Sharing Student Projects

The process of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) integration in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms in secondary and high school in SoutheastAsia can be situated between the contexts of adolescent learners motivated by theirexperience of English mediated by communication technology, of teachers responding to the needs of their learners, and of education policy calling for increased integration of technology in education in order to achieve economic and social development goals. This research is a literature-based project which stems from my curiosity about the use of ICT in my professional role as an English language teacher, and which aims to provide understanding of the current situation of ICT integration from the perspective of EFL teachers. This study follows systematic literature review methods to identify relevant studies and synthesize findings. This dissertation suggests that while EFL teachers view ICT integration as beneficial for delivering instructional content and for helping teachers find resources and plan lessons, other benefits such as student centered learning and enhanced creativity are uncertain. This study finds that EFL teachers’ consider the main challenges to ICT integration as external in terms of a lack of resources, infrastructure, time and training, and internal in terms of a lack of confidence and pedagogical knowledge which results in attitudes antithetical to ICT use in classroom practice. This study considers that solutions to these challenges involve contributions from educational authorities, administrators and teachers to ease the lack of resources, position ICT in the curriculum to help teachers manage time, and support training to improve competence and change attitudes towards effective use of ICT in teaching.

This review will enable teachers and educational leaders in the geographic and educational setting to understand the phenomenon of ICT integration better to inform and advance the conditions of EFL classroom teaching practice.

This project aimed to explore how teacher self-efficacy (TSE) was impacted by teaching children from a low SES. Teachers’ beliefs about the reasons behind children’s academic successes and failures, and the potential influence of stereotypes were also considered as an additional influence on TSE. Semistructured interviews were used to explore TSE, from reflecting on their lived experiences. After obtaining ethical approval, six participants were recruited. These were primary school teachers with over three years of teaching experience, who worked in schools where there were a high proportion of children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The findings revealed pupils’ success to positively impact on TSE. Participants expressed multiple factors contributing to teachers’ ability to raise student outcomes and confidence in their teaching; pedagogical flexibility, school culture, educational constraints and job satisfaction were prominent ideas communicated by teachers. Teachers who associated predominantly positive sentiments in relation to these factors demonstrated robust TSE, whereas for those who communicated negative experiences, their TSE appeared to be compromised. For teachers educating children form a low socioeconomic status (SES), the term ‘success’, did not necessarily equate to achieving national age-related expected targets, but instead, meant enabling pupils’ progress which realised greater job satisfaction. The teachers interviewed shared the belief that every child can achieve, and for most, these positive attitudes were present within their school settings. Teachers appeared to be unaffected by the influences of stereotypes, which often discount or belittle those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Instead, teachers regarded the outcomes of children from a low SES to largely be within their control; their ability to make a difference to children’s lives provided motivation and resilience, raising their TSE. Assuming control over outcomes incentivised teachers to find resourceful ways of engaging children and providing them with experiences beyond the classroom to help their overall development. The study identified the challenges of the education system to be a significant factor impacting upon TSE, whereby teachers felt the curriculum to hold little relevance for their pupils. This appeared to have greater influence on teachers’perceptions of their TSE than the difficulties brought about by children’s low SES. Obtaining the views of multiple stakeholders invested in children’s outcomes was suggested as a future avenue for understanding the expectations placed on teachers which impact their TSE. Further recommendations include using diverse methods to obtain data, such as lesson observations in conjunction with interviews; combining interviews with survey data to reinforce findings; and considering the impact of gender on TSE, which was unaccounted for in this research, yet has been shown to be influential.

The findings generated themes (pedagogical flexibility, school culture, educational constraints and job satisfaction) many of which present aspects of teaching that can be amended and improved upon in order to raise TSE. Whilst these findings were obtained from a small number of participants (n = 6), individuals shared similar accounts which may also resonate with other teachers working within deprived areas. The findings hold relevance most notably for senior leadership teams who have the capacity to alter the practice and culture present within their schools. Teachers felt that having the support of their colleagues and a positive educational climate in which to work, was essential to children’s success and consequently boosted their own TSE. This information could be used to encourage collaboration between teachers and to create more opportunities for them to express concerns and difficulties. Such improvements would not only benefit teachers, but also the children they teach; raised TSE would have a positive impact on teaching practices, which could elevate student outcomes. The research also holds importance for educational policymakers. With participants expressing discontent with the current educational system, revision of the curriculum content could help teachers to feel more empowered by what they can accomplish within school. This in turn would be beneficial for the school climate, and take a step towards transforming wider societal beliefs about the potential of children from disadvantaged backgrounds

