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Dr. Ronnel B. King
Learning Sciences Research Group Head
Assistant Professor
Department of Curriculum & Instruction
Education University of Hong Kong
ronnel@eduhk.hk
Research Website: click here

Dr. Ronnel B. King is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at The Education University of Hong Kong (formerly known as The Hong Kong Institute of Education). Prior to this, he worked as a Research Scientist in the Learning Sciences Lab at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He obtained his PhD from The University of Hong Kong in 2012 (Educational Psychology) and his doctoral dissertation was awarded the "Highly Commended Dissertation Award" by the Global SELF Research Network. He has received young scholar awards from the International Test Commission and the Asian Association of Social Psychology. 

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He is interested in understanding student motivation, engagement, and well-being. He has recently guest edited a special issue in the British Journal of Educational Psychology ("Culture and Motivation" 2016) together with Prof. Dennis McInerney. He was also the lead guest editor for the special issue "Positive Education in Asia" in The Asia Pacific Education Researcher (2016). He is an editorial board member of Contemporary Educational Psychology, The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, and Frontiers in Psychology.  He has recently co-edited (with Allan Bernardo) The Psychology of Asian Learners: A Festschrift in Honor of David Watkins (Springer, 2016). He has published more than 80 journal articles and book chapters in the field of educational psychology. 

Publications:

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Journal Publications 

 

  • King, R. B., McInerney, D. M., & Pitliya, R. J. (in press). Envisioning a culturally imaginative educational psychology. Educational Psychology Review. 

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  • King, R. B.(in press). Materialism is detrimental to academic engagement: Evidence from self-report surveys and linguistic analysis. Current Psychology

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  • Datu, J.A.D. & King, R.B.(in press). Subjective well-being is reciprocally associated with academic engagement: A short-term longitudinal study. Journal of School Psychology. SSCI 

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  • Datu, J. A. D., King, R. B., & Valdez, J. P. M. V. (2017). The academic rewards of socially-oriented happiness: Interdependent happiness promotes academic engagement. Journal of School Psychology, 61, 19-31.

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  • King, R. B. & Datu, J. A. D. (2017). Materialism does not pay: Materialistic students have lower motivation, engagement, and achievement. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 49, 289-301.

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  • King, R. B. (2017). Social goals and well-being. Journal of Experimental Education, 85(1), 107-125.

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  • King, R. B. (2016). Gender differences in motivation, engagement and achievement are related to students' perceptions of peer-but not of parent or teacher-attitudes toward school. Learning and Individual Differences, 52, 60-71.

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  • Du, H., King, R. B., & Chu, S. K. W. (2016). Hope, social support, and depression among Hong Kong youth: personal and relational self-esteem as mediators. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 21(8), 926-931.

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  • Ganotice, F. A., Datu, J. A. D., & King, R. B. (2016). Which emotional profiles exhibit the best learning outcomes? A person-centered analysis of students’ academic emotions. School Psychology International, 37(5), 498-518.

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  • Wong, L.H., King, R. B., Chai, C. S., Liu, M. (2016). Seamlessly learning Chinese: contextual meaning making and vocabulary growth in a seamless Chinese as a second language learning environment.Instructional Science, 44(5), 399-422.

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  • King, R. B. (2016). Is a performance- avoidance achievement goal always maladaptive? Not necessarily for collectivists. Personality and Individual Differences, 99, 190-195. 

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  • Datu, J. A. D., & King, R. B. (2016). Prioritizing positivity optimizes positive emotions and life satisfaction: A three-wave longitudinal study. Personality and Individual Differences, 96, 111-114. 

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  • King, R. B., & McInerney, D. M. (2016). Do goals lead to outcomes or can it be the other way around?: Causal ordering of mastery goals, metacognitive strategies, and achievement. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 86, 296-312. 

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  • Yeung, S. S., Ng, M. L., & King, R. B. (2016). English vocabulary instruction through storybook reading for Chinese EFL Kindergarteners: Comparing rich, embedded, and incidental approaches. Asian EFL Journal, 18, 81-104.

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  • Ronnel B. King , Imelda S. Caleon, Jennifer Pei-Ling Tan, Shengquan Ye (2016). Positive Education in Asia. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 25(3), 361-365. 

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  • Datu, J. A. D., Valdez, J. P. M., & King, R. B. (2016). Perseverance counts but consistency does not! Validating the Short Grit Scale in a collectivist setting. Current Psychology, 35, 121-130. 

