**6. Results**

Not surprisingly for a large-scale study of this type, a range of data for correlation was collected and analysed. However, the results presented relate primarily to group c above and have been selected because they are of particular interest, and they were somewhat unexpected. The relationship between scores on LASSI and the type of housing occupied by the students produced some particularly interesting findings (see Table 2). ANOVA analysis yielded highly significant results (p<.000).

This study demonstrates a significant relationship between LASSI score and type of housing, or more accurately, whether a student is living in the 'home' environment (Family Home or FH). The students from the Chinese mainland coming to Hong Kong to study (moving away from 'home') with unidentified housing type obtained by far the highest overall LASSI scores (n=127, mean score=619.73) with those students living in the University's accommodation on campus producing the second highest LASSI scores (n=45, mean score=580.58). Perhaps less surprisingly, those living in private housing produced (n=621, mean score=435.83) the third highest LASSI scores (see Table 2).


FH – Living in family home. HOS - Home Ownership Scheme. NFH – Living away from family home. PSPS - Private Sector Participation Scheme.

**Table 2.** Mean Total LASSI score according to Type of Housing (FH vs. NFH).

When the total LASSI score is broken down into the three major components of the inventory, 'will', 'skill', and 'self-regulation' the following results are obtained (see Tables 3 to 5).


**Table 3.** Mean 'Will Component' score according to Type of Housing (FH vs. NFH).

142 Current Topics in Children's Learning and Cognition

yielded highly significant results (p<.000).

**Table 1.** Category of students

**5.4. Procedure** 

**6. Results** 

Sector Participation Scheme.

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

**N Mean LASSI Score** 

Valid **Exception** 360 19.8 19.8 19.8

**Total** 1821 100.0 100.0

**Foundation** 134 7.4 7.4 27.1 **UGC funded** 984 54.0 54.0 81.2 **Non-UGC funded** 343 18.8 18.8 100.0

In order to investigate some of the correlations between LASSI scores and other demographic and academic factors during the pilot period, a number of correlations were attempted with the four groups identified above, and the data presented in this study has been selected as of particular interest for further consideration. Although the original N=1821, six cases were omitted from the analysis because of incomplete or confounding data, therefore N=1815.

Not surprisingly for a large-scale study of this type, a range of data for correlation was collected and analysed. However, the results presented relate primarily to group c above and have been selected because they are of particular interest, and they were somewhat unexpected. The relationship between scores on LASSI and the type of housing occupied by the students produced some particularly interesting findings (see Table 2). ANOVA analysis

This study demonstrates a significant relationship between LASSI score and type of housing, or more accurately, whether a student is living in the 'home' environment (Family Home or FH). The students from the Chinese mainland coming to Hong Kong to study (moving away from 'home') with unidentified housing type obtained by far the highest overall LASSI scores (n=127, mean score=619.73) with those students living in the University's accommodation on campus producing the second highest LASSI scores (n=45, mean score=580.58). Perhaps less surprisingly, those living in private housing produced

**LASSI** Staff quarters (FH) 5 369.8000 HOS/PSPS (FH) 269 419.3494 Private housing (FH) 621 435.8293 Public housing (FH) 748 418.4238 Student halls (NFH) 45 580.5778 From Chinese Mainland (NFH) 127 619.7323 Total 1815 442.4887 FH – Living in family home. HOS - Home Ownership Scheme. NFH – Living away from family home. PSPS - Private

(n=621, mean score=435.83) the third highest LASSI scores (see Table 2).

**Table 2.** Mean Total LASSI score according to Type of Housing (FH vs. NFH).


**Table 4.** Mean 'Skill Component' score according to Type of Housing (FH vs. NFH).


**Table 5.** Mean 'Self-regulation Component' score according to Type of Housing (FH vs. NFH).



The Impact of Moving Away from Home on Undergraduate Metacognitive Development 145

leaving home (perhaps for the first time), it seems likely that this will involve the internalisation of new experiences and subsequent increases in metacognitive activity.

The data presented in this study suggests that these findings are equally relevant to metacognitive development. The overall LASSI scores presented in table 2 demonstrate that students who have moved from the Chinese mainland (n=127) to study in Hong Kong score significantly above the mean LASSI score (N=1815) for the sample. Additionally, students from Hong Kong who had moved into student halls of residence on campus, and so had moved away from home (although not quite so far in geographical terms) also scored well above the mean LASSI score, although somewhat lower than their mainland Chinese counterparts. The first of these findings suggests some element of cultural difference in metacognitive development (Serpell, 2000), and this suggestion might rely on the particular type of education experience encountered by the mainland Chinese group. However, the fact that the group of students living in halls, from the very different cultural context of Hong Kong also score much more highly than their Hong Kong counterparts living in the family home (the general norm for Hong Kong undergraduates) suggests that there is something about the changed social context (moving away from home) that impacts upon metacognitive development. Analysis of the component scores for 'will', 'skill', and 'self-

The differences from the mean scores (N=1815) for the 'will' component are 52.56 (n=127) for the Chinese mainland students studying in Hong Kong and 50.93 (n=45) for students living in halls of residence on campus, not much to write home about! However, differences between these two groups start to look more interesting when we consider the 'skill' and 'self-regulation' components. The differences from the mean scores (N=1815) for the 'skill' component are 56.52 (n=127) for the Chinese mainland students studying in Hong Kong and 38.88 (n=45) for students living in halls of residence on campus. For the 'self-regulation' components these figures are 68.16 (n=127) and 48.28 (n=45) respectively suggesting that these two components are differentially influenced in the two groups and raising the question why? Once again the social context might provide us with a partial answer. The students from mainland China are geographically distant from their home base and their parent culture and so the requirement to self-regulate, and to think about this process (metacognition) is likely to be more pressing than those students living in their own culture but away from the family home. For both groups, the changed social context is likely to influence their perceived ability to concentrate and focus attention positively because they are not subject to the often considerable demands of living in the family home, and this will no doubt impact on the sense of control they perceive in relation to their time-management abilities. In terms of the perceived use of self-testing and study aid strategies, the changed social context gives students everyday opportunities to try out different problem-solving strategies ('skill' component) and weed out those that do not work as well, gradually evolving new strategies depending on changes in the situation in the same way as Siegler,

regulation' casts some light on this process.

(1996) describes for cognitive development.

**10. Skill, self-regulation and social context** 

**Table 6.** ANOVA
