This study assessed the effect of a teacher professional development (PD) programme that incorporated culturally responsive teaching on Chinese kindergarten teachers' perceptions of learning motivation of ethnic minority (EM) vs. Chinese pupils in Hong Kong. The moderating role of classroom ethnic composition was examined. Forty-five teachers in the intervention group attended 20 sessions of PD courses over 10 months, whereas 40 teachers who did not attend the current programme formed a control group. Pre- and post-tests were conducted to assess teacher perceptions of learning motivation and engagement of Chinese and EM pupils. Hierarchical structure of data was accounted for with multilevel modelling. Results showed that the intervention resulted in positive changes in teacher perceptions of learning motivation of EM (vs. Chinese) pupils among teachers working in classrooms with low proportions of EM pupils when compared to teachers in the control group. The findings highlighted that teachers' cultural diversity training programmes should be evaluated in relation to classroom ethnic composition and other contextual factors that influence the quality and frequency of interethnic contact. Copyright © 2022 Routledge.

This study assessed the effect of a teacher professional development (PD) programme that incorporated culturally responsive teaching on Chinese kindergarten teachers’ perceptions of learning motivation of ethnic minority (EM) vs. Chinese pupils in Hong Kong. The moderating role of classroom ethnic composition was examined. Forty-five teachers in the intervention group attended 20 sessions of PD courses over 10 months, whereas 40 teachers who did not attend the current programme formed a control group. Pre- and post-tests were conducted to assess teacher perceptions of learning motivation and engagement of Chinese and EM pupils. Hierarchical structure of data was accounted for with multilevel modelling. Results showed that the intervention resulted in positive changes in teacher perceptions of learning motivation of EM (vs. Chinese) pupils among teachers working in classrooms with low proportions of EM pupils when compared to teachers in the control group. The findings highlighted that teachers’ cultural diversity training programmes should be evaluated in relation to classroom ethnic composition and other contextual factors that influence the quality and frequency of interethnic contact. Copyright © 2022 International Review of Finance Ltd.

Universities around the world are encouraging teachers to provide more constructive feedback to support student learning, but do teachers know how to distinguish constructive feedback? What pedagogical practice is considered as feedback and what is not? For example, is a rubric a type of feedback? To date, very limited research has answered these questions from university teachers' perspectives and the current study aims to address this gap. In this study, ten teacher training workshops were conducted in a university in Hong Kong, with an intention to enhance teachers' competence in assessment and feedback. During the workshops, we first adopted Poll Everywhere to survey whether teachers (N = 248) recognise six types of common pedagogical practices as feedback, and subsequently used this as a base to discuss with teachers the reasons behind their responses. Findings reveal teachers' varied perceptions of these practices as feedback, which may be related to their varied understandings of feedback purposes. The paper calls for an explicit acknowledgement of the multiple purposes of feedback, and concludes with implications for teacher feedback literacy in higher education. Copyright ©2021 Routledge.

During the turbulent 2018–19 school year, we researched Hong Kong teachers’ perceptions regarding the design and implementation of National Education in schools for students aged 12–17. We seek to make a contribution to understandings of aspects of the cultural, political and social dimensions and contexts relevant to teacher education. 41 civic and/or national education teachers were interviewed about their educational aims, content, teaching methods and assessment approaches. Teachers believe National Education should deliver and assess knowledge of China and nurture students’ identification with the nation through teaching Chinese culture and history via a balanced pedagogical approach and experiential learning. They discuss the relationship between Hong Kong and China, and conclude that teaching about the Chinese government is unavoidable. This indicates that in addition to teachers’ long established cultural, civic and cosmopolitan forms of nationalism, they are now using national unity and economy-induced nationalism to frame their professional work. These findings are significant because they indicate teachers’ fundamental and educational characterisations of National Education at this crucial juncture of Hong Kong; highlight the issues that should be considered for any programmeof initial or in-service teacher education; and, ultimately, indicate the nature of what may possibly be implemented in schools. Copyright © 2021 Australian Teacher Education Association.

