This paper reports on a study conducted in Hong Kong which addresses the question of whether teaching approaches can influence the development of learning outcomes within the context of environmental education, how such outcomes are affected by different academic ability levels, and whether they vary over time. The overall hypothesis is that enquiry teaching is more effective than didactic approaches for the development of environmental understanding, irrespective of students' original academic ability and the time frame of measurement. A quasi-experimental design based on a pre-test and two post-tests and follow-up interviews administered to geography classes at matriculation level was used to collect numerical data about changes in understanding after the teaching of a people-environment topic. Students showed a moderate level of environmental understanding to begin with. Results showed that, irrespective of academic ability, those taught with an enquiry approach did better than those who were taught didactically in the short term but not in the long term. The reasons for this trend are discussed in terms of student ability and teaching conditions in schools. To increase the effectiveness of enquiry teaching, improvements in teacher education and training, curriculum revision, funding and research support and changes in examination questions are called for.
[Copyright of International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10382040108667445 ]

This paper examines the knowledge and understanding of Hong Kong secondary school students about the composition of unpolluted and polluted air, and the nature and effects of air pollutants. A number of misconceptions are highlighted, including the common belief amongst younger students that oxygen was more common in unpolluted air than nitrogen. Along with their cognitive understanding, students were questioned about their views concerning what they and others could and should do to reduce air pollution. In this, they seemed agreed, amongst other things, that financial penalties were less acceptable than legal compulsion - especially on a personal level. It is proposed that learning about the constituents of unpolluted air and air pollutants might be enhanced by linking the individual gases involved to their biological roles and pathological effects, respectively. Similarly, it is suggested that students should be encouraged more to reflect, in terms of environmental cost, on their role as consumers of goods and services.
[Copyright of International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10382040408668790 ]

A closed-form questionnaire was used to explore the ideas of school students about the composition of air, the causes and consequences of air pollution and the extent to which the students would accept various courses of action to reduce air pollution. Items for the questionnaire were derived from the results of interviews and an earlier open-form questionnaire. More than 3000 students aged 11 to 17 years and from Australia, Hong Kong and the UK were surveyed. There was a degree of similarity between students from the different countries in their knowledge about air composition and air pollution. In terms of attitudes, however, there were differences in students' opinions about the acceptability of actions to improve air quality. Path analysis of the data appeared to show that Hong Kong students are more amenable to education as an instrument to influence their attitudes. For the other countries, the acceptability of actions for environmental protection was related to the degree of concern about air quality.
[Copyright of Compare: A Journal of Comparative Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03057920701366176]

The accounting and education literatures contain many expressions of concern regarding the perception that plagiarism is on the rise and, particularly, the challenges for English as an Additional Language (EAL) students in mastering the academic referencing requirements underpinning Western-based university programs. This paper outlines an assignment specifically developed to assist EAL students in a second- year financial accounting course delivered in Hong Kong, to develop an understanding of plagiarism issues within the context of their study discipline. The analysis of results indicates that the assignment was effective in enhancing students' understanding of referencing and plagiarism, and confirms the need to actively repeat plagiarism education throughout a study program. The assignment was also seen to have enhanced the quality of students' written work, arguably due to the nature of the assignment as closely replicating the learning methodologies familiar to the Hong Kong student cohort.
[Copyright of International Journal for Educational Integrity is the property of BioMed Central.]

In Hong Kong, human rights education (HRE) is considered an aspect of civic education. For decades, HRE has been poorly attended. In 2009, a new compulsory subject, Liberal Studies, where HRE can be infused, will be introduced to senior secondary students (15-18 years old). This article reviews the development of HRE within civic education, followed by the analysis of Liberal Studies documents with reference to international human rights documents. It is concluded that Liberal Studies can be used as a vehicle for HRE. The aims and pedagogy proposed are similar to those adopted by HRE. International standards of human rights can be incorporated in the content. However, the HRE derived from Liberal Studies is a form of "action-poor HRE". Whether this "action-poor HRE" can adequately cultivate a universal human rights culture is an issue for further research.
[Copyright of Intercultural Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14675980802078590]