Alexander English
Biographic Data
| ID | 95932 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Alexander English |
| GIVEN NAMES | Alexander |
| FAMILY NAME | English |
| SIGNATURE | ENGLISH A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Wenzhou-Kean University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0142-146X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 40 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 135 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 40 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2017 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Understanding attitudes toward workplace involution
Workplace involution, referring to a work condition characterized by intensified competition and diminishing returns, has emerged as a pervasive issue. Previous studies have primarily focused on how individuals perceive involutionary features in the environment, while how they evaluate workplace involution as motivating, unavoidable, or harmful remains underexplored. Such evaluation may help explain why individuals respond differently to workplac…
Relational Compartmentalization
Segregation of social networks has been studied primarily at the macro level in disciplines such as sociology. The present research introduces the concept of relational compartmentalization to examine this phenomenon at the level of individual behavior through a cultural–psychological lens. Across two studies, we investigated relational compartmentalization using a mixed-methods approach and complementary measures: a novel behavioral paradigm and…
Understanding cultural identity processes and pathways to psychological adaptation for foreign residents in China
Institutional Habitus, Transnational Academic Capital, and Contract Renewal Strategies Among Western Scholars in Mainland China
Despite a growing body of research on the post-pandemic academic labor market crisis and its impact on potential turnover issues involving Western international faculty members (IFMs) in mainland China, far too little empirical research has been conducted regarding their contract renewal strategies. Thus, this study underpins the conceptual map of institutional habitus, transnational academic capital, and professional identity and adopts an explo…
People in Tight Cultures and Tight Situations Wear Masks More
Studies have found large differences in masks use during the pandemic. We found evidence that cultural tightness explains mask use differences and this association was more robust in tight situations like subways. In Study 1, we observed 23,551 people’s actual mask use in public places around China. People wore masks more in tight situations; however, differences did not extend to outdoor streets and public parks, where norms are looser. We repli…
Belief in a just world for the self and others, Karma, system justification and well‐being during Covid ‐19 pandemic
The World Health Organization (World Health Organization, 2020) announced the COVID‐19 outbreak as a pandemic. Globally, this situation affects people in various domains including mental health. Existing theories and research findings suggest justice beliefs are associated with mental health and may help to cope with adverse life circumstances. Participants ( N = 3694) in 15 Asian nations completed measures of belief in a just world (BJW), Karma,…
Social support and psychological distress among international students in China
Previous studies have pinpointed that either the quantity or the quality of social support from local people and sojourners plays a pivotal role in enhancing international students’ sense of belonging and reducing their psychological distress while studying abroad. Instead of examining support quantity and quality separately, we integrated them into one study and highlighted international students’ sense of belonging as a key mechanism, offering …
Moving to wheat‐farming regions increases analytic thought, but moving to cities does not
Does moving to a new environment change people's cultural thought style? We tracked the cultural thought style of 1462 university students at 18 sites over time after they moved across China for college. We tested their holistic thought, which is more common in interdependent cultures. One logical prediction is that students would think less holistically after moving to big cities and more economically developed areas, in line with modernization …
Meta-autoethnography as a co-constructive descriptive and narrative methodology
Personal Relative Deprivation and Locus of Control
OBJECTIVE: We investigated the relationship between personal relative deprivation (PRD)-resentment from the belief that one is worse off than people who are similar to oneself-and locus of control. BACKGROUND: Research has yet to comprehensively investigate whether PRD is associated with a tendency to favor external (vs. internal) explanations for self- and other-relevant outcomes. METHOD: = 6729) employed cross-sectional, experimental, and (micr…
Refining the myth of brain drain and gain and transnational academic capital mobility
Understanding perceived Covid-19 changes, collectivism, and social exclusion
The myths of “Melting Pot” and “California Dream
Internationalising imperatives and decolonising aspirations
Working in a field that underrepresents populations outside Western societies, social psychologists in the Asia‐Pacific region encounter challenges in conducting research and imparting knowledge about social behaviour that resonates with local contexts. This paper argues that teaching can be a pathway for social psychology to rectify this representation problem. In this study, we report the results of our survey designed to contribute to an initi…
Acculturation and linguistic ideology in the context of global student mobility
This cross-cultural ethnography explored the global student mobility patterns of international students from English-speaking countries in China and asked research questions about (a) their motivational factors and acculturation expectations before arrival; (b) linguistic factors influencing their acculturative stressors in the host group community’s culture and its academic, social, and public systems after arrival; and (c) their reflections on …
