Challenges to Values Education in Hong Kong School Music Education

This study deals with the issue of incorporating values education in music education in Hong Kong's primary and secondary schools. It includes the development of the state's cultural and national identity since its handover from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China (PRC). Thirty primary and secondary school music teachers were interviewed in order to understand how notions of “musical values” and “non-musical values” have been addressed in the curriculum. In particular, this study focuses on music teachers' perspectives on teaching world music, traditional Chinese music, the PRC national anthem, and non-musical values. This paper questions the effectiveness of existing curricular and pedagogical attempts to encourage the students' musical experience and extra-musical education. It concludes that values education must have clear conceptions of “values”, “musical cultures”, and “national identity” in order to maintain unity amidst the intensifying plurality of ethnicities and cultures in Hong Kong.     

Functional Objectives in Language Learning Project: An Interim Report

The purpose of the Functional Objectives in Language Learning Project (FOLL) is two-fold:

? to identify what may be called “functional objectives” in language learning (in English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil) at three grade levels, viz. Primary 6 Normal (P6N), Secondary 4 Normal (S4N) and Secondary 4 Express (S4E), and

? to determine empirically how realistic or attainable these objectives are for pupils at each of the three grade levels.     

Metacognitive development and moving away

It is now largely accepted that social and cultural factors have a significant impact on cognitive development in children. Piaget acknowledged the impact of social factors and peer interaction on cognitive development. However, there has been relatively little work on the impact of social and cultural factors on the development of metacognition in first‐year university students. Using the Learning and study strategies inventory (LASSI) as a measure of metacognition, this study samples first‐year undergraduates in Hong Kong (N = 1815) and identifies significant differences in metacognitive abilities between students living in their home environment and those who have moved away from their family and, in some cases, culture, to pursue undergraduate education.     

Understanding teacher entrepreneurial behavior in schools: Conceptualization and empirical investigation

Journal of Educational Change - The quasi-market condition of education intensified the need to seek ongoing school improvements, manage uncertainty, and innovate school-wide pedagogy and...     

A Comprehensive Study of Gentianaceae in China

Since it was inaugurated in 1973, the study has been one of the most comprehensive researches on the species and characteristics of alpine plants.     

P2P searching trends: 2002–2004

This paper presents the trends of searching queries by users from peer-to-peer (P2P) networks over an 18-month period from July 2002 to January 2004. Four data sets of search queries collected from Gnutella were studied to describe the searching trends. Major findings include (1) the percentage of duplicate queries ranging from 34% to 68% of total queries; (2) an increase in non-English queries; (3) an approximately half of searching queries specified for video or audio file types; (4) the stop word “the” accounting for one-third of total stop words; (5) the shift of queries from audio to video; and (6) P2P users demanding for timely entertainment and porn materials. Based on the findings, it is worthwhile for P2P developers to consider (1) system design that allows effective searching using multiple languages; and (2) techniques that eliminate stop words for faster searching.     

On the uncertain variable structure systems with bounded controllers

In this paper, we propose a method to estimate the asymptotic stability region (ASR) of uncertain variable structure systems with bounded controllers. Using linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) we estimate the ASR and we show the exponential stability of the closed-loop control system in the estimated ASR. We also give simple LMI-based algorithms for estimating the ASR and designing a switching surface which will make the estimated ASR big. Finally, we give numerical examples in order to show that our method can be better than the previous results for a certain class of uncertain variable structure systems with bounded controllers.     

A case study of teacher appraisal in Shanghai, China: in relation to teacher professional development

Literature has confirmed that teacher appraisal can and should facilitate the professional development of teachers. In the past, teacher appraisal in China has been conducted mainly for administrative purposes; nowadays, it is increasingly being viewed as a means of teacher professional development. However, the way in which teacher appraisal affects teacher professional development has not been fully recognized. This case study, of a junior secondary school in Shanghai, China, explores how teacher appraisal has been carried out and how teachers and administrators have perceived it in relation to teacher professional development. The research findings identify the mechanism by which the teacher appraisal system in question facilitates professional development. The system creates pressure and extrinsic incentives that ‘push and pull’ teachers to improve, and supports their growth through guidance and directions. In addition, environmental factors such as school culture contribute to the positive impacts that teacher appraisal has on professional development.