Serey Sok, Chealy Chet, Tepsam Ol Chen, Chansopheak Keng and Veasna Sou
This paper aims to draw on pupils’ experience during the COVID-19 measures, focusing on a safe learning environment from disaster, study activities during COVID-19, and safe…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to draw on pupils’ experience during the COVID-19 measures, focusing on a safe learning environment from disaster, study activities during COVID-19, and safe school-related activities and interventions.
Design/methodology/approach
Surveys were conducted among 768 pupils at 34 primary schools in Stung Treng province with qualitative data collection among key stakeholders through participatory approaches.
Findings
The COVID-19 outbreak become a new challenge in teaching and learning. Almost all pupils felt safe at school but not fully on the way to/from schools and the communities. In particular, one-third of pupils felt unsafe in the environment where they mainly had to study for school during the COVID-19 outbreak; girls needed more protection from adults. The majority of pupils continued learning at their own homes, followed by neighbors’ homes (28.1%), other people’s homes (25.4%), teachers’ homes (14.9%) and public spaces (11.9%). Pupils continued going to school occasionally, and they also leaned on television (42.1%), smart devices (17.2%), iPads (10.2%) and computers (5.3%). School safety and educational continuity management only helped to increase pupils’ knowledge and made for a more positive attitude toward their participation in interventions. This paper is one of the pioneering research studies that adopted the comprehensive school safety framework (CSSF) to analyze safe school programs in primary education during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Research limitations/implications
The research was conducted in Stung Treng with a large engagement of key national and sub-national stakeholders, including schools. Providing a large sample size has enabled its results and findings to be better generalized to the context of Stung Treg province. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we did not visit the study site to participate or observe pupils' risks and challenges. However, the incident happened less than one year after the interviews, so all the respondents could provide clear information.
Practical implications
The SEM predict that school safety and educational continuity management only helped to increase pupils’ knowledge and made for a more positive attitude toward their participation in interventions. But, primary schools did not have sufficient resources and infrastructure to carry out interventions. The SEM model recognizes the importance of facilities and buildings in promoting safe school interventions and raising awareness to improve pupils' knowledge and attitudes toward risk reduction. Yet, knowledge and a positive attitude toward risk reduction did not eliminate pupils’ vulnerabilities because safe school interventions by schools were still required.
Social implications
The findings of the research produce both quantitative and qualitative information on safe school programs and interventions to achieve the implementation of Cambodia’s national policies and sustainable development goals (SDGs) and beyond. In particular, this research is one of the most pioneer academic research projects conducting by a local scholar from Cambodia.
Originality/value
The CSFF (2022–2030) has been widely applied to promote safe school in developing countries; but there were only few studies conducting to deeply understand this concept. The previous studies have primary captured the impacts of floods, droughts, violences and abuse. This study is a particular case of the COVID-19 pandemic by using the CSSF.
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Li‐Yueh Lee, Sou Veasna and Wann‐Yih Wu
This study aims to examine the significance of transformational leadership and social support for expatriate adjustment and performance. This study also extends relevant…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the significance of transformational leadership and social support for expatriate adjustment and performance. This study also extends relevant literature on expatriate management to examine the relationships among transformational leadership, social support, expatriate adjustment, and expatriate performance through a mechanism taking into account the moderating roles of cultural intelligence and socialization experience.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample was collected from 156 expatriate managers of Taiwanese multinational company (MNC) subsidiaries operating in China. Structural equation modeling (SEM) in AMOS 21 and hierarchical regression in SPSS 19 were used to test eight research hypotheses.
Findings
The SEM results indicated that transformational leadership and social support make significant contributions to expatriate adjustment and performance. The moderating roles of socialization experience and cultural intelligence were also confirmed in this study.
Originality/value
This study extends a theoretical model of transformational leadership and social support to examine expatriate adjustment and performance based on social learning and social exchange theories. Using a specific Chinese context, the current paper highlights the value and necessity of cross‐cultural adjustment for successful expatriation.