Background: Most previous research on beliefs on language learning (BALLs) has been focusing on tertiary level learners. Information of learners of other backgrounds is extremely lacking.
Aim: To identify the BALL patterns of Chinese ESL learners undertaking vocational education in the Hong Kong context and to explore the possible influences on their BALLs.
Sample: Questionnaires were administered to 243 Chinese ESL learners undertaking vocational education in Hong Kong.
Method: Surveys on the Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory (BALLI) were conducted and descriptive analyses were performed.
Results: Results indicate that respondents endorsed the existence of a specialized ability on language learning. They believed in the existence of foreign language aptitude, but did not agree that they had a special ability of learning foreign language. Respondents regarded English a language of medium difficulty. One hour a day for one to two years was regarded as necessary for speaking the target language well. The learning of vocabulary and grammar were regarded as important, and respondents viewed foreign language learning as different from learning other academic subjects. Respondents were overwhelming in their view that it is best to learn English in an English-speaking country. In addition, they endorsed the importance of excellent pronunciation, repetition, practicing, guessing word meanings, and were tolerant of making mistakes in speaking. Finally, there existed a high level of motivation among the respondents, with instrumental motivation being more prevalent than integrative motivation.
Conclusion: Certain learner characteristics and features of the socio-linguistic context of the Hong Kong society are suggested to contribute to the unique BALL patterns of this group of learners. Several implications for teaching in light of the findings are suggested.
背景：過往大部份關於語言學習觀念的研究，對象為大專學生。現時關於其他背景的學生在這方面的資料很缺乏。
目的：找出在香港正接受職業教育的學生對語言學習的觀念

背景：一項全港首次進行的「幼兒教育質素意見調查」中，發現培養幼兒「藝術修養」及「創意」被評為最不受重視的教育素質項目。踏入廿一世紀，新科技，新概念不斷湧現，單靠傳統的知識灌輸已不足夠，教育需要與時並進，作出改變。
調查目的：探討如何透過「開放式」美勞活動提升兒童創造力，並研究何種形式的美勞教學方式有效提升兒童的創造力。
調查對象：年齡介乎5-6歲之間的8名幼稚園高班兒童及研究者 (教師)，在兒童進行美勞活動課程時，以個別的形式進行觀察；另該校校長被邀請作為觀察者對教師引導兒童進行美勞活動時的創意行為表現及特性作記錄
方法：採用「隨機抽樣」的方式，由教師 (研究員) 抽出年齡介乎5-6歲之間的8名幼稚園高班兒童，透過直接的觀察法及觀察評量表，在兒童進行美勞活動課程時，以個別的形式進行觀察；另邀請該校校長運用教師教學行為特性觀察評量，記錄教師引導兒童進行美勞活動時的創意行為表現及特性。以攝錄機拍攝活動進行時整個過程，透過錄影帶再附以評量表觀察兒童的行為表現及教師教學行為的特性。
結果：結果顯示「開放式」的美勞活動透過學習環境能有效提升兒童的創造力，創意的教師能有效推動「開放式」的美勞活動，使成為培育兒童創造力的催化劑。
總結：「開放式」的美勞活動能將兒童引入創作的空間，教師扮演的角色、採用的教學模式，和在環境上作出適當的預備和配合，可使兒童的創造力得以發展。
Background: In a territory–wide "quality early childhood education survey" conducted in Hong Kong recently, it was found that nurturing children's "artistic cultivation" and "creativity" has been rated the least quality and attention in the survey. The turn of the century, new technology, new concepts continue to emerge, traditional knowledge alone is not enough, education required to move with the time, and to make changes.
Aim: The study explores how the "open-ended" art and craft activities enhance children's creativity, and to study the mode of art and craft teaching methods that are effective to enhance children's creativity.
Sample: The study includes the researcher (class teacher), 8 randomly selected children aged from 5-6 in the upper class, and the kindergarten principal as the inter-rater.
Method: Direct observations are conducted on 8 children and the class teacher in the art and craft activities. By using direct observation, video-taping and rating scale, children's creative behavior and the characteristic of the class teacher's behavior are observed for further analysis. The principal was invited to be an inter-rater to observe the art and craft activities and score the teacher to establish inter-rater reliability.
Result: The study shows that "open-ended" art and craft activities effectively enhance children's creativity