This study was initiated with the primary objective of addressing the pivotal question: What goals should education target for the forthcoming era? Recognising the significance of having a clear educational direction, this research operates under the premise that emerging digital technologies, notably Artificial Intelligence (AI), will become ubiquitous in our society. Consequently, it delves into the essential human qualities and values that will be paramount in this imminent AI-integrated future. The rationale is that the values deemed crucial for the future should guide the skills and competencies we instill in learners today. From this perspective, the capacity to envisage a future is a vital skill in this AI-symbioTc society, and this competence can also clarify what education is looking for in technologies such as AI. The discourse then pivots to methodologies that can nurture this capacity. Operating on the hypothesis that perceptual depth, which is shaped through intellectual, human, and contemplative experiences, can refine this ability, this research designed an art-based experienTal session. Participants were engaged in this session, and its impact was subsequently assessed using questionnaires, interviews, and focus group discussions. The findings indicate that the curated sessions consTtuted those three experiences, enriched participants' perceptual depth, and influenced their ability to conceptualise the future. These changes were evident from the data gathered and the narratives from the questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups.

This study underscores the importance of fostering a forward looking perspective in education, especially when integrating innovative technologies. It also offers insights into cultivating this vision and stimulates discourse on interpreting and assessing the envisioned futures.

Since the COVID-19 epidemic, m-learning has gained a significant degree of development in mainland China. The great potential of m-learning in enabling learners to learn anytime and anywhere, has attracted the attention of academics and governments. University students use mobile devices for mobile learning almost every day, and m-learning has gradually become an important way for students to expand their knowledge. Students have strong autonomy when they are engaged in m-learning, so their acceptance of m-learning will have an important impact on the effectiveness of m-learning. Taking this as a starting point, this study constructed a model containing five variables using the UTAUT model and conducted an empirical test to determine the factors affecting the acceptance of m-learning among postgraduate students from mainland China who study education-related majors in the United Kingdom. This study also examined the mediated effect of perceived satisfaction. Data was collected from 120 students enrolled in the institution of Education at the University of Manchester. The data was analyzed by SPSS 27 and AMOS 26. The result shown that perceived playfulness (β=0.442) and performance expectancy (β=0.353) had a significant positive influence on the acceptance of m-learning, while social influence and facilitating condition did not impact behavioral intention. This paper innovatively introduced perceived satisfaction as a mediating variable into the UTAUT model, and after data analysis, it was found that perceived satisfaction had a mediated effect on the influence of perceived playfulness and performance expectancy on behavioral intention.

This study validates and extends the UTAUT model on the basis of the previous studies and tests the applicability of the model for research in East Asia. The researcher also incorporates the problems that emerged during this study to provide suggestions for subsequent researchers.

The current study investigated the influence of the duration of the Education, Health, Care plan (EHCP) process and the role of level of professional support on the emotional well-being of 103 parents who had completed the EHCP process within the last year. Parents were asked to a complete an online questionnaire that asked for demographic information (age, gender, education level, social class), duration of the EHCP process (in weeks), level of professional support received, and the positive and negative emotions experienced in relation to the last year. The questionnaire was advertised on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter and social forums for parents such as ‘’Scope Community”, which included a summary of the study and a link to the questionnaire. The questionnaire was split into six short pages beginning with a participation information sheet that detailed information about the purpose of the study and what is involved, followed by a consent form. This was then followed by asking participants for their demographic information and by the measures. The questionnaire then finished with a debrief sheet that provided information on organisations for additional support if needed. Findings revealed that a longer EHCP process was related to more negative emotions experienced, more professional support received was related with more positive emotions and less negative emotions experienced and older age individuals reported lower positive emotions. These findings lend support to existing evidence and literature for various reasons. First, delays in the EHCP process can result in more negative emotions experienced by parents, therefore further emphasises the importance of the EHCP process being completed within the legal 20-week time frame. Second, although the level of professional support received by the parent may not reduce the impact of delays in the EHCP process, the amount of professional support received is important for parents’ emotional well-being. Third, investigating the impact of age on emotional well-being may not be as simple as it seems because parents may have different emotional experiences of the EHCP process regardless of their age. Therefore, both the duration of the EHCP process and level of professional support have independent influences that could be important for parents’ emotional well-being. With this study being one of the first in investigating the impact of delays in the EHCP process on parents’ emotional well-being, further research is advantageous. Investigating factors such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the stressors parents on the EHCP process face could improve this study by adding to the findings and existing knowledge. With delays in the EHCP process rising and concerns of professional support not being provided (Richardson, 2019), effective interventions in addressing delays and ensuring parents are receiving the support during the process is beneficial.

