This research study contributes to understanding teachers’ perceptions and views of using controversial issues and political neutrality in teaching, through an analysis of data gathered through questionnaire responses in a wider project and 41 semi-structured interviews. There are diversified views about the relationship between controversial issues and education. Some teachers feel that it is impossible to avoid controversial issues and that using them is educationally necessary. Three approaches were identified regarding their teaching of controversial issues: ‘open’, ‘critical’, and ‘committed’. The authors argue that teachers’ actions are influenced by factors which are discussed as ‘contextual’, ‘political’, and ‘pedagogical’. Teachers operate in specific places and times, have their own views about the nature of the good society, and prioritize their professional responsibilities. These findings contribute to our understandings of the teachers’ viewpoints and how those views are shaped. Such understandings will contribute to the development of reflective education policy and practice. Copyright © 2021 Teacher Development.

Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED) has been the focus of significant attention in recent years because of its growing social importance and pedagogical value. In Hong Kong, an increasing number of K-12 schools are planning or piloting their grassroots AIED incorporation practices. However, progress is reportedly slow due to a number of barriers. Unfortunately, because of their limited scope, disputed interpretations and contextual irrelevance, current research literature seems to be of limited referencing value in aiding schools to address the issues and overcome the barriers. This paper highlights the necessity of embracing AIED as wide-ranging given the current understanding of it as a collective notion. Three major directions of AIED are identified: Learning from AI, Learning about AI, and Learning with AI. A collective case study, which examined the perceived barriers to AIED incorporation in Hong Kong K-12 schools with different AIED directions, was conducted. Qualitative data were gathered via ten semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders from two schools. Ertmer’s (1999) typology was applied to segregate the barriers. The findings showed that both first-order and second-order barriers existed, although they varied between the cases. It was also found that the barriers did not hinder in isolation but appeared to be interconnected. The findings suggest that schools use differentiated strategies to tackle barriers according to their approach to incorporating AIED. Moreover, there is a need to trace the links between barriers and prioritise school efforts to remove or reduce them with high linkage. Several recommendations for practice are given. Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.

This article aims to generate a better understanding of Hong Kong teachers’ perception of national education as implemented in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (hereafter referred to as Hong Kong SAR) and the interrelationship between their perception and the methods they adopt to teach the topic. We outline the Hong Kong context relevant to our research and review the relevant literature to consider typologies and teaching methods about and for national education. Questionnaire data focused on the seven typologies of nationalism and the three teaching methods of national education identified in the literature review. A total of 601 questionnaires were returned from 198 schools. The typologies of cultural nationalism, civic and peripheral nationalism, authoritarian nationalism, unification nationalism and cosmopolitan nationalism, and the teaching methods of group discussion and an affective approach characterize the views of Hong Kong secondary school teachers about national education. We suggest that teachers’ diverse views about nationalism and their varied use of teaching methods to achieve their goals suggest the powerful influence of current initiatives from the Chinese mainland and the need to reflect on established academic literature that proposes the decolonization of the curriculum and interactive and critical teaching methods. Copyright © 2021 Intellect Ltd Article. English language.

The objective of this paper is to determine the extent to which adopting Nonaka's SECI knowledge-creation processes enhances strategic planning capacity in the context of Hong Kong school education.A quantitative questionnaire survey is conducted to examine the predictive effects of the knowledge-creation processes of the SECI model on strategic planning processes. Data is collected from 42 principals and 392 teachers from 42 schools. A multilevel structural equation model is applied to examine the predictive effects of the mechanism on strategic planning capacity. Results show that the combination process of the SECI knowledge-creation model predicts strategic planning capacity, while a collaborative culture enables the process of knowledge externalization and combination. In response to the international debate on culture and context-dependent issues in using Nonaka's SECI model for knowledge creation, this study reaffirms that the SECI model is largely dependent on Japanese collaborative culture. The study also brings theories of knowledge management into discussion of strategic management in the school context. To enhance school planning capacity, school leaders should cultivate a collaborative culture to support the alignment of different departments in the knowledge combination process to craft strategies for development planning. Copyright © 2020 The Author(s).

