自2001年起，香港特別行政區政府推出一系列大型課程改革，至今已近二十年。現在正是適切時間檢討，以尋找未來的改革方向。校長和教師是重要的持份者，他們同時掌握具體的前線情況，因此了解他們對課程改革現狀及未來發展的看法非常重要。本研究採用聚焦訪談及問卷調查方法，收集了超過1,000名教師和校長的觀感及看法。研究發現，課程改革帶來了教學法、學校自評文化和觀課文化的改變，但未能全面達致改革的大部分目標。改革亦帶來了一系列問題，例如教師工作量增加和學習差異擴闊等。如要為將來尋找更好的發展方向和策略，教育當局必須進行更全面、更有系統及深入的研究，而本研究展示的數據和理據可作這全面檢討的起點。Copyright © 香港中文大學. 香港教育研究所.

Much research has been conducted to investigate the impact of work environment on academics’ job satisfaction. However, little is known about what contributes to academics’ job dissatisfaction. Job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction are two distinct entities because a lack of job satisfaction cannot be simply equated with job dissatisfaction. This research investigated the mediating role of academic self-efficacy in the relationship between perceived work environment and job dissatisfaction. Participants were 547 academics from the 8 University Grants Committee-funded higher educational institutions in Hong Kong. Results show that academics’ perceptions of their work environment (including their perceptions of institutional expectations regarding research, university governance and management, and working conditions) statistically predicted job dissatisfaction both directly and indirectly through academic self-efficacy in research and teaching, irrespective of age, gender, academic rank, institutional ranking, and primary academic discipline. The findings enrich the literature concerning perceived work environment, academic self-efficacy, and job dissatisfaction. At the same time, they establish a meaningful link among the fields of psychology, higher education, and career development and have practical implications for academics and university senior managers and, most likely, for senior leaders in other occupations. Copyright ©American Psychological Association.

Hong Kong, as a capitalist society, has an achievement-driven education system. Visual arts have become a marginalized learning area, especially in early childhood education. Although 'art and creativity' is one of the six learning domains for early childhood education in the kindergarten curriculum guide in Hong Kong, product-oriented and craft-based art activities are commonly practiced in kindergarten classrooms. This study observed 33 classrooms and interviewed 29 teachers for a total of 409 minutes to discuss issues surrounding the early childhood art curriculum in Hong Kong and the difficulties teachers face responding within the context. Through the triangulation of observations, interviews, and documentation analysis, the teachers indicated that they are facing a dilemma regarding teacher-directed and child-centred orientations towards teaching children visual arts. To sustain the 'third space' of early childhood visual arts education, three main areas are considered: (a) introducing visual arts as an alternative narrative in early childhood curriculum, (b) considering that children's creative behaviours are performative, and (c) positioning teacher education in relation to the visual arts. Copyright ©Routledge.

Integrated writing skills that emphasize integrated use of language skills and multiple source materials have attracted increasing attention in language education globally and locally in Hong Kong. This study examines teachers’ conceptions of integrated writing skills and interviewed twenty-five Chinese language teachers. Three conceptions emerged from the data, representing writing as a composite of disconnected parts (Category1), a logical inquiry (Category 2), and a developmental process (Category 3). As the categories move up, the alignment between teachers’ conceptions and the curriculum objectives increases accordingly, with the purpose of writing instruction ranging from fulfilling examination requirements, enhancing reasoning skills, to developing integrated use of language skills. The findings also reveal that although the development of integrated writing skills has been a critical component of the Chinese language curriculum since the first public examination in 2007, teachers’ receptivity toward it still varied greatly. Insufficient professional training, the legitimacy of integrated writing as a curriculum component, and the fossilization of the public examination were the factors that accounted for the differing attitudes among the teachers. The discourse of integrated writing in the Hong Kong context has been centered around high-stakes testing. The unbalanced discourse resulted in an oversimplified view that conflated the teaching and learning of integrated writing with integrated writing assessment. The study contributes to the conversation between integrated writing curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Implications for teacher professional development are discussed. Copyright ©Springer Netherlands.