As the current study relates to the EHCP process, the research might benefit all experts involved in the process. In the initial request for an EHCP, evidence is gathered from all experts involved in supporting the child to support the request (e.g. occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, educational psychologists, clinical psychologists, paediatricians). The amount of evidence gathered determines whether or not the child is accepted for an EHCP. Although, gathering more evidence could mean waiting on several experts which may delay putting in an initial request. An initial request is then sent to the local authority, which has a six-week time frame in deciding whether to accept the request. However, parents are often waiting longer than the six-week time frame for confirmation. As more EHCP’s are being issued, more parents are likely to face delays in their EHCP process. With knowledge on this research, experts and local authorities involved in issuing an EHCP would be aware of the emotional impact delays may have on parents and could determine why delays are occurring in the EHCP process so measures can be put in place to ensure that deadlines are met. This research also further emphasises the importance of professionals providing support to parents, outlined in the Children and Families Act (2014) service standards associated with EHCPs for local authorities. The Special education needs and disability accountability framework also provides structure for improving outcomes and experiences of children, young people and their families and is applied at local and national levels. Local authorities may further benefit from this research by creating more frameworks in ensuring policies are being followed and that parents are provided with professional support and access to relevant resources and services during the entire process towards completion of an EHCP. In certain circumstances, delays are likely to happen. Although, this research could help parents be prepared for an emotional experience by looking for ways to prevent their emotional well-being from being affected.

Higher education students are required to apply themselves to their academic studies, towards an end goal of passing exams and assignments and gaining credits to ultimately graduate. This can induce significant levels of stress in students (Reddy et al., 2018), which has negative implications for both wellbeing and academic outcomes (Khan et al., 2013; Ruzhenkova et al., 2018). Executive Function (EF) is high order cognitive function that is essential for learning processes. EF has been linked to a variety of positive educational outcomes, such as adaptive learning behaviours and academic performance (Cartwright et al., 2020; Rabin et al., 2011). It is therefore important to understand the factors which effect stress and EF in students. Mindfulness has been linked to both decreases in stress and increases in EF suggesting it could be a useful skill to target in higher education students. Therefore, this research aimed to explore the relationships between trait mindfulness, perceived stress and EF and to explore whether trait mindfulness effects EF indirectly through perceived stress. The target population of this study was higher education students, due to their increased vulnerability to stress and their reliance on EF to meet educational goals. The study sampled 78 higher education students from UK universities, aged 18-25 years old. Participants completed selfreport questionnaires measuring trait mindfulness, perceived stress and EF. In order to assess the relationships between these factors, bivariate correlations, multiple regression and mediation analysis were utilised. Results showed that greater trait mindfulness significantly predicted EF ability and that this relationship was still significant after controlling for perceived stress. Additionally, the relationship between trait mindfulness and EF and was not mediated by perceived stress. Greater trait mindfulness was also associated with lower levels of perceived stress. An initial negative association between perceived stress and EF was seen, however this was no longer significant after controlling for trait mindfulness. The findings were in line with existing literature, which has seen trait mindfulness to predict lower levels of stress, as well as greater levels of EF. Limited research observes the relationships between all three of these variables and none thus far have observed the mediating effect of perceived stress on the relationship between trait mindfulness and EF. However, the findings do contrast with emerging research suggesting that perceived stress mediates the relationship between trait mindfulness and cognitive function more broadly. This study highlights the strong associations between trait mindfulness and both stress and EF and emphasises the need for future longitudinal research to explore causation in the relationships between trait mindfulness and EF and to further the emerging evidence suggesting trait mindfulness causes lower stress. Presently, trait mindfulness is linked with a variety of positive outcomes and may be an extremely useful skill for higher education students.

