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Personal Asset

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I developed a deep interest in understanding personal asset throughout my training and work. Back to my bachelor’s study, I was in an age of exploring self-identity and fascinated by a grand yet mysterious topic --- the self. Then, I focused on the ego depletion effect (a temporary state of self-control depletion) in my master’s study. During my Ph.D. training, I started investigating broader aspects of personal asset and their role in human development from a cross-cultural perspective. This is also the foundation for me to develop other research areas later (see the next two areas). After working as an academia, I have been striving to systematically delve into the bioecological antecedents, consequences, working processes, and measurement of personal asset, currently focusing on self-control and meaning in life. Representative papers of this area are: heritability of self-control, parenting and self-control, school discipline and self-control, culture and self-control, meaning in life and subjective well-being, and the development of meaning in lifeMy projects related to this area include but are not limited to:

  • PI. Development of meaning in life during the transition to parenthood. Departmental Research Grant. HK$ 99,000. April 2022 – March 2023.

  • PI. The association between school socialization and self-control: A meta-analysis. Internal Research Grant. HK$ 80,000. September 2018 – August 2019.

  • PI. Reduced anger rumination as a mechanism in the relationship between trait self-control and aggressive behavior: A daily diary study. Start-up Research Grant of the Education University of Hong Kong. HK$ 30,000. November 2017 – November 2018.

  • Co-I. Self-control and prosocial behaviors among adolescents: Psychological and neural mechanisms (PI: Prof. Yangang NIE). National Natural Science Foundation of China. RMB$ 300,000. August 2017 – July 2020.

Child & Adolescent Development

My research on personal asset and its role in human development during my PhD training has led me to focus more on this area. Whilst the whole life span is plastic and changeable, the physical, cognitive, psychosocial, behavioral, and academic ingredients that develop in the first twenty-five years (e.g., completion of university) lay critical foundations for the rest of life. Although young people in the contemporary era are enjoying the fruitful achievement of economic prosperity, globalization, and technological advancement, they are also encountering challenges such as unstable geopolitical issues, racism, social polarization, economic inequality, and health and natural crises. Against these backdrops, promoting young people’s positive development is thus a key task for psychologists and educators. My current research in this area focuses on contemporary young people’s emotional and behavioral development, well-being, and adjustment during transition from a bioecological perspective. In particular, I strive to understand the developmental patterns of the focused aspects, the factors and mechanisms driving such development, and their short- and long-term effects. Representative papers of this area are: adolescents' depressive symptoms and life satisfaction, adolescents' gaming disorders and problematic internet use, college freshmen's academic adaptation, and university students' aggressive beliefs during social movementMy projects related to this area include but are not limited to:
  • Co-I. An integrated approach to enhancing executive functions and school readiness in Hong Kong preschoolers: A randomized controlled trial study (PI: Dr Eva Yi Hung LAU). General Research Fund. HK$ 994,992. January 2025 – December 2027.

  • Co-I. Assessment and prevention of youth anti-social risk in megacity (PI: Prof. Kai DOU). National Social Science Foundation. RMB$ 200,000. January 2024 – December 2026.

  • Co-PI. EdUHK Jockey Club School Transition and Readiness Project (PI: Dr. Eva Yi Hung LAU). Jockey Club Charities Trust. HK$ 34,000,000. July 2021 – June 2023.

  • PI. University students’ normative belief about aggression: Perspective of the risk-resilience model. Public Policy Research (PPR) Funding Scheme (Special Round). HK$ 262,430. April 2020 – October 2020.

  • PI. Adolescents’ well-being: An ecological perspective. The FEHD Internationalization and Exchange Research Grant. HK$ 180,000. July 2018 – June 2022.

  • Co-I. The moderating effect of gene and peer environment interaction on adolescent risk-taking behavior and its neural mechanism (PI: Prof. Kai DOU). National Natural Science Foundation of China. RMB$ 248,300. September 2019 – December 2021.

Teacher Well-Being

Teaching is a meaningful occupation, but the job nature of this profession is so cognitively, emotionally, and physically demanding that teachers’ well-being has become a global concern. Over the past few years, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused even more stressors and challenges jeopardizing teachers’ thriving. Poor well-being has been found to be a strong risk factor of such outcomes as poor job performance, teacher-student conflict, and personnel instability in the school. My research in this area focuses on understanding teachers’, especially early childhood educators’, well-being based on the job demands and resources theory (JD-R theory). In particular, I am interested in understanding the developmental patterns of teacher well-being over time, investigating the additive and interactive effects of occupational (e.g., job demands and resources) and personal factors on teacher well-being, and carrying out interventions to enhance teacher well-being. Representative papers of this area are: core features of teacher well-being, and turnover intention and performance during school-to-work transitionMy projects related to this area include but are not limited to:
  • PI. Validation of the Work Condition Scale for early childhood educators in Hong Kong (RG9/2024-2025R). Internal Research Grant support to GRF rated 3.5 by RGC. HK$ 79,999.20. October 2024 – October 2025.

  • Co-I. Workplace mistreatment of Hong Kong secondary school teachers: A longitudinal study of depletion, commitment, and preoccupation mechanisms. General Research Fund (PI: Dr. Henry HO), HK$ 719,781. January 2024 – December 2025.

  • PI. Occupational well-being in Hong Kong beginning early childhood educators: A synthesized model integrating job demands, job resources, and self-control. General Research Fund, HK$ 895,026. January 2023 – June 2025.

  • PI. Early childhood educators’ well-being in the Chinese context. Departmental Research Impact Cluster Fund. HK$ 1,000,000. July 2021 – June 2024.

©  2023 by Dr. Li Jianbin.  All rights reserved.

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