Developing Problem-Solving Practitioners

This article presents a research project on thedevelopment of pre-service mathematicsteachers' skills and understanding ofthemselves as pedagogical problem solvers. Theproblems were similar to those they are likelyto encounter in their future mathematicsclassrooms. The project took place within aBachelor of Education program. The articledescribes changes in the students' attitudestowards problem-based learning and examines thecritical incidents that were catalysts forthese changes to occur. The project addressedan important issue in the current Hong Kongcontext, with the emphasis on quality learningand instruction. With curriculum reforms inprimary education, teachers are required torespond to changes and implementrecommendations within the constraints ofday-to-day classroom management. They need tobe critical and informed professionals.Therefore, we argue that by adopting aproblem-solving approach to teaching, teacherswould be better able to view themselves ascompetent problem solvers who are able todevelop various strategies to deal withchange.     

Educational Reforms and Coping Strategies under the Tidal Wave of Marketisation: A comparative study of Hong Kong and the mainland

It has been a global trend, since the 1980s, that the process of marketisation has been influential in the decision making of social policies around the world, and that this tidal wave is now crossing over to the Asia-Pacific region as well. Education policy, as one of the important social policies for many developing countries, has been influential in the forefront of national development in terms of manpower training, as well as in other arenas of economic and social developments. In this way, these countries are trying to improve the quality of their educational services so that they can be more competitive in order to cater for the demands in the international markets. One of the outcomes of this global trend is the international quality assurance movement in streamlining the educational institutions as well as in using different coping strategies to promote quality education for all concerned. For the Chinese mainland, it seems that the central government is adopting a policy of decentralisation in getting local governments to use multiple channels of resources and other methods to provide for their own educational services. Hong Kong as a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China, however, has adopted quite a different approach by employing the principle of managerialism in order to enhance its competitiveness in providing quality education to meet the increasing market demands. Hence, the present study is to compare and contrast the educational reforms and coping strategies that have been adopted by the socialist mainland, on the one hand, and the capitalist Hong Kong SAR, on the other hand, in order to face this new challenge of marketisation.     

Psychological correlates of physical abuse in Hong Kong Chinese adolescents

OBJECTIVE: To understand the associations between adolescent family physical maltreatment and psychiatric morbidity or psychological problems. METHODS: questionnaire survey on 489 secondary school students in Form 2 from 10 schools in Hong Kong. Questions regarding three forms of family physical maltreatment were measured: corporal punishment within the past 6 months, beaten without any reason within the past 6 months, or ever been beaten to injury. MAIN RESULT: Corporal punishment was not associated with the psychological variables after Bonferroni adjustment was made. Those who experienced the two other forms of physical maltreatment had significant and strong associations with positive Achenbach CBCL outcome (OR from 3.26 to 3.27), drug abuse problems (OR from 2.60 to 20.38), self-injurious behaviors (OR from 3.34 to 8.47) and poor perceived parental support. In addition, those who had ever been beaten to injury scored significantly lower in the "physical appearance" and "behavioral conduct" subscales of the Harter's Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: In Hong Kong, some forms of family physical maltreatment (beaten for no reason and beaten to injury) were associated with a number of psychiatric/psychological problems. Further studies should be carried out to clarify whether the relationships are causal in nature.     

Gender,school management and educational reforms: a case study of a primary school in Hong Kong

Across the globe, many countries have incorporated new managerialism and marketization to reform their education systems. Feminist studies have already pointed out that these changes are gendered and masculinized and have documented their impacts on women teachers in secondary, higher and further education. Yet interestingly, while primary teaching is a feminized occupation, the ways that these changes and the associated practices are gendered and affected women teachers are relatively under‐researched . This article, based on a case school in Hong Kong, attempts to fill this gap. By teasing out the gendered assumptions embedded in management strategies, it will show how an entrepreneurial school has attempted to succeed in a competitive educational market by exploiting young women, discriminating motherhood and forging competition among women of different educational qualifications. While making visible the patriarchal interests and masculine norms of the school, the article also aims to illuminate the contradictions and tensions inherent in, or generated, by those strategies.     

略论提升休闲农业园区的地域文化魅力

各地休闲农业园区发展迅速,但不少园区缺乏特色,同质化竞争现象严重,阻碍了园区的发展。休闲农业园区在规划发展中应突出自身独特的地域文化魅力,园区建筑突出地域文化特色,营造园区环境的地域文化风情以及在活动设置上充分展现地域文化魅力,从而实现园区的可持续发展。     

School Library Services for SEN Students: Hong Kong Perspectives

There has been an increasing concern on supporting the teaching and learning needs for SEN students in recent years. This paper firstly introduces the government policy on special education and the support services to the SEN students in Hong Kong. The authors further discuss the roles of school library and teacher-librarian in enhancing the learning activities of SEN students from the perspectives of space design, collection development, library services and programs.     

第二语言习得中的语言迁移现象筒析

在借鉴语言迁移研究成果的基础上,分析了第二语言习得过程中出现的"前摄干扰"(汉式英语)和"后摄干扰"(夹生汉语)现象,以便认识语言迁移的发展规律,从而促进外语教学工作的开展。     

论氟离子电极的空白电位值及其应用

本文论证了文献中关于氟电极空白电位值应洗到某一规定值的提法欠妥；论述了氟电极洗涤空白电位值对测定结果的影响；提出了由氟电极空白电位值引起重现性差、线性范围变化及测定结果偏高、偏低甚至出现负值的解决方法；论述了不同空白电位值的同型号氟电极对测定结果的影响规律，提出了判断氟电极性能好坏与使用期限的新方法。     

Teacher self-efficacy in cultivating students to become ‘good citizens’: a Hong Kong case

Civic education is a contested subject in Hong Kong, and there is no agreement in society on what form civic education should take, which leaves each school to choose its own approach. Under these circumstances, each teacher needs greater capability and self-efficacy to develop school-based civic education. This study examined the factors that influenced Hong Kong primary school teacher confidence in teaching citizenship education with the ultimate goal of nurturing students to become ‘good citizens.’ The results of this study indicated that teacher self-efficacy was influenced by beliefs about the subject (Moral, Civic and National Education) and beliefs about teachers’ roles in the curriculum but not beliefs about teaching. Teachers felt more confident teaching social topics than political topics. While this study was conducted in the Hong Kong context, the findings could be valuable for policy makers and educators elsewhere who seek to strengthen teacher self-efficacy.