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Individualistic and Collectivistic Values, Age and Length of Residency Among Chinese Australian Immigrants

Received: 1 June 2017     Accepted: 23 June 2017     Published: 18 October 2017
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Abstract

It had been documented in the literature that Chinese people endorsed more highly collectivist values when compared with their Western counterparts who endorsed more individualistic values (bi-cultural differences). The aim of the study was to examine if the same pattern existed among three groups of Chinese people (mono culture) in Australia, without comparing them with another ethnic group. A method using a 26-item survey labelled as Cultural Value Scale (CVS) was administered to 138 Chinese Australians. Principal component analyses (with varimax rotation) were used to identify underlying dimensionality in the correlations of items. Scales were constructed from the final solution and Cronbach’s alpha calculated. Subscale score variations were analysed to examine the discriminant validity of the subscales. Our results using Principal Component Analysis revealed four dimensions accounting for 47 percent of the variation within items. Four factors were derived. These were labelled Collectivist Family Conformity (CFC), Collectivist Family Interdependence (CFI), Individualist Self Assertion (ISA) and Individualist Self Opinion (ISO). Developed as subscales, reliability analysis indicated moderately high internal consistency with respective alpha coefficients of 0.77, 0.67, 0.54, and 0.61. We conclude that Chinese Australians endorsed more collectivist values than individualist values, correlated positively with the literature.

Published in Psychology and Behavioral Sciences (Volume 6, Issue 5)
DOI 10.11648/j.pbs.20170605.13
Page(s) 90-95
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2017. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Chinese Australian, Cultural Values, Collectivistic, Individualistic

References
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[4] King, A. Y. & Bond, M. H. (1985). The Confucian paradigm of man: A sociological view. In W. S. Tsang & D. H. Wu (Eds). Chinese Culture and Mental Health, 29-45. Orlando, FL: Academic Press.
[5] Yang, K. S. (1995). Chinese Social Orientation: An Integrative Analysis. In: T-Y Lin, W-S Tsang & E-K Yeh (Eds). Chinese Societies and Mental Health, 19-39. New York. Oxford University Press.
[6] Zhou, Y. (2008). The Modern Significance of Confucianism. Asian Social Science, 4, 11, 13-16.
[7] Ku T. K. (2007). Culture and Stigma of Mental Illness: A Comparison of General and Psychiatric Nurses of Chinese and Anglo-Australian Background. Master Thesis, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne. http//repository.unimelb.edu.au/10187/8400.
[8] Fan, C. & Karnilowicz, W. (2000). Attitudes towards Mental Illness and Knowledge of Mental Health Services among the Australian and Chinese Community. Australian Journal of Primary Health Interchange, 6, 38-48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/PY00017
[9] Lin T. (1983). Psychiatry and Chinese Culture. The Western Journal of Medicine, 139, 862-867.
[10] Hsiao, F. H. (2002). Chinese-Australian Families’ help-seeking behaviour for mental illness. PhD Thesis. Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Australia.
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  • APA Style

    Tan Kan Ku, Michael Ha. (2017). Individualistic and Collectivistic Values, Age and Length of Residency Among Chinese Australian Immigrants. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 6(5), 90-95. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20170605.13

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    ACS Style

    Tan Kan Ku; Michael Ha. Individualistic and Collectivistic Values, Age and Length of Residency Among Chinese Australian Immigrants. Psychol. Behav. Sci. 2017, 6(5), 90-95. doi: 10.11648/j.pbs.20170605.13

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    AMA Style

    Tan Kan Ku, Michael Ha. Individualistic and Collectivistic Values, Age and Length of Residency Among Chinese Australian Immigrants. Psychol Behav Sci. 2017;6(5):90-95. doi: 10.11648/j.pbs.20170605.13

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  • @article{10.11648/j.pbs.20170605.13,
      author = {Tan Kan Ku and Michael Ha},
      title = {Individualistic and Collectivistic Values, Age and Length of Residency Among Chinese Australian Immigrants},
      journal = {Psychology and Behavioral Sciences},
      volume = {6},
      number = {5},
      pages = {90-95},
      doi = {10.11648/j.pbs.20170605.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20170605.13},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.pbs.20170605.13},
      abstract = {It had been documented in the literature that Chinese people endorsed more highly collectivist values when compared with their Western counterparts who endorsed more individualistic values (bi-cultural differences). The aim of the study was to examine if the same pattern existed among three groups of Chinese people (mono culture) in Australia, without comparing them with another ethnic group. A method using a 26-item survey labelled as Cultural Value Scale (CVS) was administered to 138 Chinese Australians. Principal component analyses (with varimax rotation) were used to identify underlying dimensionality in the correlations of items. Scales were constructed from the final solution and Cronbach’s alpha calculated. Subscale score variations were analysed to examine the discriminant validity of the subscales. Our results using Principal Component Analysis revealed four dimensions accounting for 47 percent of the variation within items. Four factors were derived. These were labelled Collectivist Family Conformity (CFC), Collectivist Family Interdependence (CFI), Individualist Self Assertion (ISA) and Individualist Self Opinion (ISO). Developed as subscales, reliability analysis indicated moderately high internal consistency with respective alpha coefficients of 0.77, 0.67, 0.54, and 0.61. We conclude that Chinese Australians endorsed more collectivist values than individualist values, correlated positively with the literature.},
     year = {2017}
    }
    

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    T2  - Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
    JF  - Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
    JO  - Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
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    AB  - It had been documented in the literature that Chinese people endorsed more highly collectivist values when compared with their Western counterparts who endorsed more individualistic values (bi-cultural differences). The aim of the study was to examine if the same pattern existed among three groups of Chinese people (mono culture) in Australia, without comparing them with another ethnic group. A method using a 26-item survey labelled as Cultural Value Scale (CVS) was administered to 138 Chinese Australians. Principal component analyses (with varimax rotation) were used to identify underlying dimensionality in the correlations of items. Scales were constructed from the final solution and Cronbach’s alpha calculated. Subscale score variations were analysed to examine the discriminant validity of the subscales. Our results using Principal Component Analysis revealed four dimensions accounting for 47 percent of the variation within items. Four factors were derived. These were labelled Collectivist Family Conformity (CFC), Collectivist Family Interdependence (CFI), Individualist Self Assertion (ISA) and Individualist Self Opinion (ISO). Developed as subscales, reliability analysis indicated moderately high internal consistency with respective alpha coefficients of 0.77, 0.67, 0.54, and 0.61. We conclude that Chinese Australians endorsed more collectivist values than individualist values, correlated positively with the literature.
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Author Information
  • Department of Nursing & Paramedicine, Victoria Polytechnic, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

  • Department of Financial Engineering, Sino-US College, Beijing Institute of Technology, Zhuhai, China

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