolescents with obese and overweight problems and their parents should be instilled awareness about the association between fast food consumption and emotional and behavioral problems to achieve their psychological well-being.
The objective of this study was to identify the differences for the sub-constructs of educational beliefs and passion for teaching among 409 preservice teachers from Malaysia and China. Results demonstrated that Malaysian preservice teachers scored the highest mean for traditionalism whereas the Chinese preservice teachers obtained the highest mean for romanticism. As for passion, the Malaysian and Chinese preservice teachers reported the highest mean in harmonious passion. Findings reported as for educational beliefs, the mean of two countries in their traditionalism and progressivism was significantly different. Preservice teachers from Malaysia reported higher mean than those from China in both cases. Regarding passion for teaching, the differences were only found in obsessive passion where Malaysian pre-service teachers reported the higher mean.
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