在學校層面，教師是課程決定的核心人物，教師在教學前或教學時必須做決定。香港中學中文科新修訂的課程自2002年9月在全港各學校推出。整體上，新修訂的中文科課程擴展了教師在課程與教學決定的範圍，亦增加教師參與協作及進行課程決定的機會。 本文是通過五所學校中一級教師參與課程決定的質性研究，了解教師在中文科組內如何參與協作式的課程決定及受哪些因素影響課程決定。初步結果顯示，教師對協作的觀感影響教師參與決定的投入程度，亦間接影響決定課程內容的深度。
[© The Hong Kong Teachers’ Centre 2012.]

本研究是從香港小學中文科教師角度探討「全港性系統評估」（TSA）對他們的影響。過程中採用定量研究（quantitative approach）和定性研究（qualitative approach）兩種研究方式。研究發現，TSA對教師在課程設計、教學和評估方面產生了正面和負面的倒流效應。在課程設計方面，教師注重TSA的考試內容，課程雖涵蓋聽、說、讀、寫的訓練，但卻忽視品德情意教育。就教學方面而言，教師參考TSA所考內容，設計練習幫助學生應試，但也有教師花了太多時間操練學生做TSA的試題，反而阻礙了教師教學的發揮空間。就評估方面來說，教師設計形式和內容與TSA相似的校內試卷，學生成績雖有進步，但由於題目變化不大，學生習慣了這些僵化的試題，反而讓他們對學習提不起興趣。本研究最後對此提出一些建議。
[Copyright © 2013 高等教育出版社.]

Empirical Research Background: Recent waves of Fullbright and other charity foundations‘ sponsored American English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) integration into tertiary module teaching and learning in Asian countries, has raised concerns whether the ETAs are welcomed by students. Empirical Research Aims: The present study discusses the development and piloting of an instrument to evaluate students‘ perspectives of ETAs‘ role in module teaching and learning in a tertiary context in Hong Kong. Empirical Research Sample: Participants were 153 students from modules that involved ETAs, ranging from first to third year students of four year undergraduate programmes. Empirical Research Method: Students were asked to rate their agreement to 20 statements related to ETAs‘ role in and out of classroom situations on a 4-point category. Empirical Research RASCH: Rasch analysis was used to determine the fit and reliability of the items and the performance of the category structures. Empirical Research Results: Adequate item and person separations were found for all items except for two. Repeated analysis without these items showed improvements in item and person fit and separations. Individual item category structures were generally found to fulfill Linacre‘s (2004) eight guidelines for well performing categories. Empirical Research Conclusions: The resulting 18-item tool is suitable for future evaluations of ETA‘s role in module teaching and learning in tertiary context.

This paper is based on research conducted at the Hong Kong Institute of Education with student teachers. The paper outlines the implementation of portfolio assessment by some lecturers of the Curriculum and Instruction Department. The portfolio, which incorporates critical self-assessment, is discussed and presented as an alternative form of assessment. This form of assessment provides student teachers with the opportunity to demonstrate their progress in learning and metacognitive skills. This research was conducted using qualitative methodology to study the processes involved in portfolio assessment and the values which underlie the new assessment methods. Teaching sessions were observed, interviews of students and their lecturers were conducted, and documentary evidence (such as the teaching portfolios and students self-assessments) were examined. The findings include an analysis of the implementation of the process of portfolio assessment, the supports and constraints which impacted on the implementation, and the student learning outcomes. The research was funded by the Hong Kong Institute of Education.

The study on effective teachers has been conducted as early as 1890. At that time effective teachers were rated against their personality traits by their superiors. Research done along this line gave discouraging result as the personality traits of an effective teacher were not consistently tied to the rating levels (Barr, 1961 ; Darling- Hammond, 1988). Research focusing on the relationship between teacher behaviour and student learning began to be dominant since the 1960's. Effective teachers were then defined according to their ability to help students gain in their achievement. Lo and Siu (1987) suggest that different people such as principals, teachers, students and parents have different perceptions of an effective secondary school teacher. This paper attempts to investigate the perceptions of student teachers on the characteristics of an effective primary school teacher. The sample subjects consisted of 66 student teachers selected from the Hong Kong Institute of Education. The method of collecting information was by conducting a survey in which all the sampled student teachers were administered to a questionnaire to find out their perceptions of an effective primary school teacher. Four respondents were further asked for interview to look into the reason why they had such perceptions. Frequency counts from the questionnaires revealed that 'possesses a sense of responsibility' ranked top among the ten most essential characteristics selected by the respondents. The findings also showed that an effective primary school teacher should have good personal quality as well as professional skills and abilities. Result of the interview reflected that the respondents' former teachers, their teaching experience, and the Institute in which they were studying were the main factors affecting their perceptions. The implications for teacher education of these findings were finally discussed.

Teaching excellence may mean different things to different people. The experience of students is vital because they are the consumers and they know what good teaching is about. Based on a survey conducted in the Hong Kong Institute of Education for the Distinguished Teacher Awards, this paper attempts to identity what the main criteria of good teaching are. As student opinions may relate to a particular cultural norm, the relevant social factors and their implications will be discussed in the paper.