This study highlights how trait mindfulness is associated with lower levels of perceived stress and greater EF ability in higher education students. The findings add to the growing body of literature suggesting that individuals with higher trait mindfulness hold characteristics that can protect them from stress and improve EF. A variety of stakeholders, including students, universities, health professionals and psychology practitioners may benefit from the contributions to knowledge made by this study, as it furthers understanding of how both stress and EF which are linked to positive outcomes in students. Students are particularly vulnerable to experiencing stress, and the findings from this study support the use of mindfulness as an effective strategy for stress reduction. EF supports higher education students to engage in adaptive learning behaviours and perform better in assessments that contribute to successful graduation from their courses. EF ability has also been linked to achievement, health, wealth in later life. It has been shown that EF is a trainable skill and can be improved at any age and the current findings support that trait mindfulness could boost EF in higher education students. Mindfulness interventions are becoming increasingly available at universities for students to access (Cieslak et al., 2016) however students more commonly perceive mindfulness as an emotion regulation strategy than a skill that can support EF or their academic skills and performance (Bamber & Schneider, 2022). Universities should continue to explore different interventions through which student mindfulness can be improved, and make attempts to increase student awareness on the possible benefits to EF. Such strategies may be particularly useful around exam periods and assessment deadlines, when students are dealing with increased academic pressures. Likewise, health and psychology practitioners can use the current findings to guide their support of students experiencing high stress, or EF deficits.

Higher education students are required to apply themselves to their academic studies, towards an end goal of passing exams and assignments and gaining credits to ultimately graduate. This can induce significant levels of stress in students (Reddy et al., 2018), which has negative implications for both wellbeing and academic outcomes (Khan et al., 2013; Ruzhenkova et al., 2018). Executive Function (EF) is high order cognitive function that is essential for learning processes. EF has been linked to a variety of positive educational outcomes, such as adaptive learning behaviours and academic performance (Cartwright et al., 2020; Rabin et al., 2011). It is therefore important to understand the factors which effect stress and EF in students. Mindfulness has been linked to both decreases in stress and increases in EF suggesting it could be a useful skill to target in higher education students. Therefore, this research aimed to explore the relationships between trait mindfulness, perceived stress and EF and to explore whether trait mindfulness effects EF indirectly through perceived stress. The target population of this study was higher education students, due to their increased vulnerability to stress and their reliance on EF to meet educational goals. The study sampled 78 higher education students from UK universities, aged 18-25 years old. Participants completed selfreport questionnaires measuring trait mindfulness, perceived stress and EF. In order to assess the relationships between these factors, bivariate correlations, multiple regression and mediation analysis were utilised. Results showed that greater trait mindfulness significantly predicted EF ability and that this relationship was still significant after controlling for perceived stress. Additionally, the relationship between trait mindfulness and EF and was not mediated by perceived stress. Greater trait mindfulness was also associated with lower levels of perceived stress. An initial negative association between perceived stress and EF was seen, however this was no longer significant after controlling for trait mindfulness. The findings were in line with existing literature, which has seen trait mindfulness to predict lower levels of stress, as well as greater levels of EF. Limited research observes the relationships between all three of these variables and none thus far have observed the mediating effect of perceived stress on the relationship between trait mindfulness and EF. However, the findings do contrast with emerging research suggesting that perceived stress mediates the relationship between trait mindfulness and cognitive function more broadly. This study highlights the strong associations between trait mindfulness and both stress and EF and emphasises the need for future longitudinal research to explore causation in the relationships between trait mindfulness and EF and to further the emerging evidence suggesting trait mindfulness causes lower stress. Presently, trait mindfulness is linked with a variety of positive outcomes and may be an extremely useful skill for higher education students.