Subjectivities and the future of comparative and international education
This article presents a co-constructive narrative inquiry into the subjectivities of three female graduate student researchers (GSRs) from China, Vietnam, and Finland pursuing academic career paths in comparative and international education (CIE). Two American teacher researchers and their GSRs came to this research committed to collaborative action. They explored educational and professional journeys from the local to the global as teachers, edu…
New Elements of Career Construction for China’s Youth
This qualitative study examines emerging adulthood traits in individuals during the immediate half year following their graduation from university. It studies their work choices and preferences, as well as their work attitudes. Twenty interviews were conducted with recent Chinese graduates aged 21 to 28, split evenly between those who resigned (RP) and those who did not resign (NRP). Analysis highlights the work preference of stability and taking…
People in relationally mobile cultures report higher well-being
In cultures with high relational mobility, relationships are free and flexible. People can make new friends easily, and they have the freedom to leave unsatisfying relationships. In cultures with low relational mobility, relationships are more fixed, and people have less freedom to leave relationships. We argue that people experience higher well-being if they have the freedom to exit toxic relationships and find new partners easily. In Study 1, w…
Mental health and early career adaptation challenges of Chinese returnees and Korean ambitionists among the STEAM doctoral cohorts in the post-pandemic academic job market
This longitudinal study presents a critical phenomenological comparison of mental health and early career adaptation challenges encountered by Chinese returnees and Korean ambitionists in the post-pandemic academic job market. They were international doctoral candidates in American higher education pursuing academic careers in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) but failed to secure tenure-track faculty positions. Cons…
Longitudinal examination of perceived cultural distance, psychological and sociocultural adaptation
The ongoing impact
Beyond perceived risk
The Relationship between Socioeconomic Status and Academic Achievement is Mediated and Moderated by Executive Functions
Migrating between rice and wheat cultures
Intercultural capital and ambiguous loss in in-between space
This study presents a digital ethnography of the Anglo-Chinese academic family community (ASAFC) amid China's transformation into the post-pandemic era. The ASAFC members are men from Anglophone countries married to Chinese women. Thus, two American male authors and one Chinese male author observed WeChat group texts shared by 64 individuals from Anglophone countries between 16 November 2022, and 31 January 2023, and in turn, triangulated their f…
Many Labs 2
We conducted preregistered replications of 28 classic and contemporary published findings, with protocols that were peer reviewed in advance, to examine variation in effect magnitudes across samples and settings. Each protocol was administered to approximately half of 125 samples that comprised 15,305 participants from 36 countries and territories. Using the conventional criterion of statistical significance ( p < .05), we found that 15 (54%) of …
Social support and cultural distance
Social support for international students who faced emotional challenges midst Wuhan's 76-day lockdown during early stage of the Covid-19 pandemic
Is the Utility of Secondary Coping a Function of Ethnicity or the Context of Reception? A Longitudinal Study Across Western and Eastern Cultures
Although cross-cultural research suggests that the development and functionality of secondary coping strategies are substantially influenced by the broader cultural context, research findings are not completely conclusive. Some studies indicate that secondary coping is more adaptive for Asian participants compared with Westerners, while others emphasize the adaptability of the coping style in Asian, but not Western, contexts. The main objective o…
The myths of “Melting Pot” and “California Dream
Meta-autoethnography as a co-constructive descriptive and narrative methodology
Mental health and early career adaptation challenges of Chinese returnees and Korean ambitionists among the STEAM doctoral cohorts in the post-pandemic academic job market
This longitudinal study presents a critical phenomenological comparison of mental health and early career adaptation challenges encountered by Chinese returnees and Korean ambitionists in the post-pandemic academic job market. They were international doctoral candidates in American higher education pursuing academic careers in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) but failed to secure tenure-track faculty positions. Cons…
The Misandry Myth
In six studies, we examined the accuracy and underpinnings of the damaging stereotype that feminists harbor negative attitudes toward men. In Study 1 ( n = 1,664), feminist and nonfeminist women displayed similarly positive attitudes toward men. Study 2 ( n = 3,892) replicated these results in non-WEIRD countries and among male participants. Study 3 ( n = 198) extended them to implicit attitudes. Investigating the mechanisms underlying feminists’…
Coping With Uprooting Stress During Domestic Educational Migration in China
For many youth, attending university is their first extended time away from home, and uprooting stress can often lead to distress. The present research examines the impact of uprooting stress on educational Chinese migrants and how students cope with the unanticipated pressure of leaving home. Using a sample of recent first-year students, we employed a longitudinal design that allowed us to examine the interaction effect of coping strategies (pri…
Moving to wheat‐farming regions increases analytic thought, but moving to cities does not
