Towards a Psychological Model of Teacher–Parent Communication in Hong Kong Primary Schools

Teacher attitudes and practices are considered as essential in fostering parental involvement in school education. In Hong Kong, amongst possible types of home–school links, teacher–parent communication about children's learning has been agreed to be the primary concern of both schools and parents. This paper reports a test of a psychological model of teacher–parent communication in Hong Kong primary schools. The model has taken into account the theory of planned behavior, self-efficacy theory, expectancy theory and theories of family–school relations. Scales for measuring the criterion and predictor variables have been developed. Variables that associated with teacher communication intention and practices were identified and path analyses linking the variables in a conceptual model were conducted. Results show that teacher commitment and teacher efficacy in working with parents have significant predictive power for teacher intention. Teacher intention, together with teacher commitment, has predictive power for teacher's time spent in communicating with parents. Relationships between individual teacher beliefs and the criterion variables are also described and discussed.     

“It’s like starting all over again”. The struggles of second-career teachers to construct professional identities in Hong Kong schools

Educational-policy makers worldwide are concerned with finding effective strategies to recruit and retain high-quality teachers. The recruitment of second-career teachers has been seen as one means of fulfilling this aim. Against a background of calls to better understand SCTs, this article reports the results of a qualitative study investigating the experiences of six second-career teachers in Hong Kong. Based on a theoretical framework of teacher-identity construction, discourse analysis was used to explore the participants’ perceptions of their professional development. In-depth interviews were conducted to gain detailed insights into how the teachers construct their identities-in-practice and identities-in-discourse within Hong Kong schools. The findings expose tensions between attempts the positioning of SCTs within dominant discourses as ‘traditional’ and ‘conventional’ teachers, for example, and the participants’ self-positioning in practice as ‘innovative’ and ‘risk-taking’ teachers. Ways in SCT agency, and hence identity construction, can be facilitated through the introduction of the innovative pedagogical practices which many SCTs seek to pursue in Hong Kong schools are considered.     

Becoming a teacher: the identity construction experiences of beginning English language teachers in Hong Kong

Debate over educational reform in many countries has addressed the question of how to attract and retain teachers. As part of a multiple case study that includes eight beginning English language teachers in Hong Kong, this paper offers an in-depth analysis of the experiences of two participants, Christine and Samuel, during their initial year of full time teaching in Hong Kong schools. The data, collected during an entire academic year, suggests that Christine used her experiences of becoming a teacher to justify and reaffirm her determination to pursue a career within English language teaching. In contrast, Samuel??s preliminary year of full-time teaching culminated in his decision to leave the teaching profession. A contribution of this study is to explore these very different experiences and outcomes using a framework of teacher identity construction. From this perspective, findings suggest that the participants?? engagement in the practices and activities of teaching, their relations with colleagues, and their positioning within different discourses of teaching and learning by their schools as well as by the wider educational environment, shaped their decisions about whether to continue to pursue a teaching career. Implications for attracting and retaining teachers, as well as for future research, are discussed.     

Educational reforms and the practices of professional learning community in Hong Kong primary schools

Abstract

This study explored the characteristics of professional learning communities (PLCs) in Hong Kong primary schools. It investigated the profiles of the strengths of professional learning community in schools under study and particularly examined the practices in schools which were identified as strong PLCs. It extends research on PLCs in the Hong Kong context and formulates a quantitative perspective to compare and validate PLC variables across schools in Hong Kong. The Professional Learning Community Questionnaire (PLCQ) for Hong Kong schools was developed to assess the PLC practices in six different areas: leadership for teacher learning, collaborative learning capacity, student-focused orientation, a culture of sharing, mutual understanding and support, and continuous professional development. A composite construct, the Professional Learning Community Index (PLCI) expressed in quantitative terms was utilized to assess the strength of PLC in a school. The research findings show that within the schools which were identified as strong professional learning communities, both the school leaders and teachers had strong emphases on the six subscales of the PLC practices.     

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.     