This study highlights how trait mindfulness is associated with lower levels of perceived stress and greater EF ability in higher education students. The findings add to the growing body of literature suggesting that individuals with higher trait mindfulness hold characteristics that can protect them from stress and improve EF. A variety of stakeholders, including students, universities, health professionals and psychology practitioners may benefit from the contributions to knowledge made by this study, as it furthers understanding of how both stress and EF which are linked to positive outcomes in students. Students are particularly vulnerable to experiencing stress, and the findings from this study support the use of mindfulness as an effective strategy for stress reduction. EF supports higher education students to engage in adaptive learning behaviours and perform better in assessments that contribute to successful graduation from their courses. EF ability has also been linked to achievement, health, wealth in later life. It has been shown that EF is a trainable skill and can be improved at any age and the current findings support that trait mindfulness could boost EF in higher education students. Mindfulness interventions are becoming increasingly available at universities for students to access (Cieslak et al., 2016) however students more commonly perceive mindfulness as an emotion regulation strategy than a skill that can support EF or their academic skills and performance (Bamber & Schneider, 2022). Universities should continue to explore different interventions through which student mindfulness can be improved, and make attempts to increase student awareness on the possible benefits to EF. Such strategies may be particularly useful around exam periods and assessment deadlines, when students are dealing with increased academic pressures. Likewise, health and psychology practitioners can use the current findings to guide their support of students experiencing high stress, or EF deficits.

Following school closures and disruptions, there have been efforts to bridge the academic attainment gap which has been further exacerbated by the pandemic (EEF, 2022). However, very few studies have been conducted to explore, from a qualitative angle, the perceived impact of school closures and disruptions on children’s SEWB from SD communities. The aim of this project was to explore the perceived impact of school closures and disruptions on SD primary school pupils. A qualitative approach was taken to capture perceptions and voice of primary school staff members’ lived experiences of the school closures as well as recommendations they have for future educational practitioners to consider. A total of eight participants participated in remote Zoom interviews reflecting two primary schools in Manchester and one in Liverpool. Two teaching assistants, three teachers, two headteachers and an inclusion manager participated in the study. RTA was used to analyse the interviews, revealing two themes ‘perceived challenges and personal narratives’ and ‘school as a support system’. The first theme aimed to capture the lived experiences of school staff during and following school closures and the unique challenges that their schoolchildren and families faced as a result of SD. Perceived challenges affecting the SEWB of children included play deprivation, long periods of social isolation in poor housing conditions, increased parental stress, low exposure to English and food insecurity. These challenges were perceived to have affected children’s ability to manage their emotions, their peer relationships and communication and language skills. The second theme encompasses the response to these perceived challenges, in that schools responded as a support system offering both instrumental and emotional support to children and their families. Staff recalled implementing targeted support, emotion-coaching strategies and adopting trauma-informed approaches. However, staff also recalled financial and organisational barriers to implementation of targeted support. Recommendations for addressing these challenges include improving parent-school relationships, increasing access to sensory provision and educational trips and embedding a whole-school culture of trauma-informed practice and emotion coaching. These findings fit in with the wider literature regarding the negative impact of SD on SEWB outcomes in children (Masarik & Conger, 2017; Rahal & Stigler, 2022). Additionally, the findings offer support to the existing literature on the negative impact of school closures and disruptions (Marchant et al., 2021; Tso et al., 2020; Vallejo-Slocker et al., 2020). To conclude, whilst these findings are not causal, they should be interpreted as offering valuable insight into the unique systemic challenges that these communities face and how these lived experiences have been perceived to have negatively impacted SEWB outcomes. Given the mental health crisis that has been exacerbated by the pandemic, these findings offer insights into the mechanisms that precede future mental health difficulties. It is clear that school staff have advocated through the pandemic for SD children, therefore, their recommendations hold saliency and value in what could be put in place to address these disparities.