Does moving to a new environment change people's cultural thought style? We tracked the cultural thought style of 1462 university students at 18 sites over time after they moved across China for college. We tested their holistic thought, which is more common in interdependent cultures. One logical prediction is that students would think less holistically after moving to big cities and more economically developed areas, in line with modernization …
Personal Relative Deprivation and Locus of Control
OBJECTIVE: We investigated the relationship between personal relative deprivation (PRD)-resentment from the belief that one is worse off than people who are similar to oneself-and locus of control. BACKGROUND: Research has yet to comprehensively investigate whether PRD is associated with a tendency to favor external (vs. internal) explanations for self- and other-relevant outcomes. METHOD: = 6729) employed cross-sectional, experimental, and (micr…
Beyond perceived risk
Intercultural capital and ambiguous loss in in-between space
This study presents a digital ethnography of the Anglo-Chinese academic family community (ASAFC) amid China's transformation into the post-pandemic era. The ASAFC members are men from Anglophone countries married to Chinese women. Thus, two American male authors and one Chinese male author observed WeChat group texts shared by 64 individuals from Anglophone countries between 16 November 2022, and 31 January 2023, and in turn, triangulated their f…
Investigation of gender bias in the mental imagery of faces
People tend to think of the prototypical person as a man more than as a woman, but this bias has primarily been observed in language-based tasks. Here, we investigated whether this bias is also present in the mental imagery of faces. A preregistered cross-cultural reverse-correlation study including participants from six WEIRD and non-WEIRD countries varying in gender equality (i.e., China, Ghana, Norway, Pakistan, Turkey, and the US; N = 645) un…
Coping With Uprooting Stress During Domestic Educational Migration in China
For many youth, attending university is their first extended time away from home, and uprooting stress can often lead to distress. The present research examines the impact of uprooting stress on educational Chinese migrants and how students cope with the unanticipated pressure of leaving home. Using a sample of recent first-year students, we employed a longitudinal design that allowed us to examine the interaction effect of coping strategies (pri…
Is the Utility of Secondary Coping a Function of Ethnicity or the Context of Reception? A Longitudinal Study Across Western and Eastern Cultures
Although cross-cultural research suggests that the development and functionality of secondary coping strategies are substantially influenced by the broader cultural context, research findings are not completely conclusive. Some studies indicate that secondary coping is more adaptive for Asian participants compared with Westerners, while others emphasize the adaptability of the coping style in Asian, but not Western, contexts. The main objective o…
Many Labs 2
We conducted preregistered replications of 28 classic and contemporary published findings, with protocols that were peer reviewed in advance, to examine variation in effect magnitudes across samples and settings. Each protocol was administered to approximately half of 125 samples that comprised 15,305 participants from 36 countries and territories. Using the conventional criterion of statistical significance ( p < .05), we found that 15 (54%) of …
Historically rice-farming societies have tighter social norms in China and worldwide
Significance Rice is a highly interdependent crop. Rice required far more labor than dryland crops like wheat, and rice’s irrigation networks forced farmers to coordinate water use. To deal with these demands, rice villages developed strong norms for labor exchange. Using China as a natural test case, we compare nearby provinces that differ in rice and wheat, but share the same ethnicity, religion, and national government. In survey data from ove…
Collectivism predicts mask use during Covid-19
Significance What explains the striking regional differences in COVID-19 severity around the world? We reveal the role of culture in mask usage, a precautionary measure vital for mitigating the pandemic. Leveraging a dataset of all 3,141 counties of the 50 US states, a dataset of 16,737 individuals in the 50 US states, a dataset of 367,109 individuals in 29 countries, and a dataset of 277,219 Facebook users in 67 countries, we provide evidence th…
Ethnic Stereotype Formation and Its Impact on Sojourner Adaptation
Ethnic stereotypes are cognitive markers that are formed and modified because of intercultural contact with a new cultural group. There is now much empirical evidence that explicates how stereotypes of ethnic groups can impact individuals' acculturation experiences. However, what is unknown is how previously nonexistent ethnic beliefs are formed as a result of contact with the local culture. One hundred and seventy-four ( N = 174) overseas Chines…
Social support and cultural distance
Trauma-Informed Care
This transcendental phenomenological study explored psychologically traumatic incidents and risk factors among international faculty members (IFMs) who experienced long-term lockdowns during the Delta and Omicron outbreak periods in East China. Based on empirical voices from 18 IFMs in Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Nanjing, this study used trauma-informed care as its primary theoretical lens to examine potential traumatic incidents and risk factors. Fi…
The ‘Myth of Zero-Covid’ Nation
This study presents a digital ethnography of expats' survival amid the Shanghai lockdown during the Omicron variant outbreak. This study drew insights from studies on resilience and secondary coping within the context of global migration to comprehend the diverse emotional challenges faced by expats in a series of lockdowns and persistent nucleic acid amplification tests. Thus, this study asks what the major emotional challenges expats faced and …
Social support for international students who faced emotional challenges midst Wuhan's 76-day lockdown during early stage of the Covid-19 pandemic
How Rice Fights Pandemics
