Physical education (PE) teachers of Hong Kong are now facing challenges like no other time before. In the current climate of education reform, PE teachers are now encouraged to provide a more holistic education to students, including learning goals related to social development, creativity, imagination, problem solving, as well as intellect. In order to attain these physical education goals, there is a heightened emphasis in the area of dance. However, the Hong Kong education culture stresses the academic subjects and dance is not usually a popular subject, although it is recognized as one of the components of PE. Physical education teachers' unwillingness to teach dance has been attributed to inadequate dance experience, lack of confidence, low interest, limited dance exposure, cultural differences between the East and West, and limited participation in dance training after graduation (Chow, 2001, 2002). Out of the many possible factors that limited dance instruction by PE teachers, teacher self-efficacy may be the most critical one. This study investigated the factors that influence pre-service PE teachers' decision to teach dance. Results provide information that may be used to enhance teacher self-efficacy with regard to teaching dance in Hong Kong.

After the 1997 transfer, it is realized that Chinese language has become a sensitive subject due to its cultural significance and political symbolization. One of the most important responsibilities for the post-1997 Hong Kong government is to make both Chinese language and Information Technology (IT) become new initiatives for vitalizing Hong Kong's education system. It is suggested that the Hong Kong government should continue to strengthen resources and technical support in promoting computer assisted learning in school (Report on Review of 9-year Compulsory Education, 1997, Hong Kong, pp.110, 124). The ratio of students to computers is going to be pushed closer one-to-one for maximum use in primary schools. In Hong Kong too, the Arts curriculum stays relatively flexible that allows primary and secondary school teachers to choose content and structure for professional purposes. A development in information technology provision in education recent years has been the constant challenges for the traditional classroom presentation. However, a problem that is being faced by educators is the application of appropriate strategies to support both with respect to hardware and software related to teaching. In order to further enhancing technology teaching, there is also a need for teachers to make judgement to accommodate new approaches for their individual instructional design. Traditional method processed in static, linear and disparate design model do not adequate for multimedia programs. Yet multimedia teaching with a focus on affective and cognitive approaches has been the subject of very little research. Both researchers and educators have to face a situation of very limited multi-disciplined nature teaching references. The project has been descriptive of the issues that have arisen in the Hong Kong context: 1. How to effectively use multimedia in cultivating interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary curriculum across Art, music and Chinese poetry? 2. How to reshape the

The establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has brought about enormous structural, social, economical, political and cultural changes to society. To cope with these multi-faceted changes, there is a need to review the existing systems and policies as to provide information for improvement or reform. Education is undoubtedly within the criteria for revision. Art education, that forms part of the core curriculum of general education, plays a role for developing an all-round being should invite certain amount of attention. This study tended to obtain a thorough picture on the changes of the philosophy and rationale of art education in the recent forty years by a descriptive study on the aims of art education in the official art syllabuses of junior secondary schools.

The process of occupational socialization of Physical Education (PE) Teachers is complex. It starts with the pretraining phase, followed by a preservice intervention including field experience and continues with teaching in schools until retirement. The present study focuses mostly on the pretraining phase with twenty preservice PE teachers as sample for investigation. They are presently attending a two-year full-time course of teacher training (1996-98) in the Hong Kong Institute of Education. Issues such as 'why' and 'how' they join the teacher education programme; their PE experience; and their conceptions about PE teacher as well as teaching are discussed thoroughly. The inquiry adopts an 'interpretive' approach. It tries to understand the preservice PE teachers and their inner meanings that they give to their social worlds. Data were collected through interviews and reflective journals of the student PE teachers within the first month after they had been admitted to the programme. The results reveal that these twenty preservice PE teachers join the teacher education programme (TE) for a variety of reasons, such as 'sports continuation' ; 'serving the community'; 'have a better career', 'influenced by others'; and 'the social, cultural and economic milieu of Hong Kong' etc. They possess distinct 'subjective warrants' that comprise the image of a 'PE teacher'; 'requisites for teaching PE' ; 'functions of PE' ; and 'PE teaching'. They are largely formed as the result of societal and sport socialization during thousand hours of 'apprenticeship of observation' period in schools. This study provides information that fosters a better understanding of the underlying perspectives of preservice PE teachers. Their characteristics and orientations can be typecast into five different groups as the 'Athletes' , 'Pragmatists', 'Followers', 'Insure' and 'Idealists' along an ostensible continuum. Different developmental processes concerning their occupational socialization are expected

The latest music syllabus for Form I-III was printed in 1983. It has been put into practice for more than fifteen years. Recently, there is an intention of review of the syllabus reflected from a series of activities carried out by the CDI in 1998 including the survey of the implementation of Form I-III music syllabus, the disclose of the report survey for all music teachers, music expertise special meeting in collecting information and feedback of the future trends of music education of Hong Kong. As there are hints of review of the syllabus, this paper aims at reviewing the music contents stated in the syllabus and discussing its implications for teachers, students, schools heads, policy makers and music teacher educators.

Looking at the effects of globalization, hi-tech development, the meeting of cultures, various traditions and practices in art, and reforms in education – this paper sketches out a distinctive role for art education in the Hong Kong context.

This presentation will focus on how teacher feedback helps cultivate critical thinking skills and raises awareness in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course. Analysis is based on data taken from verbal/written exchanges between teacher-student and student-teacher. Samples from students' work and teachers' comments will highlight the effectiveness of the process approach in developing L2 learners' writing skills. Practical issues such as ways of organising individual and group feedback sessions will be addressed. It also argues that dialogic encounters should be gradually scaffolded in order to maximise learning outcomes.