As we now turn to a post-pandemic reality, the literature alludes to the fact that a pre-pandemic schooling structure cannot continue if education policy and practice are to address the academic and SEWB disparities in SD children. Therefore, the impact of this research is that it can allow for an insight into what can be put in place to support various stakeholders. As the research concerns the SEWB of SD children, this research can benefit them directly as efforts can be made to address the challenges that they face and shed light on their lived experiences. Particularly, as child SEWB has become central to inclusive education practice and research, it is important to understand how these learners experience their interrelated worlds of school, family and community (Corcoran & Kaneva, 2021). Moreover, whilst this research has focused on children’s wellbeing outcomes, the literature indicates parental wellbeing is important in being able to support their children socially and emotionally. Therefore, this research is important for highlighting the role that parents have played during the pandemic and how the cultivation of a parent-school relationship can benefit the child. To ensure effective inclusion practice, there is a requirement to involve families and wider communities beyond schools (Lewis et al., 2019). Additionally, these findings were helpful in understanding how schools can respond as a support system to address the short and long-term effects of school closures and disruptions. School staff working in SD communities have an additional challenge of addressing these barriers with very little resources and financial support. Thus, illuminating the voices of adults who have had the most contact with this marginalised group can allow for educational policymakers to be more informed in addressing the context-specific barriers of implementing effective SEWB strategies within educational settings.

This dissertation sought to explore the perspectives of professionals in English special schools on the impact of Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAIs) on social communication in students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ASD is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder (Hodges et al., 2020) which approximately 1 out of 100 children worldwide are diagnosed with (Zeidan et al., 2022). Social communication deficits are one of the core characteristics of ASD (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). It includes difficulties with eye contact and with understanding other people’s perspectives (Hardy & Weston, 2020). Social communication deficits are associated with negative outcomes, such as isolation and mental health difficulties (Hardy & Weston, 2020). Therefore, supporting students with ASD to manage social communication difficulties is a key focus of special schools in England, UK (Department of Education, 2015). AAIs are being implemented in some special schools in England in order to try and support students with their social communication deficits. AAIs include Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT), where the animal plays a central role in achieving the specified therapeutic goal, and Animal-Assisted Activities (AAAs), which involves the inclusion for animals for general benefit without defined therapeutic goals (Berget & Braastad, 2008; Davis et al., 2015). An example of AAT is a speech & language therapist incorporating a therapy dog into a speech & language session. An example of AAAs is a teacher bringing guinea pigs into class for students to interact with. Often there is significant overlap between AAT and AAAs, and in England there are very limited regulations surrounding AAIs (Berget & Braastad, 2008). This research aimed to explore how AAIs are currently being implemented in special schools in England, their impact on the social communication of students with ASD and the underlying mechanisms, as well as the limitations and challenges associated with their implementation. 9 participants were recruited from across England and included 7 practitioners of AAIs and 2 observers. Some of the professions of the practitioners included a counsellor, a child & adolescent psychotherapist, a speech & language therapist and an occupational therapist. The research had a qualitative approach and semi-structured interviews, conducted on Zoom, were used to gather the perspectives of each of the participants. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Key themes and subthemes were identified. It was found that AAIs are being implemented in special schools in England using flexible and child-led approaches, with participants frequently struggling to describe what a ‘typical’ session of AAIs looked like for them. Animals being used included dogs, guinea pigs and rats. The participants had varying views on the importance of animal training. Participants suggested that recognition of AAIs in education is growing and spreading on the back of anecdotal evidence. However, it was discussed that there is still a lack of understanding about what it is and its benefits. The professionals generally perceived AAIs to have a positive impact on the social communication of students with ASD. The calming effects of animals were discussed, as well as the predictability and consistency of animals. A recurring theme was that animals acted as a ‘bridge’ between students and the social world, whether in building relationships with the practitioner or with their peers. These findings support existing literature on the subject. It was also suggested that interactions with animals can help to build the confidence of students with ASD through allowing them to take on a care-taking role which they may not have in other parts of their life. The impact of the AAIs was found to be lesser for students who were visually impaired. Challenges of AAIs implementation were also discussed, such as concerns about animal welfare and logistical, budget and time constraints. It was noted that AAIs are not suitable for all children, due to factors such as fears of animals.