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  • King, R. B., & McInerney, D. M. (2016). Culturalizing motivation research in educational psychology. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 86, 1-7.

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  • Yeung, S. S., & King, R. B. (2016). Home literacy environment and English language and literacy skills among Chinese young children who learn English as a second language. Reading Psychology, 37, 92-120.

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  • Bernardo, A. B. I., Ganotice, F. A., & King, R. B. (2015). Motivation gap and achievement gap between public and private high schools in the Philippines. The Asia Pacific Education Researcher, 24, 657-667. 

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  • Du, H., King, R. B., & Chu, S. K. W. (2015). Hope, social support, and depression among Hong Kong youth: Personal and relational self-esteem as mediators. Psychology, Health, and Medicine, Published Online First, 1-6. 

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  • King, R. B., & Ganotice, F. A. (2015). Does family obligation matter for students' motivation, engagement, and well-being?: It depends on your self-construal. Personality and Individual Differences, 86, 243-248. 

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  • McInerney, D. M., Ganotice, F. A., King, R. B., Marsh, H. W., & Morin, A. (2015). Exploring commitment and turnover intentions among Hong Kong teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 52, 11-23. 

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  • King, R. B. (2015). Examining the dimensional structure and nomological network of achievement goals in the Philippines. Journal of Adolescence, 44, 214-218. 

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  • Datu, J. A. D., King, R. B., & Valdez, J. P. M. (2015). The benefits of socially-oriented happiness: Validation of the Interdependent Happiness Scale in the Philippines. Child Indicators Research, Published Online First, 1-19. 

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  • McInerney, D. M., Ganotice, F. A., King, R. B., Morin, A., & Marsh, H. W. (2015). Teachers’ Commitment and psychological well-being: implications of self-beliefs for teaching in Hong Kong. Educational Psychology, 35, 926-945. 

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  • King, R. B. (2015). Sense of relatedness boosts engagement, achievement, and well-being: A latent growth model study. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 42, 26-38. 

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  • Wong, L.H., Chai, C. S., Aw, G. P., & King, R. B. (2015). Enculturating seamless language learning through artifact creation and social interaction process. Interactive Learning Environments, 23, 130-157. 

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  • King, R. B., McInerney, D. M., Ganotice, F. A., & Villarosa, J. (2015). Positive affect catalyzes academic engagement: Cross-sectional, longitudinal, and experimental evidence. Learning and Individual Differences, 39, 64-72.

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  • Caleon, I. S., Wui, G, Tan, J. P.-L., Tan, C. S., & King, R. B. (2015). Cross-Cultural Validation of the Academic Motivation Scale: A Singapore Investigation (DOI: 10.1007/s12187-014-9298-7). Child Indicators Research, Retrieved from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12187-014-9298-7, Online Publication, 1-18. 

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  • King, R. B., & Gaerlan, M. J. (2015). The Role of Time Perspectives in the Use of Volitional Strategies. Psychological Studies, 60(1), 1-6. 

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  • Wong, L.H., Chai, C., Zhang, X., & King, R. B. (2015). Employing the TPACK framework for researcher-teacher co-design of a mobile-assisted seamless language learning environment. IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, 8, 31-44. 

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  • King, R. B. (2014). The Dark Cycle of Work Avoidance Goals and Disengagement: A Cross-Lagged Analysis. Psychological Studies, 59(3), 268-277. 

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  • King, R. B., & Gaerlan, M. J. (2014). How you Perceive Time Matters for how you Feel in School: Investigating the Link Between Time Perspectives and Academic Emotions. Current Psychology, 33(3), 282-300.

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  • King, R. B., & Ganotice, F. A. (2014). The Social Underpinnings of Motivation and Achievement: Investigating the Role of Parents, Teachers, and Peers on Academic Outcomes. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 23(3), 745-756. 

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  • King, R. B., Ganotice, F. A., & Watkins, D. A. (2014). A cross-cultural analysis of achievement and social goals among Chinese and Filipino students. Social Psychology of Education, 17(3), 439-455. 

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  • King, R. B., & McInerney, D. M. (2014). Culture's Consequences on Student Motivation: Capturing Cross-Cultural Universality and Variability Through Personal Investment Theory. Educational Psychologist, 49(3), 175-198. 

