The Hong Kong Chinese University Document Retrieval Database——The Hong Kong Newspaper Full-text Database Projeet

This project is to collect, organize, index and store full-text and graphics of selected Chinese and English newspapers currently published in Hang Kong. The end product will be an electronic database available to researchers through local area network, Internet and dial-up users. New items of the day before and up to six months will be available for online searching, via key word or subject, Earlier cumulated nateriats alone with the same indexing and searchmg software will be archived to optical media (CD ROM disks). As Itong Kong experiences rapid social, financial, conmtercial, political, educational and cultural changes, our state-of-the-art comprehensive coverage of local and regional newspapers will be a landmark contribution to information industries and researchers internationally. As the coverage of the database will be comprehensive and centralized, retrieval of news items of major Hang Kong newspapers will be fast and immtediate. Users do no need to look through daily or bi-monthly indexes in order to go to the newspapers or cuttings to obtain the hard copy, and then bring to the photocopier machine to copy,At this stage, we are hiring librarians, information specialists and support staff to work on this project. We also met and work with newspaper indexing and retrieval system developers in Beijing and Hang Kong to study cooperative systems to speed up the process. So far, we have received funding support from the Chinese University and the Hong Kong Government for two years. It is our plan to have a presentable sample database done by mid 1995, and have several newspapers indexed and stored in the structure arid for mat easy formigration to the eventual database system by the end of 1996.     

Managing Chinese Catalogingat The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Library

This paper describes the experience and the observation of the author as a cataloger of Chinese publications at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Library. The trends in collection development of Chinese language materials in the Library have a crucial impact on Chinese cataloging. The way that Chinese cataloging has been haudled in this rapidly changing environment is reported here.     

The Hong Kong Dog

不瞒你说,我就是那种听到国歌就热血沸腾,见到国旗就肃然起敬的热血少年。这不,前段时间热播了电影《霍元甲》,霍元甲那大义凛然的民族气节就深深地感染了我。可我那要命的蹩脚英语却把我给整惨了,万丈豪情不但一下子灰飞烟灭,而且至今我还是同学们的笑柄。     

The pentagonal implicit theory of giftedness revisited: A cross‐validation in Hong Kong

This article addresses the cross‐cultural generalization of the pentagonal implicit theory of giftedness (Sternberg & Zhang, 1995) as well as differential expectations regarding excellence for girls versus boys. First, we used an instrument based on the pentagonal theory with a sample of in‐service and pre‐service teachers at the University of Hong Kong. Second, we administered a questionnaire designed to assess conceptions of “excellence,” one of the attributes for giftedness described in the pentagonal model, to a different sample of in‐service and pre‐service teachers at the same university. We found a good fit of the pentagonal model to the data collected, paralleling results obtained in the U.S. We also found, however, that in Hong Kong, however, unlike in the U.S., participants had higher expectations of excellence for boys than for girls. These outcomes have implications for identification, instruction, and programming for the gifted.     

The measurement of teacher efficacy: Hong Kong primary in‐service teachers

This study sought to measure general teacher efficacy levels of in‐service primary teachers in Hong Kong. Participants included 725 Hong Kong in‐service teachers, who were invited to take part in the study. These in‐service teachers came from 28 different primary schools ranging from government, aided, private and direct subsidy schools. The Chinese version of the 12‐item Teachers' Sense of Efficacy (C‐TSE) Scale was applied to investigate the efficacy of the teachers. A factor analysis of these 12 items when male and female datasets were combined led to the extraction of only one factor. But separation of the two datasets led to the extraction of different factor analysis models. This could reflect the different perceptions that male and female teachers had about the formation of teacher efficacy. Overall, this study showed that female teachers were significantly more efficacious than male teachers. Moreover, years of teaching experience showed a weak but significant correlation to levels of general teacher efficacy. Interestingly, educational levels did not have a significant effect on the efficacy of this group of in‐service primary teachers. Overall, the C‐TSE was found to be a valid and reliable scale for measuring the efficacy levels of this particular group of in‐service primary teachers in Hong Kong.     

Orientations to happiness and subjective well‐being among Chinese prospective and in‐service teachers in Hong Kong

This study investigated three orientations to happiness and their relationships with subjective well‐being in a sample of 228 Chinese prospective and in‐service teachers in Hong Kong. Confirmatory item factor analyses supported a three‐dimensional model that included constructs represented by a life of meaning, a life of pleasure, and a life of engagement. These three orientations, especially the meaningful life and the engaged life were found to predict life satisfaction and positive emotions as two components of subjective well‐being. Implications of the findings on the relationships between orientations and subjective well‐being for helping teachers to promote a more satisfying life to combat against teacher burnout are discussed.     

