Consensus or dissensus? Stakeholders’ views on the role of play in learning

Across cultures and eras, children have engaged in play as part of the process of growing and maturing into adulthood. Play has been recognized as an effective form of pedagogy to promote learning in the early years. However, beliefs about what play is and how it should be practiced vary across Hong Kong and in other countries. Because Chinese culture places a heavy emphasis on academic achievement, a play-based curriculum has not been widely implemented in the region. Through classroom observations and interviews with key stakeholders in early childhood education, namely parents, teachers, and principals, this study reveals the complexity of views on this matter and uncovers the root cause of the difficulties in supporting play in the Hong Kong kindergartens. These findings may help promote the play-based curriculum in Hong Kong and other countries where play is in crisis.     

The discrepancy between teachers’ beliefs and practices: a study of kindergarten teachers in Hong Kong

This study examines the discrepancy between teachers’ beliefs and practices in Hong Kong kindergartens and the factors that influence this discrepancy. Three kindergartens, considered by the Hong Kong Education Bureau to be of varying quality, were chosen from different areas of Hong Kong. Questionnaires about teaching beliefs were administered to 35 teachers from these kindergartens. These quantitative data were supplemented with qualitative data gathered during individual interviews with five of the teachers and the three principals. In addition, a focus group of five early childhood education specialists commented on the videotaped observations of the classroom practices of the five interviewed teachers. The findings showed that all of the teachers endorsed the advocated teaching beliefs, but there was a discrepancy between their beliefs and practices. The most significant factors contributing to the discrepancy were teachers’ professional education and their attitudes towards personal teaching introspection. Teachers were also under pressure from parents’ curriculum requests, demands on the children’s academic abilities and expectations for a strong link to Primary One. Enhanced early childhood education training that helps teachers to be introspective about their own teaching practices and beliefs is recommended. Government support is also required to teach parents what constitutes a high-quality learning environment for young children.     

Bridging the gap: a longitudinal study of the relationship between pedagogical continuity and early Chinese literacy acquisition

This longitudinal study examined the relationship between pedagogical continuity in literacy education and early literacy development by comparing Chinese children in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Stratified random sampling was used to select 24 preschool and Primary 1 classes in four communities catering to middle‐class families in each city. The 24 teachers were interviewed about their teaching methods and views on pedagogical continuity in individual sessions. Further, their teaching activities were videotaped over a period of a week. Their students (n = 758) completed a Chinese literacy attainment test at the beginning and at the end of the same academic year. Analyses indicated that Hong Kong students outperformed their Shenzhen counterparts in Chinese literacy attainment, at both preschool and primary levels, concurrently and longitudinally. This suggests that the holistic approach followed in Hong Kong might have a more positive impact on children's literacy development than the approach followed in Shenzhen. Implications of the findings for early childhood curriculum reform are discussed.     

The relevance of media education in primary schools in Hong Kong in the age of new media: a case study

In this age of new media, children are exposed to media messages at an early age. What can we do when the mass media exert such a great influence on children? One proposal has been for the introduction of a new school subject: media education. Though media education has not been part of the official curriculum in Hong Kong, some schools, both primary and secondary, have tried it out. This paper argues for the desirability of introducing media education in primary schools in Hong Kong, with regard to social change, recent education reform and learning initiatives of primary pupils. It then draws on the findings of a study conducted in a local primary school to examine the views of pupils, parents, and teachers on the effects on pupils of the implementation of media education lessons and campus radio projects in this age of new media.     

A study of early childhood teachers’ conceptions of creativity in Hong Kong

The study aimed to uncover the conceptions of creativity among early childhood teachers in Hong Kong. The sample comprised 563 early childhood teachers. Factor analysis supported the multidimensional hypothesis of teachers’ conceptions of creativity. Five dimensions were found: novelty, product, problem solving, cognitive processes and personal attributes. Early childhood teachers in Hong Kong ascribed high importance to these dimensions as defining characteristics of creativity, with a person’s cognitive processes and personal attributes being ascribed relatively more important while product as relatively less importance. In particular, imagination, multiple perspectives and curiosity were perceived as very important concepts of creativity. Teachers with different teaching backgrounds shared very similar conceptions of creativity. Significant results were found with regard to product only. The findings have implications for early childhood teacher education programmes and professional development in Hong Kong.     