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  • Wong, L. H., Chai, C. S., Aw, G. P., & King, R. B. (2014). Enculturating seamless language learning through artifact creation and social interaction process. Interactive Learning Environments, Published Online First, 1-28. 

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  • King, R. B., & Areepattamannil, S. (2014). What Students Feel in School Influences the Strategies They Use for Learning: Academic Emotions and Cognitive/Meta-Cognitive Strategies. Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology, 8(1), 18-27. 

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  • Ganotice, F. A., King, R. B., & Gaerlan, M. J. (2014). Validation of the Motivational Regulation Scale in the Philippines. The International Journal of Educational and Psychological Assessment, 16(1), 71-81. 

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  • Ganotice, F. A., & King, R. B. (2014). Blessed are Those Who Wait: Validating the Filipino Version of the Academic Delay of Gratification Scale (ADOGS). The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 23（1）, 19-27.

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  • Ganotice, F. A., & King, R. B. (2014). Social Influences on Students’ Academic Engagement and Science Achievement. Psychological Studies, 59(1), 30-35. 

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  • King, R. B., & Gaerlan, M. J. (2014). High self-control predicts more positive emotions, better engagement, and higher achievement in school. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 29(1), 81-100. 

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  • King, R. B., & Ganotice, F. A. (2014). What’s Happening to Our Boys? A Personal Investment Analysis of Gender Differences in Student Motivation. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 23(1), 151-157. 

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  • King, R. B., & McInerney, D.M. (2014). Mapping changes in students’ English and math self-concepts: a latent growth model study. Educational Psychology, 34(5), 581-597. 

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  • Ali, J., McInerney, D. M., Craven, R. G., Yeung, A. S., & King, R. B. (2014). Socially Oriented Motivational Goals and Academic Achievement: Similarities Between Native and Anglo Americans. The Journal of Educational Research, 107(2), 123-137. 

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  • King, R. B., & McInerney, D. M. (2014). The work avoidance goal construct: Examining its structure, antecedents, and consequences. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 39(1), 42-58. 

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  • King, R. B., & Gaerlan, M.J. (2013). To Study or Not to Study? Investigating the Link Between Time Perspectives and Motivational Interference. Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology, 7(2), 63-72. 

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  • King, R. B., McInerney, D. M., & Watkins, D. A. (2013). Examining the role of social goals in school: A study in two collectivist cultures. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 28(4), 1505-1523. 

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  • Ganotice, F.A., Bernardo, A.B.I., & King, R.B. (2013). Adapting the Facilitating Conditions Questionnaire (FCQ) for Bilingual Filipino Adolescents: Validating English and Filipino Versions. Child Indicators Research, 6(2), 237-256. 

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  • King, R. B., & Ganotice, F.A. (2013). Student motivation as hierarchical and multidimensional: Cross-cultural validation of personal investment theory in the Philippines. Universitas Psychologica/Panamerican, 12（3）, 685-698. 

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  • King, R.B., & Watkins, D.A. (2013). Validating the Chinese version of the Inventory of School Motivation (ISM). International Journal of Testing, 13(2), 175-192. 

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  • Du, H., & King, R.B. (2013). Placing hope in self and others: Exploring the relationships among self-construals, hope, and adjustment. Personality and Individual Differences, 54(3), 332-337. 

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  • Xie, C.X.Z., Gao, X.P., & King, R.B. (2013). Thinking styles in implicit learning and explicit learning. Learning and Individual Differences, 23, 267-271. 

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  • King, R. B., Ganotice, F.A., & McInerney, D.M. (2012). Cross-cultural validation of the Sense of Self (SoS) Scale in Chinese and Filipino settings. Child Indicators Research, 5, 719-734. 

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  • King, R. B., McInerney, D. M., & Watkins, D. A. (2012). How you think about your intelligence determines how you feel in school:. Learning and Individual Differences, 22, 814-819. 

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  • King, R. B. (2012). How you think about your intelligence influences how adjusted you are: Implicit theories and adjustment outcomes. Personality and Individual Differences, 53（5), 705-709. 

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  • King, R. B., McInerney, D. M., & Watkins, D. A. (2012). Studying for the sake of others: The role of social goals on academic engagement. Educational Psychology, 32(6), 749-776. 

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  • Ganotice, F. A., Bernardo, A. B. I., King, R. B. (2012). Testing the Factorial Invariance of the English and Filipino Versions of the Inventory of School Motivation With Bilingual Students in the Philippines. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 30(3), 298-303. 