Back to Square One: The “Re‐depoliticizing’ of Civic Education in Hong Kong

This article argues that the development of civic education in Hong Kong can be divided into three phases chronologically: (1) before 1984: “depoliticization” by the state and the school; (2) 1984‐1997: “politicization” of the intended curriculum; and (3) 1997 onwards: “re‐depoliticization” of civic education and official confirmation of nationalistic education. In general, for phases one and two, the development is described as moving from de‐politicization to politicization, in response to the political development of Hong Kong from a British colony towards the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of People's Republic of China. The article continues by exploring the third phase in detail with reference to the official document: Learning to Learn: Life‐long Learning and Whole‐person Development and the official speeches of the Chief Executive, Tung Chee Hwa. A phenomenon of re‐depoliticization of civic education is identified, together with a strong upheaval of nationalistic education. This leads civic education “back to square one"—"re‐depoliticized”. The article concludes by highlighting that the development of civic education in Hong Kong is a typical example of how civic education reflects the political context of the society.     

Remaking Chinese identity: hegemonic struggles over national education in post‐colonial Hong Kong

Following the resumption of Chinese sovereignty in 1997, the Hong Kong Government has introduced a new national education project which aims at building nationalism and patriotism. With an active involvement of the state and civil society in promoting national education in recent years, there have been certain drastic changes in the school system—reforms in the curriculum with more weight to national identity and China’s topics, more nationalistic or patriotic extra‐curricular activities and rituals, and more training for teachers to conduct national education. Informed by a Gramscian notion of hegemony, this paper analyses the advent of and struggles over the national education policy and illustrates the collaboration and contests among various groups in the nation‐building project—with the controversies over display of the national flag and liberal studies curriculum as examples.     

School‐based curriculum development: the Hong Kong experience

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to analyse the nature of the School‐based Curriculum Project Scheme (SBCPS), which was introduced into the Hong Kong education system in 1988. The aims of the scheme were to promote school‐based curriculum development (SBCD) designed to meet the learning needs of pupils and to encourage teachers to solve curriculum problems. Overall, the article provides insights into the characteristics of the SBCPS which was introduced into a highly centralized context and was initiated through a highly centralized mechanism, and describes how it was implemented into Hong Kong schools. This underlines the need both to view curriculum policies critically and to recognize the impact that the prevailing culture in schools has on attempts at curriculum innovations.     

The Introduction of English‐language Education in Early Colonial Hong Kong

This article examines the attitudes of the colonial and metropolitan governments towards the promotion of English‐language education on Hong Kong Island between 1842 and 1860. The study, which draws on a range of unpublished primary sources, was conducted in response to Whitehead’s recent call for detailed case studies of colonial education policies. This article explores, within the context of Hong Kong, a centrally important aspect of education in the Empire, and one that has been the subject of surprisingly little archival research: British policies towards the teaching and learning of English as a second language. The article begins by analysing the political, economic and demographic forces that influenced the study and use of English in Hong Kong during the 1840s and 1850s, and then moves on to examine language policies and practices in the colony’s mission schools, with a particular focus on the Morrison Education Society School, the first Western school to be established on the Island after the British occupation. The final section analyses the introduction of English teaching in the government vernacular schools in the early 1850s.     

School‐related social adjustment of Chinese primary school students with specific learning difficulties: A perspective from Hong Kong

Abstract

Studies in several countries have indicated that students with specific learning difficulties (SpLD) tend to exhibit problems in social adjustment in addition to their difficulties in academic learning. It is often recommended that students with SpLD undergo social skills training as well as receive intensive remedial teaching. This study investigated the extent to which school‐related social adjustment problems were evident in a sample of Chinese students of primary school age who had been identified by an educational psychologist as having a specific learning difficulty. Data were collected by questionnaire from 34 students with SpLD (individually interviewed; oral administration), 167 students without learning problems (group administration; written form), and the 34 teachers of the students with SpLD. Results indicated that although the SpLD students rated themselves lower than the students without learning difficulties on several aspects of social adjustment there was no evidence to suggest that they had major problems in this area. The teachers rated the SpLD students lower than the students rated themselves on most aspects of social adjustment, but the ratings given by the teachers suggested that they too did not perceive the students as having major inadequacies in social adjustment. The findings are discussed, with particular reference to the methodological problems associated with the use of self‐reporting as a technique to obtain data in research involving primary school‐age students.     