One Size Fits All? Teacher Appraisal in a Chinese Culture

In this article we suggest that the penetration of Western policies and practices—in particular, teacher appraisal—into Asian cultural contexts needs to be questioned. We begin by making a general case for considering the influence of societal culture on educational policies and practices, and a more specific argument for assessing its role in the implementation of teacher appraisal in different cultures. We argue that it may be unwise simply to clone appraisal practices in contexts and cultures quite different from those in which they are chartered. The study briefly reviews the status of teacher appraisal in Hong Kong, given that in the next few years all Hong Kong schools must implement appraisal schemes, a fact causing considerable consternation. We then suggest that the most common forms of appraisal being promoted and implemented in Hong Kong are based on traditional Anglo-American understandings and practices. This leads to a discussion of the possible influence exerted by culture on teacher appraisal in the Chinese society of Hong Kong. Noteworthy features of Hong Kongs culture are collectivism and high power distance, both of which are sufficiently different from Anglo-American cultures to suggest that the forms taken by teacher appraisal in those countries may be inappropriate for Hong Kong. In the final section, we briefly discuss a number of issues that, it is suggested, deserve consideration when Hong Kong schools design and implement teacher appraisal schemes. As we stress throughout the study, our discussion is not intended to be definitive. Rather, we hope it will stimulate discussion and research into discovering more culturally sensitive ways of appraising teachers in different parts of the world.     

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.     

Curriculum reform with a school-based approach: intellectual,structural and cultural challenges

Curriculum reform with a school-based approach is often assumed to offer schools and teachers autonomy at the site level, thus enabling them to develop a school-based curriculum and pedagogies to better fit the needs of students. Over the past decade, school-based curriculum development in Hong Kong has encountered issues that deserve worldwide attention and discussion. By reviewing the experiences of two schools in Hong Kong and drawing on international evidence, this study identifies key challenges and difficulties in school-based curriculum reform in three areas. Intellectually, there is a lack of a strong and broad shared knowledge base for curriculum development. As a result, most school-based curriculum initiatives have been piecemeal, fragmented and shallow. Structurally, many teachers have wasted time ‘re-inventing the wheel’ when developing school-based curricula. This effort has left them without sufficient time and energy to be effective in teaching. Culturally, reliance on school management to steer school-based reforms has prevented the development of a new culture in which teachers have the autonomy to make changes in their daily practices. Without cultural changes, curriculum reforms are not sustainable or effective. This study proposes a cooperative platform that integrates the strengths of central intelligence and school-based initiatives to maximise support for curriculum development at the teacher, school-site and system levels.     

对中国大陆与香港地区基础技术教育改革与发展的比较及几点建议

二十一世纪以来,中国大陆和香港地区的基础教育正经历着新一轮课程改革。中国大陆传统的中小学技术教育得到与时俱进的变革;以培养学生技术素养为目标的技术课程成为高中新课程结构中的八大领域之一,形成技术教育课程形态的历史性突破。香港回归祖国之后,其中小学的技术教育也正面临着前所未有的机遇和挑战。随着我国基础教育课程改革事业的不断推进和深入发展,对两地基础技术教育发展的回顾和比较也就越发显得大有必要。这项比较研究可以为大陆和香港地区基础技术教育的改革与发展,提供互为参照与借鉴的启示、宝贵经验和建议。     

Teachers’ Commitment and psychological well-being: implications of self-beliefs for teaching in Hong Kong

Despite ample research on commitment in industrial settings, there has been no systematic attempt to investigate outcomes associated with teacher commitment. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between teacher commitment and psychological well-being in the work place using questionnaires. Hong Kong teachers (N?=?857) participated. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to investigate how the three aspects of commitment pertaining to the organisation and occupation predicted relevant outcomes. Results showed that affective and normative commitment positively predicted psychological well-being in the work place: interpersonal fit at work, thriving at work, feeling of competency, perceived recognition at work, desire for involvement at work and job satisfaction. Continuance commitment was a negative predictor of some outcomes. Results of the current study provide support to Meyer’s 3?×?2 factor model of commitment. Findings are discussed in relation to the situation of teachers in the Hong Kong context.     

香港中小学教育公平的实践

入学机会在香港虽早已普及,但这并不代表香港中小学教育是公平的。为了检视香港教育公平的实践,本文回顾了香港回归后与教育公平有关的教育政策争议,从学童的性别、贫穷家庭子女、特殊学习需要学童、少数族裔学童、新来港与跨境学童等几方面剖析了香港中小学在教育公平方面的实施情况,并就探讨香港教育公平课题提出了进一步的建议。     

Modelling the effects of principal leadership and school capacity on teacher professional learning in Hong Kong primary schools

Over the past 30 years, school principals have been exhorted to articulate a clear vision as a key tool for stimulating the improvement of teaching and learning in their schools. Over the past decade, as school systems have sought to distribute leadership more broadly within schools, the same imperative has applied to middle-level leaders. Indeed, a key assumption underlying the move towards sharing leadership responsibilities more broadly has been the belief that this would strengthen collective efforts and reduce the gap between goals and outcomes. Yet, to date, there have relatively few investigations of the extent to which middle-level leaders are contributing to school improvement efforts. This study sought to understand how shared vision within school management teams (SMTs) impacts teacher commitment and teacher support for students through school alignment and coherence. Dyad survey data were collected from 411 SMT members and 559 teachers at 32 primary schools in Hong Kong. Results indicated that shared vision in SMTs is positively related to teachers' perception of school alignment and coherence, teachers' commitment and teacher support to students. Theoretical and practical implications of findings are discussed.     