Background: During the period of British colonial rule, the nature of civic education in Hong Kong was characterized as denationalized, depoliticized and decontextualized. The 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration substantially altered the nature of civic education. The "China Today" module of Liberal Studies (LS) was one of the results of the re-engineering the civic education. The teachers' paradigms of the "China Today" module were explored because the module used national themes as materials to inculcate values in students and is directly related to both citizenship education and national education.
Aim: The aim of this study is to examine teachers' paradigms of the "China Today" module through their conceptualization of citizenship and their perspective on teaching. Samples: Four secondary teachers of the "China Today" module were invited to participate.
Methods: Questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and non-participant observation were used to assess the teachers' perception and practices.
Results: Data from the questionnaire and interviews revealed that the four teachers highly valued moral, socially concerned citizens and democratic citizens. In terms of aims and approaches to citizenship education, the four teachers embraced the notion of citizenship as competence as aim and reflective-inquiry approach, but only two teachers were able to carry them out in the classroom setting. Another two teachers used transmission approach.
Conclusion: Framed by the notion of citizenship as competence as their aim and equipped in issue-enquiry or reflective-inquiry approach, and experienced in developmental perspective on teaching, the CSS2 and CSS3 teachers were able to cultivate in student' dispositions and skills. Teachers unaware of the citizenship framework and unfamiliar with the developmental perspective on teaching found it difficult to cultivate rational aspects of students.
背景：在英國統治期間，香港公民教育有以下的特色：就是課程不涉及祖國和政治，並且沒有脈絡。1984年，中英聯合聲明大大改變這本質

背景：香港中文科課程改革提倡以學生為主體的教學，建議教師避免過多採用灌輸的方式。
目的：本研究的要旨有二：(1)探討教師的教學信念類型、教學方式及兩者的關係，(2)教師的信念與教學方式能否配合新中文課程改革。
調查對象：邀請六位中學中文教師參與。
調查方法：以半結構式訪談、觀課及檔分析蒐集資料。
調查結果：研究發現教師持「傳授觀」教學信念以詳述範文為教學主要任務，多採用講述的方式教學，較少安排小組活動；而持「啟發觀」教學信念的教師傾向綜合讀寫聽說教學，除了運用講述的策略外，還安排各類活動促進學生學習。
總結：研究結果對課程設計、課程實施有很大的啟示，建議開辦發展改變教師教學信念的課程。
Background: There is a call for learner-centred approach in the new Chinese Language Curriculum of Hong Kong, teachers are advised not to overuse didactic strategy.
Aims: This study serves two aims: (1) To examine teachers' teaching beliefs, teaching approaches, and their relationship. (2) Do teachers' teaching beliefs and their teaching approaches meet the requirement of the new Chinese Language curriculum reform?
Sample: Six secondary Chinese teachers were invited to be informants.
Method: Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and document analysis.
Results: This study found that the major concern of teachers with transmission view was to interpret prescribed texts in length; they were unlikely to arrange group activities. For teachers with heuristics view, they believed that integrating reading, writing, listening and speaking were desirable in learning. Apart from delivering lectures to students, they organized a variety of activities to facilitate students' learning.
Conclusion: The results of this study have important implications to curriculum design and implementation. It is suggested that teacher education of conceptual change should be developed.
[Copyright of New Horizons: The Journal of Education, Hong Kong Teachers' Associationl is the property of Hong Kong Teachers' Association at http://www.hkta1934.org.hk/]

背景：西方學者利用多元感官理論啟發，曾得到不俗的效果。但這教學法是否適用於中文寫作、是否能增強學生在各種文體中的表現則從未受到廣泛研究。
目的：測試以多元感官寫作教學法提高中文寫作的效能。
樣本：兩班修讀副學士的學生，分別接受前測、教學和後測 (N = 55)。
方法：本研究採用實驗方法，兩班學生皆接受多元感官寫作教學，學習的文體為描寫文和抒情文，各兩課節(每節課3小時，共12小時)。前測、後測均由同一老師評核。分析採用2 (時間) x 2 (文體)重複評核方差分析(repeated-measures ANOVA)。
結果：兩個主要結果均見成效，唯兩者間的的交互作用則並不顯著。
結論：證實感官寫作教學能有效地提升學生書寫描寫和抒情文。
Background: Western researchers have demonstrated that the multi-sensory approach to creative writing is effective in enhancing essay writing. However, this approach has never been tested in writing Chinese essays in various genres.
Aim: The study examines whether the multi-sensory approach can enhance Chinese essay writing performance.
Sample: Two classes of associate degree students who took a pretest and a posttest after an intervention (N = 55).
Method: An experiment was conducted with students from two classes taught with the multi-sensory approach. Both classes were taught the descriptive and expressive genres, each genre in 2 lessons (12 hours total). The same teacher scored each essay in the pretests and posttests. The analysis used a 2 (time) x 2 (genre) repeated-measures ANOVA.
Result: Both main effects (test and genre) were significant, but the interaction effect was not.
Conclusion: Evidence shows that the multi-sensory approach was effective in enhancing Chinese writing in the descriptive and expressive genres.
[Copyright of New Horizons: The Journal of Education, Hong Kong Teachers' Associationl is the property of Hong Kong Teachers' Association at http://www.hkta1934.org.hk/]

