This study investigated the impact of young Chinese second language learners' motivation on their Chinese literacy acquisition. Based on the L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS), 188 Grade 5 ethnic minority students in Hong Kong were assessed. They completed an L2MSS questionnaire, a Chinese oral vocabulary test, and Chinese literacy measures, which covered Chinese character reading, spelling, reading comprehension, and sentence writing. Structural equation modelling results showed that the L2MSS tripartite predictors-ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self, and learning experience-predicted the students' intended learning effort and literacy achievement, controlling for oral vocabulary. The ought-to self had the strongest total effect on effort and achievement, while the ideal self had a substantial effect on the learning experience and indirectly contributed to effort. This study argues that young learners' perceived social expectation significantly influenced their motivation to learn to read and write Chinese. Their identification as fluent Chinese readers and writers generated positive learning experiences that were conducive to literacy learning. Copyright © 2024 Routledge.

This paper evaluates the potential of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education, specifically its capacity to replace or assist human teachers. By reviewing relevant literature and analysing survey data from students and teachers, this mixed-methods study provides a comprehensive perspective on the future role of educators in the face of advancing generative AI technologies. An online survey was conducted to explore the perceptions of 399 university students and 184 teachers across different disciplines in eight higher education institutions in Hong Kong concerning the use of generative AI technologies. Findings suggest that although some believed generative AI may eventually replace teachers, the majority of participants argued that human teachers possess unique qualities, including critical thinking and emotions, which make them irreplaceable. Similarly, findings also emphasized the importance of social-emotional competencies developed through human interactions, something which generative AI technologies cannot currently replicate. Crucially, this study further found that students value and respect their human teachers, even as generative AI becomes more prevalent. As such, the authors propose that teachers can seek to effectively integrate generative AI to enhance teaching and learning without viewing it as their replacement. To do so, they must understand how generative AI can work well with teachers and students, avoid potential pitfalls, develop AI literacy, and address practical issues including ethics and privacy. Recommendations are offered on how universities, teachers, and students can adopt generative AI technologies in an approach that balances the strengths of human educators with generative AI technologies. As the future of education lies in the synergy between human teachers and generative AI, teachers, students, and universities should all understand and refine their unique qualities in order to effectively navigate the integration

Listening is a largely neglected area in L2/FL research and teaching even though it is one of the two only channels to receive linguistic input for language learning. Drawing on expectancy-value theory, a theory of motivation, the study set out to examine, quantitatively, FL listening motivation in relation to within- and out-of-school FL exposure and learning. Qualitative data were also collated to explain the quantitative findings. Analysing the e-survey data from 275 Grade-10to-12 English-as-a-foreign-language learners in Hong Kong, we found that medium of instruction, spoken English exposure at school, and informal English exposure outside school were associated positively with expectancy. Out-of-school informal exposure was not only the strongest predictor of expectancy, but also the only variable positively related to interest (intrinsic value). Almost all the participants agreed with the importance of performing well on FL listening (attainment value). Open-ended responses elaborated on some of these relationships. Copyright © 2024 Elsevier.

This study investigated how children's social and emotional learning (SEL) might reflect their teachers' social and emotional teaching (SET) by means of social learning. To this end, the research team conducted 20 videotaped observation sessions of four teachers' SET and 71 children's SEL during whole-group instruction in four kindergarten classrooms in Hong Kong. The research team coded SET and SEL based on teacher and child utterances for evidence of the CASEL's five key social and emotional competencies (Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, and Responsible Decision-Making). Additionally, we coded a one-on-one correspondence between each competency and one of the four strategies identified (Telling/Commanding/Directing, Explaining, Asking Questions, and Affirming/Confirming). Both the teachers and children evidenced Responsible Decision-Making the most. Except for Social Awareness, the teachers' SET and children's SEL in the other four competencies were correlated significantly and strongly. Furthermore, among the five strategies, teachers primarily utilized the Asking Questions strategy, while children predominantly corresponded with the Telling strategy. Significant correlations were observed among the strategies: between teachers' Asking Questions and children's Telling, between teachers' Asking Questions and children's Explaining, between teachers' Explaining and children's Explaining, Asking Questions, and Affirming/Confirming, and between teachers' Affirming/Confirming and children's Telling. These findings suggest that social learning was at work to guide children's SEL in the context of their teachers' SET. Copyright © 2024 Springer.

This study examines the adequacy of a general proficiency in music listening for describing how examinees responded to exam questions on various music genres based on an empirical investigation of a public music listening examination. In the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE), Music consists of three mandatory components: listening, performing, and creating. Notably, the listening component is evaluated through a written examination, allowing for objective scoring. A candidate's performance on this exam has been summarized as a single score, a method that is effective for evaluation purposes, while the underlying conceptualization may oversimplify the depth of knowledge required for assessment. Consequently, we conducted a reevaluation of the HKDSE Music listening test, employing the Rasch testlet model to explore potential multidimensional structures. Our findings highlighted distinctive attributes in questions related to Cantonese opera, setting them apart from others. We discuss the implications of these findings for music assessment. Copyright © 2024 SAGE Publications Ltd.