Building preschool teachers’ capacity for teaching Chinese to ethnic minority children in Hong Kong: A qualitative study

ABSTRACT

Teaching Chinese to second language learners is a challenge for preschool teachers in Hong Kong so effective teacher professional development programmes are urgently needed to enhance their knowledge and skills. An Integrative Model Teacher Professional Development Programme which incorporates three theoretical underpinnings (i.e., culturally responsive teaching, meaningful and pleasurable learning, and effective teaching of Chinese as a second language) is designed to equip preschool teachers with knowledge, skills, and awareness in teaching Chinese to ethnic minority students. Through qualitative interviews with 15 in-service preschool teachers who joined the Programme, teachers’ perceptions and changes in three theoretical areas of teaching Chinese to ethnic minority students were explored. Particularly, teachers increased their awareness of ethnic minority cultures, developed empathy with ethnic minority children and their families, gained knowledge of implementing culturally responsive teaching and meaningful and pleasurable learning of Chinese. The role of teacher sharing in effective professional development was highlighted.     

Dimensions of teacher self‐efficacy among Chinese secondary school teachers in Hong Kong

This article reports the development of a teacher self‐efficacy scale that aims to accommodate the complexity of teacher functioning in secondary schools in times of education reforms in Hong Kong. The scale was designed to assess six domains of teacher self‐efficacy: teaching highly able learners, classroom management, guidance and counselling, student engagement, teaching to accommodate diversity, and teaching for enriched learning. The total scale and the six subscales were evaluated based on the responses of 159 Hong Kong Chinese prospective and in‐service teachers for internal consistency and construct validity, and for convergent and discriminant validation with external measures.     

The politics of ‘lifelong learning’ in post‐1997 Hong Kong

This article is concerned with the politics of lifelong learning policy in post‐1997 Hong Kong (HK). The paper is in four parts. Continuing Education, recast as ‘lifelong learning’, is to be the cornerstone of the post‐Handover education reform agenda. The lineaments of a familiar discourse are evident in the Education Commission policy documents. However, to view recent HK education policy just in terms of an apparent convergence with global trends would be to neglect the ways in which the discourse of lifelong learning has been tactically deployed to serve local political agendas. In the second part of this paper, I outline what Scott has called HK’s ‘disarticulated’ political system following its retrocession to China and attempts by an executive‐led administration to demonstrate ‘performance legitimacy’—through major policy reforms—in the absence of (democratic) political legitimacy. Beijing’s designation of HK as a (depoliticized) ‘economic’ city within greater China must also be taken into account. It is against this political background that the strategic deployment of a ‘lifelong learning’ discourse needs to be seen. In the third section of this paper, I examine three recent policy episodes to illustrate how lifelong learning discourse has been adopted and has evolved to meet changing circumstances in HK. Finally, I look at the issue of public consultation. The politics of education policy in HK may be seen to mirror at a micro‐level, the current macro‐level contested interpretations of HK’s future polity.     

Teacher self‐efficacy and successful intelligence among Chinese secondary school teachers in Hong Kong

This study assessed perceptions of self‐efficacy and successful intelligence among 220 Chinese prospective and in‐service secondary school teachers in Hong Kong. Teacher self‐efficacy in six domains – teaching highly able learners, classroom management, guidance and counselling, student engagement, teaching to accommodate diversity, and teaching for enriched learning – was related to the three triarchic dimensions (analytical, creative, and practical) of successful intelligence. Each of the three triarchic abilities was found to contribute independently and in combination to the prediction of the six domains of teacher self‐efficacy. Practical abilities were the most significant predictor of self‐efficacy beliefs in five domains. Teaching teachers for successful intelligence, in strategies to enhance teacher self‐efficacy, is discussed.     

Mainland Chinese undergraduates’ academic socialisation in Hong Kong

Research has confirmed that supportive social networks and associated resources play a critical role in the adaptation of migrating international students to host communities. Access to such social networks and resources requires migrating students to invest in and make efforts at academic socialisation, as mediated by various social processes. This article reports on an examination of 26 mainland Chinese undergraduates’ experiences of academic socialisation in a major university in Hong Kong. Drawing on these students’ experiential accounts, the inquiry identified a variety of linguistic, sociocultural and ideological challenges that undermine the participants’ academic socialisation with local students in Hong Kong. It also recorded strategic efforts undertaken by the participants to align themselves with their local counterparts linguistically and socially. These efforts helped some participants overcome various challenges in academic socialisation but most of them chose to socialise with other mainland Chinese students and further alienate themselves from local students. In light of shifting contextual conditions, it may be increasingly difficult for migrant students to construct a cohesive university community with local students. Therefore, institutions need to invest more in facilitating and supporting different groups of students’ engagement with each other in achieving mutual understanding through shared activities.     

