Expectations versus reality: the case of Liberal Studies in Hong Kong’s new senior secondary reforms

This article reports the findings of a five-year longitudinal study investigating the introduction of Liberal Studies in the context of Hong Kong’s new senior secondary educational reforms. The aim of this empirical research, which adopted diachronic analysis to allow comparisons over time, was to compare teachers’ and students’ perceptions of the Liberal Studies curriculum before and after its introduction. Methodologically speaking, the study was informed by documentary inquiry, with approximately 560 newspaper articles and government reports collected to identify the issues surrounding the curriculum debate. Questionnaire-based surveys conducted in the pre- and post-reform periods revealed a sharp contrast between expectations and reality for both participant groups following the curriculum’s introduction. Whilst the students demonstrated favourable attitudes towards Liberal Studies before studying the subject, a certain degree of disappointment was expressed after the new curriculum came into effect. In follow-up interviews with teachers, they expressed a lack of confidence in teaching such a multi-disciplinary subject and criticised the overly ambitious nature of the curriculum. Liberal Studies, as currently taught, runs the risk of falling out of favour with Hong Kong secondary school teachers, and the question of whether it will play an increasingly important role in promoting patriotic education after the demise of Moral and National Education is deserving of research attention.     

青少年暴力及其预防

青少年暴力是当今社会最常见的一种暴力,不但严重影响了青少年自己的身心健康和未来发展,同时也极大威胁着国家和社会的安定与可持续发展。在对暴力的定义、类型及其影响介绍的基础上,详细阐述了青少年暴力的表现、差异特点和影响因素,并进一步结合社会生态学模式和我国当前的社会与青少年实际,从六个方面提出了预防和控制青少年暴力的具体措施。     

全面发展——综合实践活动课的主旨

综合实践活动课程的价值取向是全面发展,以培养学生综合能力、创新精神为目标,其主旨是“发展观”和“全人观”,它揭示了学生发展依赖于人的活动并在活动中受到教育。综合实践活动课可以促进学生在实践与创新中全面发展、学有特长。     

变化世界中的科学素养:科技博物馆和科学中心能发挥什么作用？

当今世界正以前所未有的速度发生着各种各样的变化。一些大的趋向,即所谓的世界大趋势,在一定程度上影响每个人的生活。科学、技术和创新在这个不断变化的世界中发挥着重要作用。科学素养比以往任何时候都更加重要。科技博物馆和科学中心作为公众参与科学技术的重要角色,面临着一系列的机遇和挑战。在不断变化的世界里,它们在提高公众科学素养方面能发挥什么作用?如何使它们在提高科学素养方面更具相关性和影响力?本文通过分析当前世界在全球化、人口变化、技术变革、信息爆炸、可持续发展等方面的现实,论述科学素养的必要性以及科技博物馆和科学中心在变化的世界中应该如何发挥作用。     

Behavior problems of children as perceived by teachers,mental health professionals,and children

The objective of this study was to examine current teacher and mental health professional ratings regarding the relative seriousness of 50 specific children's behavior problems and to compare the results to those found by Wickman (1928). Wickman's questionnaire and procedures were replicated to insure comparability. A second objective was to extend Wickman's work so that children's ratings of their own behavior problems may be ascertained. An increase in the similarity between teachers' and mental health professionals' judgements concerning the seriousness of specific children's behavior problems was found. These findings were attributable to a more pragmatic approach taken by mental health professionals. A very high agreement on the seriousness of specific behavior problem ratings was demonstrated by children and teachers. This similarity may be the result of proximity of effects.     

A Journey towards Collaborative Culture Development: How to Be Weightless Despite Academic Gravity

In science, gravity refers to the universal force of attraction acting on and between all matter. No one on earth can escape the force of gravity. In a similar vein, the stringent requirements of publications, research grants, and research output in the academic world can be metaphorically described as “academic gravity,” the force of which pushes university academics to struggle and strive in pursuit of excellence just to survive in the changing landscape of higher education governed by neo-liberalism and managerialism. This article describes the journey of a junior academic staff member in an Asian university as he coped with various difficulties in establishing a collaborative culture in his department (i.e., the Faculty of Education). Working with a senior colleague (Sunshine-mother hereafter) in the same department, Author 1 began to recognize the importance of collegial collaboration in teacher education generally and in his academic life specifically. However, although he tried his utmost to develop a culture of collaboration amongst his colleagues, he struggled to cope with the tension and stress exerted by academic gravity (i.e., publication production and the pursuit of tenure). Drawing on data collected from a teaching development project and adopting a reflective autobiographic approach, this article delineates the collaborative relationship between Author 1 and Sunshine-mother, exemplifying the important roles that coaching and a free rein (i.e., weightlessness) play in the development of junior teacher-educators under the strong pressure of academic gravity.