This research has relevance for a variety of stakeholders. The findings of this research are promising with regards to the impact of AAIs for the social communication of students with ASD. However, these findings alone should not be taken as definitive evidence of its effectiveness. Instead, the mechanisms suggested by the professionals can serve as the grounds for guiding future research. There are also some concerning findings in the research, such as with regards to the lack of training of some animals, which should be addressed. For Policy Makers: it is recommended that comprehensive national guidelines should be introduced to standardise practice in England. Ideally this would take the form of National Occupational Standards, which would make requirements such as a certain level of training for dogs legally binding. This is necessary to protect animal welfare, as well as the safety of children involved in interventions. For Practitioners: it is recommended that until National Occupational Standards are introduced, the voluntary UK Code of Practice created by The Society For Companion Animal Studies (2019) should be adhered to. This is the most thorough code of practice currently available. It includes recommendations such as that cats and dogs should be at least 1 year old before being involved in AAIs and that sessions should not last more than 45 minutes. For Schools: It is recommended that they have their own risk assessments and regulations regarding AAIs in order to ensure their students’ safety. For Parents of Children with ASD: Parents should be aware that there is no concrete evidence of the efficacy of AAIs. They must weigh the potential, unproven, benefits of AAIs against the potential risks for their children.

The present study aimed to examine the relationship between personality traits, psychological well-being (PWB), school satisfaction and social satisfaction among Hong Kong university students who are studying in the UK. The association between personality and well-being has been studied extensively in the past decades, yet, few research focused on emerging adulthood and culturally distinct contexts, such as Hong Kong students. Moreover, existing literature on the impacts of individual personality traits on multidimensional well-being is mixed and contradicting, this study tried to narrow the inconsistencies between previous findings. A cross-sectional quantitative online survey was adopted in this study. Self-report data was collected via psychometrically sound and published surveys gathered from the online anonymous survey distributed through Qualtrics, including the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP), Psychological Well-being Scale (PWB18-items) and Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS). Participants were university students studying in the UK, who also identify themselves as Hong Kongers. A total of 107 responses were collected and 104 participants fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The data underwent a series of correlational analyses and hierarchical regression analyses in order to understand whether and by the variance of personality explains PWB, school satisfaction and social satisfaction. Results revealed that personality traits in general predict PWB, school and social satisfaction. Traits openness, conscientiousness and neuroticism predict PWB; conscientiousness and neuroticism predict school satisfaction; conscientiousness, agreeableness and extraversion predict social satisfaction. School satisfaction is not explained by both PWB and social satisfaction, where PWB predicts social satisfaction. In sum, this research confirms the relationship of individual personality traits, PWB, school and social satisfaction to some extent, which the proposed hypotheses were partially supported. It highlights the importance of considering personality factors in well-being, both hedonically and eudaimonically in a comprehensive structure. The uniqueness of the chosen population is acknowledged in contributing to the existing growing body of research. Future research direction on examining this specific population longitudinally at different times with multiple assessment methods is recommended. Educational implications for higher education institutes and individual students are discussed, that the attributional factor of personality in understanding one’s distinct PWB and SWB is emphasised, encouraging students to accept and value their individual difference in pursuing optimal functioning and happiness in university lives.

This study serves as an insight for future research on this novel population: Hong Kong students in the UK. By understanding and extending the research interest outside the WEIRD population, knowledge could be generalised to a wider population internationally. It incorporates current policies on immigration and culture of Hong Kongers, in examining the actual attitudes of this unique group in universities. Moreover, this study investigated based on grounded theories of personality and well-being, enriching the knowledge in personality and positive psychology within educational settings. Transition is further studied by including cross-country (i.e., Hong Kong to UK) transition, along with school and social transitions. This offers opportunities for further academic research on the interaction between different types of transitions. For higher education institutions, this study may serve as educational policy making and programme design aspirations. Given that personality and well-being are related, individual differences ought to be catered when designing various interventions and teaching approaches. Universities could also reinforce the PWB and SWB supporting systems apart from strengthening mental health awareness in school, acknowledging the PWB-SWB distinction whenever students require support. For individual students, they possibly learn that enhanced self-understanding of one's internal state can improve their self-realisation and goal pursuit. Some traits were found as predictors of well-being, getting to know one's own personality is helpful in evaluating their well-being. It is also important to stress that personality is not the only attribution to well-being, the relatively stable traits could interact with other factors in resulting positive well-being in university life. Individuals could explore other contributors of well-being and happiness instead of dwelling on their perceived less desirable traits. Learning to accept and cope with one’s personality and optimising one’s functioning could be vital for students in their university studies, future career achievements and life outcomes