Curricular and instructional influences on early literacy attainment: evidence from Beijing,Hong Kong and Singapore

This study considered curricular and instructional influences on early Chinese literacy attainment in Beijing, Hong Kong and Singapore. The participants included 198 pre‐school children, their teachers and parents. Children were administered the Pre‐school and Primary Chinese Literacy Scale at the age of either two or three years, and again one year later. Teachers were asked to report on their beliefs and practices related to literacy education, and classroom observations were conducted to determine the extent to which directives issued by the Beijing, Hong Kong and Singapore governments were implemented. Investigation showed that there were marked differences across the societies in curriculum guidelines and approaches to literacy teaching. Results indicated that by the age of four, pre‐schoolers in Hong Kong and Singapore had significantly better Chinese literacy attainment than those in Beijing. Although age was the best predictor of attainment, location, teachers’ qualifications and classroom experience also significantly contributed to children’s literacy attainment.     

Exploring parental involvement in early years education in China: development and validation of the Chinese Early Parental Involvement Scale (CEPIS)

This study developed and validated an instrument, the Chinese Early Parental Involvement Scale (CEPIS), that can be widely used in both local and international contexts to assess Chinese parental involvement in early childhood education. The study was carried out in two stages: (1) focus group interviews were conducted with 41 teachers and 35 parents in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Teachers and parents were found to hold different perceptions of parental involvement. Responses further revealed that Chinese parents practiced more home-based involvement than preschool-based involvement, and that Chinese parents also have layers of responsibilities that limit their level of involvement in children's early development; (2) items of the CEPIS were developed using focus group responses. To validate the scale, 319 parents were asked to complete the new CEPIS. Results from principal-components factor analyses established that the resultant 26-item CEPIS consists of six parental involvement dimensions. Further analyses revealed that parental involvement differed as a function of parents' marital status and employment status. The major findings, implications and limitations of this research are discussed, together with directions for future research.     

A Parental perspective of school and familial curriculum making: a narrative inquiry of early childhood education planning in Hong Kong

This paper examines the early childhood context of Hong Kong (HK) which is characterised by an entirely privatised system. The level of knowledge a child possesses in early childhood can be a determining factor in their admission into desirable kindergartens or primary schools. Given HK’s privatised early childhood education system, the quality of a child’s learning is directly tied to the education services their parents provide independently or can afford financially. The study reported in this paper adopts a narrative inquiry approach to an under-researched area of early childhood education, namely the voices of parents within home learning environments and how the lengths they go to provide their children with a quality education.     

课程政策与教学实践对幼儿中文识字能力发展的影响——来自北京、香港和新加坡三地的研究

本研究追踪比较北京﹑香港和新加坡三地课程政策与教学实践对幼儿中文识字能力发展的影响。研究对象是三地198名儿童及其教师。研究者采用《学前及初小中文识字量表》对两组被试儿童(2岁﹑3岁组)进行了测试﹐一年后再复测。被试教师则填写《学校识字环境指数》问卷。研究者还到被调查的幼儿园进行现场课室观察。研究结果发现:(1)三地的学前中文识字课程政策及具体教学实践都有显着差异。(2)到4岁时﹐香港和新加坡幼儿在中文识字方面表现显著优于北京幼儿。(3)除年龄因素以外,不同的课程政策、教师年资及课堂教学经验等因素是预测幼儿一年后中文识字能力发展的最好指标。     

Affordability,accessibility, and accountability: Perceived impacts of the Pre-primary Education Vouchers in Hong Kong

Hong Kong launched the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme (PEVS) in 2007 to promote the “3A's” of early childhood education (ECE): affordability, accessibility, and accountability. The PEVS has three unique features: discriminating against profit kindergartens, promoting teacher professional development, and limiting parents’ choice to only non-profit schools. To understand the voucher scheme's perceived impacts, this study conducted stratified random sampling to include 10% of Hong Kong kindergartens and surveyed their parents, principals, and teachers. A total of 380 completed questionnaires were collected and analyzed, and the results indicated that (1) the majority of the respondents perceived positive impacts on the 3A's of ECE; (2) significant effects of stakeholders (parents, teachers and principals), school types (profit or non-profit), eligibility, and familiarity were found in between- and within-group comparisons; (3) the parents and especially those from non-profit/eligible kindergartens tended to perceive more positive impacts than others; and (4) the principals and teachers reported some implementation difficulties. Implications for voucher reform in others countries are discussed.     