Purpose - This study aims to identify effective strategies and practices for higher education institutions (HEIs) to enhance their knowledge recipients’ knowledge absorptive capacity.Design/methodology/approach - Questionnaire surveys and interviews were conducted to examine the effectiveness of a knowledge transfer (KT) project and these were administered by HEIs in Hong Kong. Pre- and post-test questionnaire surveys with t-tests were used to evaluate changes in the knowledge absorptive capacity of 1,014 participants from 20 schools. Qualitative interviews were conducted to investigate school leaders’ perception of the effectiveness of the KT strategies.Findings - Results revealed significant differences between the pre- and post-tests in all the elements of absorptive capacity. The processes of knowledge acquisition, contextualisation, internalisation and externalisation in a closed-loop mechanism were identified as effective KT strategies. Conducting training programmes, workshops, consultations, work-based studies and presentation seminars were found to be effective KT practices to support the recipients in acquiring, contextualising, internalising and externalising knowledge.Practical implications - HEIs should provide consultative support to recipients by conducting work-based studies and presentations to enhance their knowledge absorptive capacities.Originality/value - This study contributes empirical evidence to validate the application of Liyanage et al.’s (2009) KT model to HEIs’ KT model for the purpose of designing KT activities and enhancing the absorption capacities of the recipients. This research contributes an empirical closed-loop KT model, effective KT strategies and practices for HEIs to support their knowledge recipients so that they can internalise the acquired knowledge. Copyright © 2020 Emerald Publishing Limited.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to highlight the urgent need for a genuinely effective and attainable citizenship education model in Hong Kong’s schools, which focusses on promoting student participation in school governance. It is an empirical citizenship education management model for school leaders that illustrates the predictive effects of personally responsible, participatory, justice-oriented and patriotic citizenship, necessarily supported by school management practices, school ethos and teacher beliefs.Design/methodology/approach - A total of 3,209 students from 51 secondary schools in Hong Kong participated in a quasi-experimental design questionnaire survey. A structural equation model (SEM) was applied to confirm the model.Findings - The results of the SEM show that the values and cultural practices held by a school’s teachers drive the implementation of its citizenship education. Moreover, it is well known that organizational values can exert a powerful influence and it is the same within educational structures: management practices in schools have an impact on ethos, teachers’ beliefs and student participation in school governance.Practical implications - The paper provides practical proposals for school leaders to create opportunities for student participation in school governance.Originality/value - This study builds on existing literature and provides school leaders with a practical model for implementing student participation in school governance. Copyright © 2019 Emerald Publishing Limited.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between the civic mission of schools and students on participation in school governance through an empirical study. It articulates the importance of school mission on nurturing citizenship of high school students.Design/methodology/approach - The research used a mixed method with questionnaire survey in the first phase and qualitative interviews in the second phase. Quantitative data were obtained from a survey completed by 3,209 students and 495 teachers (including principals) from 51 secondary schools in Hong Kong. Qualitative data were collected from 41 individual interviews with principals and teachers and 17 focus group interviews with 56 students in five case study schools.Findings - Both students and teachers believed that good citizenship qualities should include students’ participation in school governance. Schools in general took up the civic mission to nurture good and participatory citizens. A mission of nurturing students to become good and participatory citizens made a significant and positive contribution toward achieving students’ actual participation in school governance. However, students’ actual impact on major school policies was minimal. A paradox existed whereby students, knowing their influence over managerial issues was much circumscribed, still gave it a higher rating than their teachers.Originality/value - The paper contributes an empirical model for school leaders to develop school vision for promoting student participation in school governance. Based on a large-scale research supported by public funding, the paper contributes an empirical model for school leaders to develop school vision for promoting student participation in school governance. It further adds to the literature on relationship between citizenship education, civic mission of school and student participation in governance. Copyright © 2019 Emerald Publishing Limited.

The education quality assurance policy and the high speed of knowledge expansion knowledge have impacted on and created challenges for school management. The nature of school management becomes more challenging, complex, analytic and data driven. Developing an innovative management approach to support schools to leverage knowledge from the existing organisational information and data resources to plan for improvement will provide practical help to school leaders and also contribute to the existing school management theories. This study aims to examine the effect of Nonaka and Takeuchi’s (1995) four modes of knowledge conversion including socialisation, externalisation, combination and internalisation on enhancing strategic planning capacity of schools in Hong Kong, and to identify the critical success factors for institutionalizing the SECI knowledge creation mechanism in the Hong Kong school context. This study examines whether institutionalising the SECI mechanism in schools could enhance their strategic planning capacities. Experimental research design were adopted as the research strategy. A quantitative questionnaire survey were conducted to collect data from secondary schools in Hong Kong. Multilevel structural equation modelling were applied to examine the predictive effects of the mechanism on strategic planning capacity and to identify the school level and teacher level contextual factors for institutionalising the SECI mechanism. Results show that the externalization and combination processes support the planning, implementation and evaluation processes, and collaborative culture is identified as the critical success factor to facilitate the externalization and combination processes for creating knowledge for implementing the strategic plan. Nurturing a culture of systems thinking in the schools are critical to managing effective strategic planning processes. The identification of collaborative culture for institutionalizing the SECI mechanism in schools is

Aims: This study examines the principles and practices in term of functional analysis for managing records at secondary schools in Hong Kong as recommended by the ISO9001 requirement. Set up by the Geneva-based International Organisation for Standardisation, the ISO9001 addresses the requirements that schools, or any other form of organisation intending to meet the standard, must fulfil. Schools in Hong Kong are required to adhere to the education quality assurance (QA) policy, which emphasises a school’s accountability to the wider community and the development of school education in Hong Kong. The policy requires schools to collect data that can be used to report on the effectiveness of school education and to provide documents for scrutiny by government officials. In response to this (QA) policy, schools in Hong Kong have to manage their records effectively. Record management, as one of the administrative principles in schools, ensures that accurate information of all school activities is kept and can facilitate an effective and evidence-based, decision-making process. Identifying taxonomy and management practices for effective documentation in schools can support planning; assist with organising the continuity of improvement plans; and increase reporting and accountability to the public. Methodology: This study examines the records management model using a case study that focuses on the experience of implementing records management and knowledge management at school. The case study is a secondary school in Hong Kong which has adopted the ISO standard and is implementing knowledge management. The researcher conducted a series of qualitative interviews at a secondary school, where the ISO 9001 certification had been introduced. The study explores how the records were managed and classified. Findings: The results show that the case school adopted a hybrid top-down and bottom-up approach to record management, to facilitate decision making and managing knowledge

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present a model to assist school leaders in managing the professional development activities of teachers. The model illustrates the important role of principals in promoting continuing professional development (CPD), chiefly by cultivating a collaborative learning culture and formulating policy. Design/methodology/approach: This study tested a framework based on the input of 103 CPD coordinators in Hong Kong, who participated in a quasi-experimental design questionnaire survey. Factor analysis and reliability tests were applied to verify the constructed validity and reliability of a self-developed instrument. A Structural Equation Model (SEM) was then applied to confirm the model. Findings: The result of the SEM shows that principal support has a predictive effect on CPD policy and a collaborative learning culture, while the effectiveness of a CPD plan is predicted by collaborative culture and management strategy. Originality/value: This study contributes theoretically to existing literature and practically to school leaders, by supplying a model for managing teacher CPD.
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