The concept of happiness has been addressed from both philosophical and psychological perspectives. Given the possible connection between happiness and well-being, the promotion of happiness in teaching and learning and the development of ＂happy schools＂ have gained increasing attention. The present exploratory empirical study is conducted in Hong Kong and investigates the teaching of happiness in a sample of pre-service and in-service teachers. Their perceptions of teaching happiness are also compared, which may have implications for teacher education and development programmes. The results reveal that whilst pre-service and in-service teachers have different perceptions of happiness, many agree on the importance of teaching happiness and the key role of teachers, positive emotions in such teaching. The findings suggest that from the perspective of life education, more attention should be given to teaching happiness through different perspectives and strategies, including the development of happy schools.人們通常從哲學和心理學的角度來理解幸福的概念。有鑑於快樂和幸福感之間可能存在的聯繫，在教學中推廣快樂與幸福感以及發展「幸福學校」越來越受到重視。本文以香港地區教師為研究對象，以香港在職及職前教師為樣本，旨在探討快樂教學的探索性實證研究。本文比較了在職教師及職前教師對教授快樂與幸福感的看法，並討論不同的看法對教師教育和教師發展計畫的制定可能產生的影響。結果顯示，雖然職前和在職教師對快樂與幸福感有不同的看法，但多數教師都同意教授快樂與幸福感的重要性，並肯定教師的正向情緒在教授快樂與幸福感中的關鍵作用。此外，從生命教育的角度來看，教育者應多加思考透過不同的視角和策略來教授幸福，亦應考慮發展「幸福學校」。 Copyright © 2020 社團法人台灣生命教育學會.

Liberal Studies was initially introduced as a non-statutory subject in Hong Kong in 1992. It then confronted intense opposition and a bumpy implementation path before securing mandatory status in the new senior secondary curriculum introduced in 2009. Recently, this core subject has been under review. Whilst it is considered to promote students' socio-political participation, the subject has also been accused of triggering antagonism towards the government. In view of these concerns, this article probes teachers' perceptions of the recent development of Liberal Studies and examines the dynamic interplay between the curriculum review and the potential political controversies surrounding the subject in post-colonial Hong Kong. Reporting the results of a study comprising questionnaire-based surveys and follow-up semi-structured interviews, it reveals that whilst teachers are worried about the proposed reduction of socio-political topics in the curriculum, they approve of incorporating additional China-related content. Furthermore, the participating teachers praised Liberal Studies for its notable impact on raising students' social consciousness, which has motivated them to learn about community affairs and fight for justice. Finally, the article also explores the study's profound implications for the further development of Liberal Studies and citizenship education in Hong Kong and beyond.
[Copyright of Oxford Review of Education is the property of Routledge.]

The purpose of the study is to examine Hong Kong teachers' perceptions of distributed leadership. Data were collected from six primary schools with a total of 155 teachers responding to a self-developed survey. Descriptive, reliability, and MANOVA data analyses were done with the application of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) programme. Using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), 14 components were identified, including: (1) "school organisation," (2) "school vision," (3) "school culture," (4) "instructional planning," (5) "improvement of learning and teaching," (6) "teacher leadership," (7) "principal leadership," (8) "output effectiveness," (9) "quality effectiveness," (10) "change effectiveness," (11) "organisation and planning effectiveness," (12) "interpersonal relationship effectiveness," (13) "value effectiveness," and (14) "overall effectiveness." Inter-correlations were found among the identified components. Significant differences were found between teachers with different roles with the highest involvement and dimensions of school organisation, teacher leadership and interpersonal relationship effectiveness. Meanwhile, significant differences were revealed between teachers' roles in the highest positions and dimensions of improvement of learning and teaching, as well as principal leadership. Such findings suggest that teachers' perceptions of distributed leadership were related to teachers' roles, including delegated responsibilities and degree of role participation in the schools. Implications for practice and research are discussed at the end of the paper.
[Copyright of School Leadership & Management is the property of Routledge.]

This study explored the nature and effects of leadership for learning in the context of Hong Kong primary schools. Employing a mediated model of leadership for learning, the study examined how school leadership practices are perceived and shaped in the high accountability context of Hong Kong school education. Consistent with other recent empirical studies of school leadership effects, the research explored the relationship between school leadership, school-level capacity for improvement and student learning outcomes. Regression analyses found a negative impact of principal leadership practices related to strategic direction and policy environments, but a positive impact of staff management and resource management practices in terms of enhancing support for students. Contrary to expectations, schools’ capacity in supporting students had less impact on student academic outcomes than the negative impact of resources capacity and workload of teachers. Instead, mixed impact was found between principal leadership and student academic outcomes; it was negative regarding practices in strategic direction and policy environment, but positive in leader and teacher growth and development. The study refines our understanding of how the socio-cultural and organisational contexts of schools shape successful school leadership.
[Copyright © 2015 Philip Hallinger and James Ko.]