In‐ and outgroup representation in a dynamic society: Hong Kong after 1997

Abstract

Reunification with the People's Republic of China in 1997 draws attention to the identity of Hong Kong people along with their representation and perception of in‐ and outgroups. We gathered current data on in‐ and outgroup representations, self‐categorizations, and the willingness to assimilate in this dynamic sociocultural environment. A new experimental method was developed to measure the structure and feature dimensions of in‐ and outgroup representation in 25 university students and 25 employees. Results showed that the structure of mental representations had changed after reunification. Interestingly, significant feature dimension of intergroup perception, such as modernity and Confucian values, proved to be consistent with earlier research. In the present study, it became obvious that such feature dimensions played an important role in discriminating between in‐ and outgroups.

Action‐Theory Approach to Applied Sport Psychology

“…Because the usual rating and sorting methods do not permit a psychometric analysis of the representational structure, we developed a special method for measuring mental representation structures (Lander & Lange, 1996;Schack & Schack, 2005). It has now been modified for the analysis of action representation (structural dimensional analysismotoric, or SDA-M; Schack, 2002).…”

To Be or Not To Be “Part of Them”: Micropolitical Challenges in Mainland Chinese Students' Learning of English in a Multilingual University

“…At the contextual level, these challenges were largely related to the linguistic and sociocultural differences in their socialization with local students (e.g., Bolton & Lim, 2000;Ma & Fung, 1999;Schack & Schack, 2005). These differences became barriers evident in the socialization process between mainland Chinese students and their local counterparts, as particular cultural stereotypes of mainland Chinese were often resisted by these mainland students.…”

“…For instance, when the Chinese mainland was still in a state of political turmoil, Hong Kong had already achieved enviable economic success in the region. These differences constitute a significant cultural gap differentiating the two Chinese groups, despite the fact that they share a similar cultural heritage (Ho, Chau, Chiu, & Peng, 2003;Ma & Fung, 1999;Schack & Schack, 2005). In recent years, although the differences between mainland Chinese and local Chinese are diminishing, it is fair to say that a sociocultural barrier still exists between the two peoples sharing the same ethnic origin, which may create potential problems in the socialization process for mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong.…”

Identity, Motivation and Autonomy in Language Learning

“…When elite students like Liu came to Hong Kong in pursuit of linguistic competence and academic qualification, they had to deal with complex linguistic issues and sociocultural barriers in their socialization with local and non-local students at the contextual level. As captured in the narratives of many other participants who were interviewed in the inquiry (Gao, 2010), these students also experienced many cultural differences in their socialization with local students (Schack & Schack, 2005). Therefore, while well supported by material conditions, it was particularly challenging for these participants to broaden their strategic learning efforts in pursuit of English competence.…”

“…For instance, when the Chinese mainland was still in a state of political turmoil, Hong Kong had already achieved enviable economic success in the region. These differences constitute a significant cultural gap differentiating the two Chinese groups despite the fact that they share the same ethnicity and a similar cultural heritage, problematizing any homogenous view of Chinese learners (Schack & Schack, 2005). Although the differences between mainland Chinese and local Chinese in Hong Kong are gradually diminishing, remaining vestiges of these differences still create potential problems in the socialization process for mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong.…”