Quality improvement in early years settings in Hong Kong and England

With a growing awareness of the importance of early childhood education, the governments of Hong Kong and England have both increased investment through providing fee assistance to parents for buying services and providing funding to providers for offering ‘free’ places, respectively. Alongside the increased funding of early childhood education, a heightened interest in the quality of early years settings has arisen. This paper aims to develop a framework for comparative studies by addressing the similarities and differences in quality improvement of both systems. Three key issues are discussed: relevance of the quality criteria for assessment, interpretations of the quality improvement mechanism and its use in guiding practice, and the influence of contextual factors in terms of stakeholders' views of the quality process. It is argued that these key issues are fundamental to a framework for understanding different sociocultural contexts and dynamics in shaping the quality improvement of early childhood education.     

Homework involvement and functions: perceptions of Hong Kong Chinese primary school students and parents

This study examines the perceptions of Chinese students and parents in Hong Kong on homework involvement, assignment type and homework functions. The relationships of homework perceptions to student and parent attributes are also assessed. The sample includes 1393 pairs of students and their parents from 36 primary schools in Hong Kong. Findings of this study show similarities in preference for assignment type across students and parents. Between‐group discrepancies are observed in preference for homework involvement and endorsement of homework functions. Moreover, homework perceptions are found to relate to students’ and parents’ efficacy attributes and involvement behaviour. Findings of this study are discussed in light of the Chinese sociocultural context in Hong Kong. Suggestions are made on the design and use of homework in primary schools by incorporating the views of different stakeholders.     

早期教育的文化:来自香港幼稚园的观察研究

随着对“幼儿是如何学习的”这一问题认识的不断深入,世界范围内的幼儿教育从知识传授向知识建构教育范式转变。本文对当前香港主流的幼稚园教育实践以及影响香港幼儿教育的社会文化因素作了探讨。系统观察研究的结果显示,香港幼稚园普遍采用直接教学和探究式教学相结合的教学方式。在语言教学中,逐渐接受早期读写萌发教学的观念;在数学教育中,从传统的以讲授和练习为主的教学转向以活动为基础的教学。关于幼儿社会化的文化观念反映在教学实践以及与幼儿的互动过程中。虽然关于幼儿怎样才能更好地进行学习的理念在当前幼儿教育实践中得到了较好的体现,但是中国传统文化中的相关观念仍然在课堂情境中占据主导地位,二者彼此交织和融合在教学实践中。     

香港中文教育面临的重要抉择

在中小学,用普通话教中国语文科,还是用广东话教中国语文科,这是目前香港中文教育面临的一个重要抉择。政府有关部门将普教中订为长远目标,而至今没有定出全港中小学实现普教中的时间表。普教中好?还是广教中好?学界也有分歧。本文从宏观与微观不同的角度,分析普教中的好处,借鉴了历史上和现实中不同地域中文教育的经验,同时评析了香港社会关于普教中的现状及各种意见。     

香港幼儿教师法律与政策研究:特点及其启示

近年,香港特区政府重视通过制定法律政策,保障并不断促进幼儿教师社会地位和专业水平的提升,有力地推动了香港学前教育事业的健康持续发展。通过对香港重要的幼儿教师法律政策的分析,可以看出其主要具有以下四方面的特点:明确特区政府在幼儿教师队伍建设中的重要职责;参照公务员标准实施幼儿教师薪级津贴制度,保障并提高幼儿教师待遇;明确并不断提高幼儿教师和园长的资质要求,完善准入机制;加强幼儿教师在职培训,提高教师队伍质量。香港幼儿教师政策法律对我国内地幼儿教师政策法律的制定和学前教育事业发展具有重要的启示与借鉴价值。     

