This paper explores the integration of critical pedagogy and sociocultural learning in developing more engaging and rigorous teacher education practices for institutions that are looking to advance their ‘international standards’ in education for the shorter and longer term. The context is a program in Hong Kong that helps develop diverse undergraduates, often the first in their family to attend university, to be more effective teachers and researchers and be concerned with addressing social justice issues in their work and everyday lives. This paper discusses what can be called an educational pipeline that begins with early undergraduates and then branches off into teaching, postgraduate studies, and research. In examining this process, the paper discusses sustainable contributions that can be made when the pipeline is grounded in methodologies which help to reframe what is considered teacher and student knowledge, and promote a teacher education praxis towards greater agency, equity, and a more humanizing education. Copyright © 2017 Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong. All rights reserved.

The perception of falling standards in education, and in second language teaching in particular, has been a constant refrain for the past 20 years as changing needs and practices affect economic processes and manpower requirements.Within this context, this article deals with the establishment of language standards ('benchmarks') for teachers of English in Hong Kong. The article deals with two separate but linked notions: first, the notion of which model of the English language should be used as the standard model for English language teacher benchmark assessment in Hong Kong; second, the level of language ability that will be decided upon in order to establish the proficiency standards expected of teachers of English. The article first describes the background to the setting of language standards for teachers of English in Hong Kong. It then examines the selection of and justification for the model of English selected as the 'minimum standard'. The following section considers the level of language ability agreed upon as the standard that teachers of English need to attain. The article concludes with an examination of the extent to which the standards that have been agreed upon match the needs of the major stakeholders in the standard-setting process. Copyright © 2002 John Benjamins Publishing Company.

This article reports a comparative study on the reasons for pre-service student teachers becoming teachers in Hong Kong and Macau. The study adopted a mixed methods research design, with 459 and 137 student teachers completing a questionnaire on teaching motivation and 35 and 15 student teachers joining a follow-up interview in Hong Kong and Macau, respectively. The study found that student teachers in both societies share commonality in their altruistic and intrinsic motivations, i.e. a sense of vocation. The difference in student teachers’ motivation reflects the contrasting perceptions of teachers’ work and the teaching profession in connection with the different educational systemic factors in Macau and Hong Kong. Government-initiated quantitative expansion and quality enhancement in education set the backdrop of an aspiring teaching profession with promising prospects as perceived by the student teachers in Macau. In contrast, the move towards "centralized-decentralization" with a focus on excellence, competition and accountability in education at a time of teacher surplus results in a demanding profession with gloomy prospects as perceived by the Hong Kong student teachers. These differences add to our understanding of how the development trajectories of different education systems and teaching professions influence young people’s motivation to become teachers in different societies. The study also provides insights for initial teacher education and offers suggestions for the education communities of the two societies. Copyright © 2018 Education Research Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.

Students' progress in reading comprehension is a crucial goal in language education, and teaching comprehension processes to students is considered to be one of the most effective approaches to improving students' reading ability. To facilitate teachers' use of the Comprehension Process Model (CPM), it is necessary to identify teachers' stages of concerns about using the model, which has not been investigated systematically in language teaching. This study investigated Hong Kong (HK) Chinese-language teachers' concerns about using the CPM in their teaching of reading in secondary schools. The Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SoCQ) was administered and 347 completed questionnaires were suitable for analysis. The study has found that teachers demonstrated a profile with multiple peaks, which shows highest concerns at the collaboration and informational stages in the Stages of Concern (SoC) model. The result implies that teachers realize that they need to learn more about the CPM and to enhance collaboration with their colleagues to implement it effectively. Teachers' concerns varied according to demographic factors including training on the CPM, years of using the CPM, years of teaching expe-rience, and richness of experience in using the CPM. Implications for developing more effective professional development interventions for Chinese-language teachers are also discussed. Copyright © 2016 International Association for Research in L1 Education.

This paper reports the outcomes of a 2-year research project designed to investigate the practice of assessment for learning by Hong Kong teachers. The project was a collaborative one, involving the School Development and Evaluation Team (SDET) of The Chinese University of Hong Kong and teachers from 10 kindergartens and 10 primary schools. In the project, training programmes, workshops and meetings were provided to the participating schools for the purpose of enhancing teachers’ Assessment for Learning (AfL) competency in their daily teaching. A questionnaire was administered twice to all teachers in the project schools at the beginning as well as towards the end of the project to tap any improvement regarding teachers’ habits in utilizing AfL strategies in their classrooms. Results indicate that there is a remarkable improvement regarding teachers’ habits in utilizing AfL strategies during the study. It is recommended that more professional development programmes and school support for teachers should be provided for enhancing teachers’ AfL literacy in their daily teaching. Copyright © 2011 Hong Kong Educational Research Association.

This paper aims to contribute to the theorisation of effective teacher development (TD) provision in a reform context. Based on a literature review, the paper identifies key reform features, i.e., ambiguity and conflict generation, that shape teachers' engagement with pedagogic reforms and suggests a framework for designing TD programmes that address reform-specific needs. It then explores the utility of this heuristic framework through an in-depth case study of implementation of, and perceptions about, eight reforms in two schools in Hong Kong. The case study confirmed that customising the TD provision to perceived reform characteristics could contribute to teachers' positive perceptions of and experience with reforms. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Background Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that being stigmatized by the frontline educators. However, research targeting on the preservice teachers is scarce. Guided by the common sense model, a psychoeducation training about ASD was developed to understand pre-service teachers' attitude and to address the myths with comprehensive information.Methods A total of 233 undergraduate students studying educational programs completed a pre-test questionnaire, psychoeducation training, and a post-test regarding ASD. Among them, 216 participants completed a one-month follow-up measure. The hypotheses were tested using bivariate correlations and repeated measure t-test.Results The results of the bivariate correlations between the perceived chronicity and consequence of the course of ASD were positively associated with stigma and preferred social distance. By using the paired-sample t-test, the results suggested that participation in psychoeducation training could help to increase pre-service teachers' knowledge and reduce their stigmatizing attitudes towards individuals with ASD. A shorter preferred social distance and more acceptance level were significantly associated with improved knowledge at the post-test. The results of improved knowledge and decreased stigma were also observed one month after the psychoeducation training.Conclusion Theoretically, the present study indicates that the common sense model contributed to a deeper understanding of the attribute of the negative attitudes towards people with ASD. Practically, the effectiveness of the psychoeducation training on improving knowledge might provide some insights for the future development of knowledge-based interventions that mitigating the stigma associated with ASD. The findings could also guide the design of the teacher-training programs on special education to better prepare the pre-service teachers on their teaching professions. All rights reserved.

This article investigates the experiences in knowledge development and sharing of a group of migrant teachers from different Asian countries who are teaching in secondary schools in Hong Kong. Seeing dispositions as the key to professionalization and professional contributions, it explores the possibilities and challenges in harnessing the professional value of their transnational disposition. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to investigate the participants’ position in the workplace, negotiations of the local curriculum and classroom practice, and professional interactions with colleagues and parents. The findings show that these teachers actively respond to invisibility and marginalization by drawing from their transcultural disposition to creatively but cautiously transform pedagogical practices and discourses. It is found that the presence of migrant professionals in local context provides opportunities for critical reflexivity and transnational awareness among local professionals. It is implied that the changes in thinking and awareness may lead to broad-based ideological and structural changes, which in turn promotes productive knowledge exchange. Copyright © 2017 Oxford University Press.