Wealthy nations led health preparedness rankings in 2019, yet many poor nations controlled COVID-19 better. We argue that a history of rice farming explains why some societies did better. We outline how traditional rice farming led to tight social norms and low-mobility social networks. These social structures helped coordinate societies against COVID-19. Study 1 compares rice- and wheat-farming prefectures within China. Comparing within China al…
Fear during pandemic promoted holistic cognitive style
The present study explored the link between fear and holistic cognitive style and the moderating role of uncertainty. We examined these effects in a real-life situation: the long-term, global COVID-19 pandemic, which provided a natural context of fear and uncertainty. The current study comprises three studies recruiting N = 1,310 participants. Study 1 compared the link between fear and holistic style in the United States (a relatively uncertain s…
Collective Resilience and Coping Mechanisms Among International Faculty Members Amid Snap Lockdowns During the Delta and Omicron Variant Outbreaks in East China
This study explores international faculty members' resilience and the active challenges to establishing coping mechanisms while facing a mental health crisis provoked by the Delta and Omicron lockdowns in China. Grounded in a qualitative approach, this study used a transcendental phenomenological methodology to examine 16 international faculty members affiliated with higher education institutions in Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Nanjing. The findings s…
Investigation of gender bias in the mental imagery of faces
People tend to think of the prototypical person as a man more than as a woman, but this bias has primarily been observed in language-based tasks. Here, we investigated whether this bias is also present in the mental imagery of faces. A preregistered cross-cultural reverse-correlation study including participants from six WEIRD and non-WEIRD countries varying in gender equality (i.e., China, Ghana, Norway, Pakistan, Turkey, and the US; N = 645) un…
The Misandry Myth
In six studies, we examined the accuracy and underpinnings of the damaging stereotype that feminists harbor negative attitudes toward men. In Study 1 ( n = 1,664), feminist and nonfeminist women displayed similarly positive attitudes toward men. Study 2 ( n = 3,892) replicated these results in non-WEIRD countries and among male participants. Study 3 ( n = 198) extended them to implicit attitudes. Investigating the mechanisms underlying feminists’…
Internationalising imperatives and decolonising aspirations
Working in a field that underrepresents populations outside Western societies, social psychologists in the Asia‐Pacific region encounter challenges in conducting research and imparting knowledge about social behaviour that resonates with local contexts. This paper argues that teaching can be a pathway for social psychology to rectify this representation problem. In this study, we report the results of our survey designed to contribute to an initi…
Acculturation and linguistic ideology in the context of global student mobility
This cross-cultural ethnography explored the global student mobility patterns of international students from English-speaking countries in China and asked research questions about (a) their motivational factors and acculturation expectations before arrival; (b) linguistic factors influencing their acculturative stressors in the host group community’s culture and its academic, social, and public systems after arrival; and (c) their reflections on …
Subjectivities and the future of comparative and international education
This article presents a co-constructive narrative inquiry into the subjectivities of three female graduate student researchers (GSRs) from China, Vietnam, and Finland pursuing academic career paths in comparative and international education (CIE). Two American teacher researchers and their GSRs came to this research committed to collaborative action. They explored educational and professional journeys from the local to the global as teachers, edu…
New Elements of Career Construction for China’s Youth
This qualitative study examines emerging adulthood traits in individuals during the immediate half year following their graduation from university. It studies their work choices and preferences, as well as their work attitudes. Twenty interviews were conducted with recent Chinese graduates aged 21 to 28, split evenly between those who resigned (RP) and those who did not resign (NRP). Analysis highlights the work preference of stability and taking…
People in relationally mobile cultures report higher well-being
In cultures with high relational mobility, relationships are free and flexible. People can make new friends easily, and they have the freedom to leave unsatisfying relationships. In cultures with low relational mobility, relationships are more fixed, and people have less freedom to leave relationships. We argue that people experience higher well-being if they have the freedom to exit toxic relationships and find new partners easily. In Study 1, w…
Mental health and early career adaptation challenges of Chinese returnees and Korean ambitionists among the STEAM doctoral cohorts in the post-pandemic academic job market
This longitudinal study presents a critical phenomenological comparison of mental health and early career adaptation challenges encountered by Chinese returnees and Korean ambitionists in the post-pandemic academic job market. They were international doctoral candidates in American higher education pursuing academic careers in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) but failed to secure tenure-track faculty positions. Cons…
Longitudinal examination of perceived cultural distance, psychological and sociocultural adaptation
The ongoing impact
Beyond perceived risk
The Relationship between Socioeconomic Status and Academic Achievement is Mediated and Moderated by Executive Functions
Psychology (29 works) · Social Psychology (20 works) · China (18 works) · Medicine (18 works) · Political science (17 works) · Sociology (17 works) · Social Psychology (16 works) · Cultural Differences and Values (14 works) · Geography (11 works) · International Student and Expatriate Challenges (11 works)