Background: Recognizing that arts education is important in facilitating learning and in enhancing creativity in students, recent education reform in Hong Kong has sought to promote arts education and efforts to encourage creative expression through different art forms. Among different modes of creative arts expression, drawing has been suggested as the best choice for allowing creative expression by students with high ability in visual arts. Therefore, the connection between students' drawing and creativity warranted investigation.
Aims: This study explored the drawing abilities and creativity of Chinese students in Hong Kong based on their drawing performance, and examined their connection in relation to students' self-perceived artistic characteristics and involvement in drawing activities.
Sample: 105 Hong Kong Chinese primary and secondary school students, nominated by their schools to participate in the gifted programs of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, participated voluntarily in this study.
Method: Students completed two drawing tasks adapted from Clark's Drawing Abilities Test and a self-report questionnaire that included the Artistic Characteristics Scale of the Scales for Rating the Behavioral Characteristics of Superior Students and the Drawing Activity Checklist. The drawings were rated on students' drawing abilities and creativity by three Chinese visual artists as expert judges.
Results: Judges agreed more on their ratings on students' drawing abilities than on students' creativity. Judged drawing abilities and creativity were found to be moderately but significantly correlated. While judged drawing abilities were found to correlate significantly with students' self-reported artistic characteristics and drawing activities, judged creativity was found to correlate minimally with these variables.
Conclusion: This study provided supportive evidence on the connection between drawing abilities and creativity. The findings

Background: In most primary schools in Hong Kong, a product-oriented approach is used in teaching writing. The process approach to writing has been seen as an improvement over the traditional methods of writing instruction in recent years. However, the effectiveness of using the process approach to teach writing is still inconclusive. It is necessary to confirm its effectiveness through further research studies.
Aims: This study investigates how effective process writing is in helping about 200 students in the upper primary school level and the lower primary school level improve their writing skills and their attitude towards writing.
Sample and method: Six primary school teachers, 3 in the lower primary school level and 3 in the upper primary school level, each implemented an innovative two-month process writing programme in her school. The effectiveness of the programme was investigated through post-interviews and the comparison of a pre- and post-questionnaire, a pre-test and a post-test, and pre- and post- observations of the strategies used by the students in doing their pre-tests and post-tests.
Results: It is found that the programme brought about positive results across all classes and in both the upper and lower level in general though the results in each classroom slightly differed.
Conclusions/Recommendations: The process approach seems to be an effective approach even at as low a level as P.3 in the primary school. Process writing seems to be a feasible solution to heightening the writing abilities and confidence of students, especially those who have higher English proficiency and those at the upper primary level.
背景：香港大多數小學都採用成果取向的方法去教導寫作，近年視採用歷程取向的方法去教導寫作是傳統教導寫作的改良，但是否有效卻未有定論，需要作進一步的研究。
目的：這研究探討歷程取向的寫作方法對改進二百位小學生的改進技巧及態度是否有效。
取樣及方法：六位小學教師，三位任教初小、三位任教高小，在其學校試教一個為期兩個月有關歷程取向寫作方法的新課程，研究者採用測試後面談、比較試前和試後問卷調查、測驗成績、及觀察學生在測試前後的學習策略等多元方法，去尋找歷程取向寫作方法的有效性。
結果：發現各測驗觀察都稍微偏向支援歷程取向寫作方法。
討論和建議：歷程取向寫作方法似乎是一個較有效的教學法去提昇學生的寫作能力及信心

