Linking paternalistic leadership to work engagement among Chinese expatriates: a job demand-resource perspective

PurposeThis study explores how paternalistic leadership (PL) influences Chinese expatriates' work engagement in a cross-cultural context, and examines how expatriates' cross-cultural adaptability sets a boundary condition for this relationship.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from two-wave surveys of 82 supervisors and 318 Chinese expatriate teachers from 57 Confucius Institutes in 18 countries. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized relationships.FindingsBenevolent and moral leadership as job resources are negatively related to work–family conflict (WFC), whereas the job demand of authoritarian leadership positively relates to WFC. Further, WFC mediates the effect of PL styles on Chinese expatriates' work engagement. Cross-cultural adaptability moderates the negative relationship between WFC and work engagement, and the indirect effect of PL styles on work engagement through WFC.Practical implicationsOrganizations should consider WFC an important intervening mechanism linking PL and Chinese expatriates' work engagement. Cross-cultural organizations can mitigate the negative impact of WFC on work engagement by enhancing expatriates' cross-cultural adaptability.Originality/valueThis study is the first to examine the PL–work engagement relationship via a work–family interface, which contributes to integrating leadership and work–family outcomes. It enriches research on the JD-R model by showing that job resources and job demands affect employee outcomes through the mediation of stressors. Furthermore, this study identifies a new personal resource by examining cross-cultural adaptability's moderating role.

Transformation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Teacher Candidates in an International Student Teaching Program

This case study addressed effects of international student teaching on U.S. teacher candidates’ cross-cultural adaptability and perspectives on language, culture, and schooling. Interviews and the Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory were collected from 18 participants before and after 4 weeks student teaching internationally. Interviews were coded using the Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory dimensions and interpreted using Mezirow’s transformational learning theory. Findings suggested that increased cross-cultural adaptation aligns with transformational learning. Transformational learning led participants to question assumptions and consider incorporating different perspectives in future teaching.

Measuring early child development across low and middle-income countries: A systematic review

The Sustainable Development Goals mandate that by 2030, all children should have access to quality early child development opportunities, healthcare and pre-primary education. Yet validated measures of ECD in low and middle income countries (LMICs) are rare. To address this gap, a Systematic Review (SR) of measures available to profile the development of children between the ages of 0–5 years in LMICs was undertaken. Drawing on education, psychology and health databases, we identified reliable, valid or measures adapted for use in LMICs for either assessments of children’s development or their learning environments. The inclusion criteria were (1) peer reviewed papers published between January 2009 and May 2019; (2) assessment tools used to measure cognitive/language development or the early years or home environment in at least one LMIC; (3) report of the psychometric properties (validity and reliability) of the tool, and/or description of the cultural adaptability/translation process undertaken before applying it to a LMIC. Two hundred and forty-nine available records published in the last decade in peer-review journals and nine relevant systematic literature reviews were identified. Fifty-seven records were qualitatively synthesised based on their psychometric properties and cultural adaptation. Forty-three tools were reviewed utilising 12 criteria. Five elements of analysis present in Tables 2 and 3 (study, population tested, validity, reliability and cultural adaptability/translation) focused on the tools’ psychometric properties and previous application in LMICs. A further seven dimensions outlined in Tables 4 and 5 identified specific characteristics of the tools from target age, administration method, domains, battery, accessibility, language and country/institution. We suggest these 12 key considerations for the selection of measurement tools that are applicable to effectively assess ECD in LMICs.

The Influence of Emotional Intelligence and Cultural Adaptability on Cross-Cultural Adjustment and Performance with the Mediating Effect of Cross-Cultural Competence: A Study of Expatriates in Taiwan

This study examines the influence of antecedents on cross-cultural competence and cross-cultural adjustment as well as the mediating role of cross-cultural competence for the influence of cultural adaptability on cross-cultural adjustment and expatriate performance. The partial least squares structural equation modeling technique was adopted to analyze the data from a survey of 240 expatriates working in Taiwan. The results confirm the positive effect of emotional intelligence and cultural adaptability on cross-cultural competence and of emotional intelligence and cross-cultural competence on cross-cultural adjustment. Moreover, the findings reveal a highly valuable milestone insight into the role of cross-cultural competence regarding their competency to foster the indirect influence of cultural adaptability on cross-cultural adjustment and expatriate performance in culturally diverse settings. Given that previous research has rarely identified the mediating role of cross-cultural competence in improving cross-cultural adjustment and expatriate performance, these findings could be highly beneficial for academics to conduct further validation and professional human resource managers in recruiting and managing expatriates.

Origins and Effects of Education System Transplantation: A Literature Review

This article reviews the literature on educational transplantation, which discussed three related issues: what is the definition of educational system transplantation, what are the typical models of educational system transplantation and what are the effects of educational system transplantation associated with exporting and receiving countries. The literature suggests that educational system transplantation expands the choices for education reforms and promotes the internal regime innovation for the receiving countries. Empirical cases reflect the educational system transplantation encountered the issues on cultural adaptability and compatibility among different education regimes and highly relied on the cultural context differences and suitable power operations.

Psychosocial Support: a path for improving refugees’ mental health and cross-cultural adaptability

This article aims at analysing how psychosocial support (PSS) projects focused on refugees' mental health might contribute to improving their well-being and resilience in camps or during resettlement. Their journeys usually cause an increase in individuals’ mental health instability, not only related to trauma but also because they require the capability of adjusting to different realities and cultures. This paper works toward answering the question of how PSS potentially capacitates refugees to continuously adapt to new environments through exploratory research of qualitative nature.