The decision to send local children to international schools in Hong Kong: local parents’ perspectives

This article reports the findings of a qualitative study that investigates why some local Hong Kong parents decide to give up local education and send their children to international schools in Hong Kong. Data were gathered from 25 parents across eight selected school sites grouped as four cases based on the continental origins of those international schools. Data were analyzed by applying the inductive data analysis model of Miles and Huberman (Qualitative data analysis: an expanded sourcebook. Sage, London 1994). Ten propositions were developed within four emergent fields. The propositions developed led to recommendations for practice and for future studies, which may have the potential to influence changes to education policy to better meet the needs of local Hong Kong students.     

Gratitude,gratitude intervention and subjective well‐being among Chinese school teachers in Hong Kong

This study assessed the dispositional gratitude and its relationships with orientations to happiness and burnout in a sample of 96 Chinese school teachers in Hong Kong and investigated the effectiveness of an eight‐week gratitude intervention programme using a pre‐test/post‐test design with outcome measures of subjective well‐being in the same sample of teachers. The results indicated that the dispositional gratitude of teachers correlated substantially and positively with a meaningful life orientation to happiness and with personal accomplishment, and correlated substantially and negatively with the two negative components of burnout: emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation. The effects of the gratitude intervention were evident in the increase in scores on satisfaction with life and on positive affect, especially for teachers in the low‐gratitude group. Implications of the findings on the relationships between gratitude and burnout and the effectiveness of gratitude intervention for teachers of different levels of dispositional gratitude are discussed.     

The Family–School Linkage in Addressing Bullying in Hong Kong: A Sociocultural Perspective

Abstract

The phenomenon that around ten percent of schoolchildren are bullied regularly in Hong Kong has attracted much scholarly attention in anti-bullying research. Current literature suggests taking into consideration the contextual features and socioeconomic factors in anti-bullying research, instead of applying identical intervention/prevention measures across cultures. Therefore, this article examines the role of school-family linkage as a mirror of the wide social-culture context, and analyzes the functions of such linkage in anti-bullying practice in Hong Kong. This study was conducted following a film approach in 2015. That is, a group of middle school teachers in Hong Kong were invited to watch small films showing typical bullying and anti-bullying episodes, followed by semi-structured interviews. The article demonstrates a list of good practices representing the functioning of a positive family-school linkage in bullying addressing. However, parental involvement does not always facilitate and can hinder bullying addressing on campuses. This study implies that efficient bullying addressing aligns with parental involvement in the intervention process, suggesting more parental involvement and more collaboration between family and school in anti-bullying. It also raises an urgent question in regards to balancing the various opinions between parents and teachers in child-raising and bullying addressing. This article suggests further and more investigations examining anti-bullying from a socioeconomic perspective.     

Higher education in Hong Kong — the approach to 1997 and the China factor

Hong Kong has two major economic assets: its geographical location and labour force. Shortage of educated manpower has created a bottleneck hampering economic growth. Substantial emigration flows relating to 1997 is also a problem. Development of higher education and infrastructure are means to ensure sustainable economic growth. The government plans to enable 25% of the relevant age group to attend degree and diploma courses in 1995 through rapid expansion and heavy subsidy.Most families are willing to work hard to provide for their children's education. They believe that their society is full of opportunities, and wealth and education important criteria determining one's social status. While Confucian ethics continue to influence attitudes and values, utilitarian considerations are now significant in the choice of disciplines, extra-curricular activities, staff-student relationship, etc.Rapid expansion of tertiary education creates a shortage of qualified staff and students. Fear of 1997 affects academics' dedication. They have to plan their insurance policy and signs of self-censorship emerge. Meanwhile, localization makes progress and the government begins to support research. Exchanges with China allowed local academics to help Chinese universities to renew their external linkages and establish new curricula.Higher education in Hong Kong has completed its take-off. It has achieved standards of developed countries. In the 1990s, it will attempt to consolidate and improve its quality.This is the updated and revised version of a paper prepared for the conference Hong Kong In Transition 1992 organized by the One Country Two Systems Economic Research Institute in Hong Kong