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  • King, R. B., Ganotice, F. A., & Watkins, D. A. (2012). Validation of the Chinese version of the Sense of Self (SOS) Scale. Asia Pacific Education Review, 13(2), 323-331. 

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  • King, R. B., McInerney, D. M., & Watkins, D. (2012). Competitiveness is not that bad…at least in the East:. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 36, 446-457.

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  • King, R. B., & Watkins, D. A. (2012). Cross-Cultural Validation of the Five-Factor Structure of Social Goals: A Filipino Investigation. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 30(2), 181-193. 

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  • Chu, S. K. W., Woo, M., King, R. B., Choi, S., Cheng, M., Koo, P. (2012). Examining the application of Web 2.0 in medical-related organisations. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 29(1), 47-60. 

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  • Du, H., King, R. B., & Chi, P. (2012). The development and validation of the Relational Self-Esteem Scale. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 53(3), 258-264. 

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  • King, R. B., & Watkins, D. A. (2012). “Socializing” Achievement Goal Theory: The Need for Social Goals. Psychological Studies, 57(1), 112-116. 

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  • King, R. B., Ganotice, F. A., & Watkins, D. A. (2012). Cross-Cultural Validation of the Inventory of School Motivation (ISM) in the Asian Setting: Hong Kong and the Philippines. Child Indicators Research, 5(1), 135-153. 

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  • King, R. B., & Watkins, D. A. (2011). The reliability and validity of the Goal Orientation and Learning Strategies Survey (GOALS-S): A Filipino investigation. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 20（3）, 579-594. 

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  • King, R. B., & Du, H (2011). All good things come to those who wait: Validating the Chinese version of the Academic Delay of Gratification Scale (ADOGS). The International Journal of Educational and Psychological Assessment, 7(1), 64-80. 

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  • King, R. B. (2010). What Do Students Feel in School and How Do We Measure Them?: Examining the Psychometric Properties of the S-AEQ-F. Philippine Journal of Psychology, 43(2), 161-176. 

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  • King, R. B. McInerney, D. M., Watkins, D.A. (2010). Can Social Goals Enrich Our Understanding of Students' Motivational Goals. Journal of Psychology in Chinese Societies, 11(2), 1-16.

 

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Book chapters

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  • King, R. B., Datu, J. A. D., & McInerney, D. M. (in press). Personal investment theory: A cross-cultural framework for the study of motivation. In G. A. D. Liem, & D. M. McInerney (Eds.), Research on Sociocultural Influences on Motivation and Learning: Big Theories Revisited 2. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

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  • King, R. B.(in press). Asian perspectives on learning and pedagogy. In K. Kennedy, & J. Lee (Eds.), Handbook of Schools and Schooling in Asia.Singapore: Routledge 

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  • King, R. B., & McInerney, D. M. (2016). Culture and motivation: The road travelled and the way ahead. In K.R. Wentzel & D. Miele (Eds.), Handbook of motivation in school, 2nd ed. New York: Routledge.

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  • Low, M. B. H., King, R. B., & Caleon, I. S.. (2016). Positive emotions facilitate motivation and well-being in school: The broaden-and-build approach. In R. B. King, & A. B. I. Bernardo (Eds.), The Psychology of Asian Learners: A Festschrift in Honor of David Watkins (pp. 485-502). Singapore: Springer.

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  • King, R. B., & Bernardo, A. B. I. (2016). Advancing psychological studies on Asian learners: Continuing the legacy of David A. Watkins. In R. B. King, & A. B. I. Bernardo (Eds.), The Psychology of Asian Learners: A Festschrift in Honor of David Watkins (pp. 3-14). Singapore: Springer.

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  • Bernardo, A. B. I., & King, R. B. (2016). Asian learners: Retrospect and prospect (concluding chapter). In R. B. King, & A. B. I. Bernardo (Eds.), The Psychology of Asian Learners: A Festschrift in Honor of David Watkins (pp. 653-664). Singapore: Springer.

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  • Datu, J. A., Valdez, J. P., & King, R. B. (2016). The successful life of gritty students: Grit leads to optimal educational and well-being outcomes in a collectivist context. In R. B. King, & A. B. I. Bernardo (Eds.), The Psychology of Asian Learners: A Festschrift in Honor of David Watkins (pp. 503-518). Singapore: Springer.

