Student teachers' perceptions of the target oriented curriculum (TOC) in Hong Kong: A consideration of context, concept & practice

Student teachers' perceptions of the target oriented curriculum (TOC) in Hong Kong: A consideration of context, concept & practice

• Leung, Wai Lun Anthony The Hong Kong Institute of Education

1996

Hong Kong Educational Research Association (HKERA) 13th Annual Conference: Restructuring Schools in Changing Societies (1996: The Hong Kong Institute of Education)

• D Curriculum
  • DA Objectives & Outcomes
• D Curriculum
  • DB Development & Evaluation

• Hong Kong

• 1997.7 onwards

• Post-Secondary Education

The paper reports the findings of a study of student-teachers' perceptions of the Target-Oriented Curriculum (TOC) in Hong Kong. It attempts to clarify the present pictures created by the impacts caused by the introduction of the TOC initiative and its consequences. Focusing on the perceptions of student-teachers studying the final year of the two-year full-time Certificate of Education (Primary) Course at the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd), a prominent teacher education institution in Hong Kong, the paper examines some issues in relation to the implementation of TOC. The writer administrated a written questionnaire which contained a number of attitude statements regarding the context, concept and practice of the TOC initiative. The student-teachers were invited to indicate the extent to which they agreed with the statement and the responses to the questionnaire were analysed. The writer also conducted a semi-structured group interview in which a number of open-ended questions, based on the content concerning the written questionnaire, were presented for discussion in depth among some key informants. In this paper, the writer regards the student-teachers as 'newly trained teachers' since data of the study was collected from the sample population at a critical time, at the end of the course and just before they became 'serving teachers'. The study is not on a large scale and the data collected represents respondents' views at particular point of time. These views may be strengthened or modified after some time. However, the writer recommends that further study, focusing on newly trained teacher's change of perceptions of the TOC, is worthwhile to engage in. To conclude, the quality of school education is an issue of major concern. The Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd), should always be committed to work for the improvement of the education system. Having provided adequate places for teacher education, it is necessary to raise the standard of it and to examine many quality- related issues. In the years ahead when important changes such as the '1997' issue in Hong Kong, a higher priority of concern should be focused on education, together with the teacher education. It is very important that the Target-Oriented Curriculum (TOC) should undergo continuous evaluation and updating so as to meet the needs of students and the society. The success definitely depends on the ready cooperation and mutual support of the contributors, especially the student-teachers.

Paper presented at the Hong Kong Educational Research Association (HKERA) 13th Annual Conference: Restructuring Schools in Changing Societies.

• English

Conference Papers

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/bibs/37d46c45

2015-01-23