Background: The Service-Learning Outcomes Measurement Scale (S-LOMS) with 56 items is an established tool for evaluating student developmental outcomes arising from service-learning in Hong Kong. However, its length may have deterred potential users. Hence, the current study used a shortened version (S-LOMS-SV) with 21 items for validation in Hong Kong and Singapore. Purpose: The purpose of the current study is to validate S-LOM-SV with new samples, as is required for shortened scales. Methodology/Approach: We recruited 970 respondents from Hong Kong and Singapore universities. They answered the 21-item S-LOMS-SV before and after service-learning, along with a service-learning experience questionnaire. We tested scale validity and reliability and used multisample analyses to examine factor stability and cross-cultural validity. In addition, we employed structural equation modeling to establish the relationship between service-learning experience and developmental outcomes. Findings/Conclusions: The current study established the scale validity and reliability and preliminary cross-cultural validity of the S-LOMS-SV. Results revealed developmental differences between traditional undergraduate students and adult learners and reaffirmed the positive relationships between service-learning experience and student development. Implications: The validated S-LOMS-SV provides a succinct and reliable tool for academic research and quality assurance purposes and paves the way for developing a centralized database for cross-cultural and cross-institutional comparisons. Copyright © 2024 SAGE Publications Ltd.

Existing studies have measured the effect of video-based feedback on student performance or satisfaction. Other issues are underacknowledged or merit further investigation. These include sociocultural aspects which may shape the design and implementation of video-based feedback, the ways students use technology to engage in feedback, and the processes through technology may transform learning. This study investigates the design and implementation of a video-annotated peer feedback activity to develop students' presentation skills and knowledge of climate science. It explores how their use of a video annotation tool re-mediated established feedback practices and how the systematic analysis of contradictions in emerging practices informed the subsequent redesign and reimplementation of the approach. Employing a formative intervention design, the researchers intervened in the activity system of a first-year undergraduate education module to facilitate two cycles of expansive learning with an instructor and two groups of Hong Kong Chinese students (n = 97, n = 94) across two semesters. Instructor interviews, student surveys, and video annotation and system data were analysed using Activity Theory-derived criteria to highlight contradictions in each system and suggest how these could be overcome. The findings highlight the critical importance of active instructor facilitation; building student motivation by embedding social-affective support and positioning peer feedback as an integrated, formative process; and supporting students' use of appropriate cognitive scaffolding to encourage their interactive, efficient use of the annotation tool. Conclusions: In a field dominated by experimental and quasi-experimental studies, this study reveals how an Activity Theory-derived research design and framework can be used to systemically analyse cycles of design and implementation of video-annotated peer feedback. It also suggests how the new activity system might be consolidated and

The pedagogical approach-Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)-has been widely adopted around the globe with its dual aims of developing students' second language (L2) proficiency and mastering content knowledge simultaneously. However, its effectiveness remains inconsistent. This inconsistency has led researchers to call for an investigation into the perspectives of CLIL students to understand the factors behind the success and failure of CLIL implementation. To address this gap, this study explores CLIL students' perspectives through the lens of self-regulation and examines the relationships between CLIL students' self-regulation levels, linguistic challenges, and learning outcomes. Involving 167 junior secondary students from three schools in Hong Kong that adopted different CLIL models in Hong Kong, the study revealed moderate self-regulation levels and varying linguistic challenges among CLIL students, with listening being identified as the most difficult skill. A significant, moderately positive correlation was found between self-regulation levels and perceived linguistic challenges. Multiple regression analysis also found that motivation was a key predictor of both L2 proficiency and content subject achievement, while other self-regulation constructs (self-preparation, self-monitoring, and self-reflection) showed non-significant predictive values. Pedagogical implications are provided to develop students' self-regulation skills and address perceived linguistic challenges, ultimately enhancing the learning experience and outcomes for CLIL students of diverse abilities. Copyright © 2025 Taylor and Francis Ltd.

Amidst the intensified discourse surrounding universities' societal impact, social innovation and entrepreneurship (SIE) has emerged as a way to refocus universities' engagement in sustainable development, particularly through their core mission of teaching and learning. Growing interest in SIE education over the decades has led to a proliferation of courses and programs offered in various disciplines by universities worldwide. Nevertheless, scholarly research unpacking the SIE educational processes remains scant and lacks multidisciplinary perspectives. Educators of SIE continue to face challenges in designing curricula and adopting appropriate teaching approaches. This study fills this gap by offering ample empirical evidence based on a documentary analysis of 53 syllabi from 43 distinctive courses accompanied by interviews with the academics responsible for the design of these courses across all eight publicly funded universities in Hong Kong. The analysis identifies multiple patterns within two major themes: the changing scope and positioning of SIE education and the varying orientations of SIE curricula. The findings provide valuable insights and identify areas for further exploration for the design of impactful SIE learning experiences for students. Furthermore, by situating the examination of SIE teaching and learning within the lens of curriculum theory, this study establishes a foundation for future research to undertake systematic and rigorous comparative analyses of curricula in diverse contexts. Copyright © 2024 Taylor & Francis.

The use of post-isms has become increasingly prominent in academic discourse because it offers new perspectives for gaining insight into current developments in human society and the historical dimension of culture. In the Hong Kong educational context, the concept of post-isms has permeated the current music curriculum. The curriculum guide alludes to posthumanist primary interests, was created in the postcolonial state after the return of the sovereignty of Hong Kong from Britain to China in 1997, and is associated with poststructural psychoanalysis that values the subjectivity of listeners. This article investigates the entanglement of the Hong Kong music curriculum and the post-isms from the perspectives of posthumanism, postcolonialism, and poststructural psychoanalysis. It is found that the curriculum guide demonstrates a commitment to ecology/human relations through both cross-species communication and understanding, as well as pro-nature humanism. It entangles with the concept of hybridity in postcolonialism and functions as a strategy of disavowal of the colonial legacy and the cultivation of the original national identity. The guide also perceives music as an agency that produces subjectivity by positioning the listener as subject. By investigating the Hong Kong music curriculum through the three lenses, implications for music curriculum development were drawn. It is urged that only when a music curriculum takes into account the multidimensionality of music can it reveal the greatest potential of music. Copyright © 2025 Wiley.