背景：在幼兒課程中，韻律活動 (rhythmic activity) 是音樂和體能活動不可缺少的主要學習經驗，但是從筆者的視導經驗和近期研究結果 (Wong & Chu，2001) 均顯示現在香港的學前韻律活動明顯地缺乏創意感、韻律感和運動感。加上目前香港學前的韻律活動課程的推行受到外在和內在因素的限制，是時候需要將非創意及系統化的韻律活動課程作出改革。
目的或討論焦點：本文旨在與讀者分享「創意韻律教育」(Creative Eurhythmic Education) 的理念、原則和推動方法，讓幼教工作者能夠嘗試採用「創意韻律教育」提升她/他們的教學效能; 設計此創意韻律教育課程模式之目的是改革現在香港的音樂律動課程，將普遍老師們已遺忘的韻律元素再次重述，引起她們的關注。
論點/評論/建議：本文強調，在課程的發展中運用嶄新的幼兒運動-音樂課程模式： 創意(Creativity)、音樂技能與概念 (Musical Skills & Concepts)、運動技能與概念 (Movement Skills & Concepts)、暢態與綜合活動 (Flow-Integration) 等元素，教師能提升兒童自我表達的能力，並能帶領兒童在各方面進行創作; 作者亦確信透過每天有系統的課程安排，兒童在創意韻律教育方面得益甚豐。嶄新的課程模式更強調創意的教育價值，將韻律課程發展於適合學生的能力、興趣、意欲和需要，而主題綜合活動則聯繫各獨特之韻律元素，使它們成為有生機和互動相連的全方位課程。最後，整個音樂律動課程的改革帶給教師們「暢態」的忘我歡暢之意境。
總結：新穎課程能成功的推行有賴教師的投入程度、擁有足夠的運動-音樂專業知識、技能和態度、重視教學的過程和多給予「鷹架作用」刺激兒童挑戰自我極限; 創設適切的運動-音樂學習環境，足夠的教學資源、器材和設施、教學時數和每週次數、專業支援與協助和校本的運動-音樂文化也是推行新穎課程的重要外在因素。
Background: In the preprimary curriculum, rhythmic activity is an essential learning experience in music and movement activity. From the supervision experiences and recent researches of Wong & Chu (2001), it is found that the rhythmic activity conducted in kindergarten is obviously lack of creativity, sense of rhythmic and sense of movement. Moreover, some external and internal factors and have hindered the implementation of rhythmic activity in kindergarten. There is a need to have a change from uncreative and tradition curriculum to an innovative one.
Objectives and Focus: This study aims to share with the readers the philosophy of Creative Eurhythmic Education, its principles and ways of implementation which encourages preprimary teachers and workers to adopt the Creative Eurhythmic Education Model in order to improve their teaching effectiveness. The aims for designing such kind of Creative Eurhythmic Education model are to make changes to Hong Kong music and movement curriculum, and to arouse kindergarten teachers' the concerns to integrate the rhythmic elements during the music movement activity.
Comment/Suggestions:

Background: Social circus has long been the folklore in the Chinese culture. Recently, initiatives have been undergoing to introduce it in the school physical education curriculum in Hong Kong.
Aims: This article reports a study on 38 PE teachers' professional learning experiences while attending two 2-day workshops respectively concerning learning how to teach social circus in school.
Method: Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected through post workshop evaluation questionnaire and interviews of 16 randomly selected participants. The interpretive inquiry was adopted as theoretical framework for generating meanings.
Results: The findings indicated that all participants perceived their professional learning experiences positively. Factors facilitating their professional learning were the participants' high professional expectation of the workshop, rich content of the program that could satisfy their novel experience and enhance their teaching, and the instructors' good performance. They believed that social circus could be developed for cultivating students' motor skills, physical fitness, Chinese cultural heritage, personal qualities, creativity and satisfaction as well as serving as inclusive activities. However, lacking of teaching materials, incompetence in professional skills, inadequate supply of equipment, anticipated managerial and safety concerns and the support from other PE colleagues were found to be the major difficulties for its implementation. On the other hand, high professional expectation, satisfying and novel experience, learning something, helpful with teaching, rich content and good instructors' performance were enhancing factors for their professional learning. The findings generate understanding and insights on how serving PE teachers' learn to improve their curricular practices for maximizing students' learning.
背景：雜藝是一項具中華文化特色的民間體育活動。近年來，一些老師已嘗試將雜藝引進於學校體育課程內。
目的：本文旨在報告38位中小學體育教師於2個兩天雜藝工作坊的專業學習經歷。

Background: "Spirituality Education" of children has gained more concern in recent years, but there is a lack of consensus for its meaning. Some literatures regard Spirituality Education as Religious Education, while quite many literatures have shown a close relationship between Spirituality Education and Humanistic Education, which could be unrelated with Religious Education. What is the meaning of "Spirituality Education" being mentioned by the ECE reformers after all? Is it the former or the later? The Guide to the Pre-primary Curriculum (2006) proposed "Lifelong learning" and "Holistic Learning", affirming the need of child-centredness (Humanistic Education) in curriculum. If so, there is a likelihood that "Spirituality Education"has a closer connection with humanistic education than with religious education. It is therefore vital to clarify the meaning of "Spirituality Education"for fostering the current early childhood educational reform. This paper seeks to explore if Spirituality Education has been misunderstood by the early childhood education practitioners with a result that hindering the implementation of educational reform.
Focus of Discussion: Through literatures review and the author's interpretation, this paper attempts to demonstrate that Spirituality Education is actually closely related with Humanistic Education and Holistic Education. Spirituality Education shares similar elements with that of liberal studies, in which the concerned areas and aspects of knowledge are widespread. Hence, it is not limited in promoting Religious Education. And pedagogies adopted in Spirituality Education mainly emphasize diversified and critical thinking. The rationales behind Spirituality Education are closely related with that of Humanistic Education and Holistic Education. Spirituality Education has no direct relation with Religious Education which emphasizes direct transmission of religious dogma.
Suggestion: In view of the importance of the role of Spirituality