北京香港两地普小教师对有特殊教育需要学生随班就读态度的比较研究

北京、香港两个地区的普通小学中随机抽取了 2 2 5名教师进行问卷调查 ,结果表明 ,在对有特殊教育需要学生在普通班级随班就读的基本态度上 ,香港地区持赞同态度的教师比例高于北京地区。但对各类有特殊教育需要学生的随班就读 ,两地教师的态度既有相同的方面 ,也有不同的方面。两地教师对随班就读的接受程度明显受学生的残疾类型和残疾程度的影响     

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.     

“课堂学习研究”对香港教育的影响

世界上不少地方正在进行教育及课程改革，然而不少教育研究的结果却告诉我们，绝少教育改革能真正对学生学习产生正面的影响；而能够产生明显作用的，都是那些直接涉及学习内容的改革。课堂学习研究就是针对学习内容为出发点，以变易学习理论为基础，运用行动研究的模式，聚合教师、教育研究员的集体智慧，解决学生的学习困难，帮助每个学生学得更好。经过六年的探索、实践及研究，香港已有超过100多所学校参与，并已开展了130多项课堂学习研究。在这过程中，课堂学习研究被发现不仅能帮助学生学得更好。更是一个成就教师发展、校本课程发展及学校改革的有效工具。本除阐述课堂学习研究在香港的发展外，更探讨其对教师发展、校本课程发展及学校改革的影响，以及其未来发展所要面对的挑战。     

论香港师训会对香港教师专业发展的影响

我国香港地区师训与师资咨询委员会是香港教师教育领域最重要的咨询机构,对香港教师专业发展产生了重大影响,是香港教师专业发展的规划者和推动者,以及政府、学校、教师三主体之间的协调者。在分析师训会的相关重要文件报告基础上,详细论述师训会对香港教师专业发展的影响,以期对内地架构和发展教师专业发展咨询体系提供借鉴。     

Information technology in education: policy and provision in Hong Kong schools

Abstract

This article reviews the Hong Kong policy (1998) on information technology in education (ITE). Key proposals in the policy and the rationales presented for introducing new technology in schools are examined. It is suggested that initiatives presented would have been difficult to implement fully without more far-reaching changes in education policies and school practices. Now, other proposals for reform of education in Hong Kong have been released. The ways in which these recent proposals for reform support existing initiatives in ITE are identified and discussed. Available data on the implementation of ITE are also reviewed. It is suggested that while a comprehensive policy framework has now been developed, the ‘vision’ for ITE may take some time to be realised.     

Education accountability in Hong Kong: Lessons from the school management initiative

In March, 1991, the Hong Kong Government launched a scheme entitled the School Management Initiative. As suggested by the sub-title, “Setting the Framework for Quality in Hong Kong Schools,” the concern was for quality education. In September, 1991, 21 aided secondary schools took part in a pilot scheme. The schools were asked to set up a framework for accountability. This chapter reports how the teachers in the pilot schools responded to these changes. It was found that teachers who were involved in school administration were more favorably disposed to the changes. The remaining half of the teachers who were not involved in school administration were less enthusiastic. Both groups of teachers complained about the heavy increase of work load and reported that the accountability framework failed to make any impact on the quality of teaching.     

Leadership and collaboration in implementing curriculum change in Hong Kong secondary schools

Task-based learning (TBL) was a methodological innovation in the 1999 English Language syllabus for secondary schools and the 2006 curriculum for senior secondary schools in Hong Kong, designed to replace teacher-centred, grammar-focused approaches that were identified as previously prevalent. This two-year longitudinal study analyses the implementation of TBL in three schools. It focuses on teachers’ conceptions of TBL and classroom practice, and the support provided by senior management. It finds that TBL is enacted differently by individual teachers, and that the lack of senior leadership is significant in causing the innovation either to wither or to become diffuse. In some cases, problems associated with implementing TBL were addressed through the determined commitment of pioneering teachers and the collaborative efforts by staff, but change was nonetheless hampered.