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  • King, R. B., & McInerney, D. M. (2016). Do social goals matter? Examining the links between social goals and learning strategies. In R. B. King, & A. B. I. Bernardo (Eds.), The Psychology of Asian Learners: A Festschrift in Honor of David Watkins (pp. 405-420). Singapore: Springer.

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  • Caleon, I. S., Tan, J. P.-L., Chiam, C. C., Wui, G. L., & King, R. B. (2016). Academically at-risk adolescents in Singapore: The importance of teacher support in promoting academic engagement. In R. B. King, & A. B. I. Bernardo (Eds.), The Psychology of Asian Learners: A Festschrift in Honor of David Watkins (pp. 519-540). Singapore: Springer.   

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  • McInerney, D. M., & King, R. B. (2013). Harnessing the power of motivational factors for optimizing the success of remote indigenous students: A cross-cultural study. In R. Craven & J. Mooney (Eds.), Seeding success in indigenous Australian higher education: What research says? Emerald Publishing.

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  • King, R. B., & Watkins, D. A. (2013). Cultivating a cultural imagination in educational psychology research. In G.A.D. Liem & A.B.I. Bernardo (Eds.), A cross-cultural perspective of key issues in educational psychology: A festschrift for Dennis McInerney. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

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  • King, R. B., & McInerney, D. M. (2013). Seeing the forest beyond the trees: A multilevel perspective on school motivation. In D.M. McInerney, H.W. Marsh., R.G. Craven, & F. Guay (Eds). Theory Driving Research: New wave perspectives on self-processes and human development. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

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  • McInerney, D. M., & King, R. B. (2012). Traveling a thousand miles away: Motivational implications of the cross-cultural transition (pp. 205-240). In S. Karabenick & T. Urdan (Eds.), Advances in motivation and achievement, vol. 17.

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  • King, R. B., & McInerney, D. M. (2012). Including social goals in achievement motivation research: Examples from the Philippines. In W. Lonner, D. Dinnel, S. Hayes, & D. (Eds.), Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, Unit 5. Retrieved from http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/orpc/vol5/iss3/4. Washington: International Association of Cross-cultural Psychology.

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  • Du, H., & King, R. B. (2011). Thanatology and Terror Management Theory: Exploring possible synergies. In D. Shi, H. Lockey, & D. Lau (Eds.). Research Studies in Education, 9, 159-167.

 

  • King, R. B. (2010). Validating the Short Version of the Academic Emotions Questionnaire for Filipinos. In R. Fong, A. Jhaveri, & S. Yeung (Eds.). Research Studies in Education, 8, 148-161.

 

  • King, R. B. (2009). Expanding achievement goal theory: The need for social goals. In X.H. Liang, R.B. King, & Y.W. Foo (Eds). Research Studies in Education, 7, 167-176.

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Edited Book/Section

 

  • King, R. B., & Bernardo, A. B. I. (Eds.) (2016). The psychology of Asian learners: A festschrift in honor of David Watkins. Singapore: Springer. [book editor]

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  • King, R. B. (in preparation). Learning and pedagogy: Asian examples. [section editor]

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Edited Conference Proceedings

 

  • Pe-Pua, R., Faturrochman, Yuniarti, K., King, R.B., Hamamura, T., & Supratikno (Eds.) (2015). Progress in Asian Psychology, vol. 10.

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  • Liang, X.H., King, R.B., & Foo, Y.W. (2009) (Eds.) Research Studies in Education, vol. 7. Hong Kong: Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong Press.

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Guest editorships in refereed journals

 

  • King, R.B. (2014). (Ed.) "Measuring student motivation: Cross-cultural perspectives” in The International Journal of Educational and Psychological Assessment, 16.

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  • King, R.B., & McInerney, D.M. (2016) (Eds.) "Does culture really matter for student motivation?" in The British Journal of Educational Psychology. (ISI)

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  • King, R. B., Caleon, I. S., Tan, J. P.-L., & Ye, Y.-S. (in press). "Positive education in Asia" in The Asia Pacific Education Researcher. (ISI)

 

Published conference proceedings

 

  • Wong, L.-H., Chai, C. S., King, R. B., Zhang, X., & Aw, G. P. (2014). Unpacking the researcher-teacher co-design process of a seamless language learning environment with the TPACK framework. In C.-C. Liu et al. (Eds.). Proceedings of the 22md International Conference on Computers in Education. Indonesia: Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education

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