Internationalisation of the curriculum (IoC) is on the agenda of many higher education (HE) institutions worldwide. Typically seen as associated with a top-down strategy, IoC often meets resistance from university teachers, many of whom struggle to understand its relevance to teaching practice. This phenomenographic study investigates university teachers’ conceptions of IoC. Five conceptions ranging in sophistication have been identified. The least sophisticated focuses on making the curriculum content internationally relevant, whereas the most sophisticated centres around developing self-awareness, awareness of others, and a change in mindset in students. The latter is realised by embracing reflexivity and criticality and, more importantly, utilising societal and political issues as learning opportunities for identity development. Situated in the Hong Kong context, the findings not only suggest the need for teachers to shift their focus from curriculum content to value-based development but also for educators to reflect on their role in helping students to reconcile their identity in relation to their counterparts regionally and globally. Copyright © Springer Nature B.V.

The number of teaching assistants (TAs) working in mainstream schools has soared in recent years as students with special educational needs (SEN) are integrated into regular classrooms. However, research on TAs is rare. This study investigated whether and how work engagement mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and job satisfaction among 292 Chinese TAs working in Hong Kong mainstream schools. Survey data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Supported by the social cognitive theory of self-efficacy and self-determination theory of work engagement, our results showed that TAs' self-efficacy is positively related to their job satisfaction through the mediation of work engagement. Implications for an appropriate focus on enhancing TAs' self-efficacy through classroom experiences and training courses are discussed.
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"Content and Language Integrated Learning" (CLIL) aims at enhancing both the academic language awareness and academic content awareness in teachers. Such a special curriculum approach necessitates that teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) consists of distinctive categories and domains that are different from either the PCK of teachers of content subjects (e.g., mathematics, sciences or liberal studies) or that of language teachers (e.g., SLA/L2 education). Drawing on the frameworks of studies on PCK (Grossman, 1988, 1990; Shulman, 1986, 1987; Tsui, 2003) and Teacher Language Awareness (Andrews, 2003; 2006; 2007), this research starts with the assumption that effective representation of subject content in L2 English demands PCK that goes beyond simple addition of the subject matter knowledge and the pedagogical knowledge of both subject content and the English language. Such PCK inevitably involves the integration of other knowledge and skill domains that are unique to the CLIL context. More importantly, how does teacher identity change interact with change in the teacher's pedagogical content knowledge? When does a content teacher start to see him/herself also playing the partial role of an academic language teacher, and when does a language teacher start to see him/herself also playing the partial role of helping students to learn academic content? Through ethnographic case studies, this research explores the CLIL PCK as well as the CLIL teacher identity change in three content teachers (in science, mathematics, and liberal studies) as well as two English language teachers. All of them have enrolled in a part-time Master of Education programme specializing in CLIL in Hong Kong schools. The study examines and explores the transformation of the teachers' PCK as well as their identity during their participation in the teacher education programme. The implications on our understanding of the teacher knowledge base of CLIL as well as its impact on teacher identity

Although teachers’ attitudes and beliefs are linked to their practice, many argue in social foundations and multicultural education that student-teachers are resistant to changing their attitudes about education’s role in society. Researchers have contended that student-teachers engage in a variety of strategies to maintain attitudes gained through their personal experiences as students, which casts education as key to increasing social mobility and meritocracy in society. This article explores the case of one instructor in teacher education and educational foundations in Hong Kong. Findings from pre- and post-course surveys and online forum writings from students are used to share how student-teachers’ attitudes changed regarding equality and the role of education during the course. The study suggests that the use of a social-constructivist pedagogy that enables student-teachers to learn from their peers’ diverse experiences and professional circumstances can meaningfully impact student-teacher attitudes, and assist new teachers in better understanding education’s role in society. Copyright © 2015 Common Ground, Liz Jackson, All Rights Reserved.

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.

Citizenship education has been implemented in Hong Kong primary schools in the name of moral, civic and national education (MCNE). In the context of the backdrop that schools have been granted autonomy for implementation, this chapter explores teachers' perceptions of the implementation of MCNE in Hong Kong primary schools. The findings indicate that Hong Kong teachers in general hold an eclectic attitude towards MCNE. With these prevailing attitudes, MCNE was loosely defined and flexibly implemented. Although the whole-school permeation approach was considered ineffective, teachers did not support MCNE as an independent subject due to an overcrowded curriculum and assessment issues. Some teachers illustrated that the issues that arose in the implementation of MCNE were related to time and resources, the marginalization of MCNE, professional development training, and a contradiction between the teachings of schools and parents. Despite the many issues that have arisen in the implementation of MCNE, the findings suggested MCNE could be taught through history (including Chinese history) which could help strengthen students' knowledge of the world community and the country, and prepare students to live in the complex real world. Copyright © 2021 selection and editorial matter, Kerry J. Kennedy; individual chapters, the contributors.