Capacity building for school development: current problems and future challenges

This article offers a theoretical discussion on the current problems and future challenges of school capacity building in early childhood education (ECE), aiming to highlight some key areas for future research. In recent years, there has been a notable policy shift from monitoring quality through inspection to improving quality through school capacity building in early childhood institutions in the global discourse for quality. Reflecting this policy shift and its implications on school development, ECE in Hong Kong is used as an illustrative example to deliberate the issues of school capacity building in Chinese educational contexts. We identify three challenging contexts: (1) low professional qualification and minimal teacher education resulting in a deficit approach to processional development, (2) absence of school-based professional learning culture for empowering teachers as internal agents of change, and (3) hierarchical culture within a school and between university and school hindering the process of school capacity building. Corresponding to these challenges, we aim to propose two suggestions, including (1) empowering teachers in ECE through school-based professional learning community and (2) promoting authentic external support in the process of university–school collaboration. Finally, we further propose specific directions for future research on school capacity building in ECE in Hong Kong. In doing so, it will contribute to knowledge-based development in school capacity building in Chinese educational contexts.     

Legacy of British Colonial Early Childhood Education

This article examines early childhood educationin Hong Kong from three perspectives: historical, socio-economic, and educational development. Each perspective highlights different issues and problems in the development of early childhood education. The historical perspective identifies some major events and their influence on the formulation of educational policies particularly at pre-school level. The social-economicperspective considers education as the means toachieve economic development, which is whythe amount of resources allocated is closelylinked with the future needs of the economy;therefore preschool education has long beenneglected in Hong Kong. The educationaldevelopment perspective reflects the Hong Konggovernment's expectations for education, and thereview of the educational policies helpsunderstand the development of pre-schooleducation. Analysis of some historicalbackground and current trends of early childhoodeducation development, highlight possible future developments of early childhood education in Hong Kong, particularly after the reunification with her motherland, China, in 1997.     

An exploratory study of gender and male teachers in early childhood education and care centres in China

This paper explores the impact of gender on the employment of men in early childhood education and care (ECEC) centres through the voices of male and female early childhood teachers (ECTs) working in China. Gender imbalance in the ECEC workforce is a global phenomenon, and there has been little research about it in countries such as China. This study was based on online interviews with 16 ECTs from three major cities in China. Findings indicated that ECTs’ perceptions conformed largely with traditional gender stereotypes in Chinese culture. Western expectations that men’s participation in ECEC could challenge traditional gender stereotypes and promote gender diversity were not reflected in either Chinese academic literature reviewed or the participants’ views captured in this research. The appreciation of masculinity in Chinese culture and implied disadvantages are considered within a global context of empowering women and girls.     

幼教工作者对特殊幼儿融合教育问题的态度和意见的调查研究

为了解普通幼儿园工作者对特殊幼儿融合教育问题的态度和意见,本文对174名教师和保育员进行问卷调查,主要发现:(1)幼教工作者对特殊幼儿有一定的了解,但不够深入;(2)幼教工作者以及普通幼儿家长在保障师资、设备以及教育方式的情况下,更乐意接受特殊幼儿进入普通幼儿园;(3)幼教工作者认为学前阶段实施特殊教育最需解决的问题依次为师资问题、设备问题、家长观念、教师观念、经费问题以及专设督导机构问题。     

Teacher efficacy: A comparative study of Hong Kong and Shanghai Primary in-service teachers

Teachers beliefs about their ability to affect students’ performance is an important part of professionalism. This study compared 725 Hong Kong and 575 Shanghai primary in-service teachers on their teacher efficacy. Two Chinese versions of the 12-item Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale were used in this study since some wordings of the Hong Kong version of the Scale (HK-TSE) were different from the Shanghai version (STSE) as a result of cultural differences. Basically, the Shanghai teachers reported significantly higher efficacy than did the Hong Kong teachers. After reviewing these quantitative results, 86 follow-up questionnaires from Shanghai in-service teachers who also participated in the first part of this study were collected. Results of this qualitative part showed that the three most commonly cited factors for the contribution of teacher efficacy were: respect and confidence placed in them by students and parents, the training they received from universities and the experience they gained from daily teaching practice. Though Hong Kong in-service teachers had lower efficacy scores than the Shanghai counterparts.