This study aims to develop a self-report inventory to measure University students’ perception of their creative thinking skills. Creative thinking is a critical learning outcome in higher education and one of the essential 21st Century Competency. The data were collected from 253 students of a university in Hong Kong. A structural equation model was applied to confirm the construct validity of the instrument. The result shows that the key characteristics of creative thinking skills are empirically constructed by creative character, originality, sensitivity, synthesizing and resistance to premature closure. The five characteristics of creative thinking can be considered as learning processes or outcomes to inform the design of instructional events and learning activities to nurture students’ creative thinking skills. Copyright © 2023 by the authors.

This paper explores the pedagogical approaches teachers employ and the strategies that school leaders implement to promote the use of an Adaptive Learning Platform (ALP) in a high school in Hong Kong. It assesses how such an AI-powered platform can support teachers in enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes. The study employs a case study methodology to identify the factors influencing the incorporation of ALP. Qualitative data were collected through teacher interviews, and an in-depth analysis was carried out to identify effective pedagogies and strategies for implementing adaptive learning. The findings of this study underscore the significance of supportive school leadership that encourages teachers to embrace ALP as a tool for promoting student learning. Additionally, effective implementation of ALP necessitates a shift in pedagogical practices from traditional teacher-centred approaches to more student-centred strategies. The study concludes that the integration of ALP into teaching practices can boost student engagement and elevate the quality of learning outcomes. In summary, this research contributes to understanding the successful implementation of ALP in high schools, emphasising the critical roles of school leadership support and the adoption of student-centred pedagogies. The findings provide valuable insights for educators, administrators, and policymakers interested in utilising ALP to improve student learning outcomes. Copyright © 2023 by the owner/author(s).

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly emerged as a transformative force across diverse sectors worldwide, with policy initiatives signalling its rising prominence. In the realm of education, AI holds promise for revolutionising learning and teaching. However, the incorporation of AI in basic education faces significant challenges for many schools, particularly when explicit curriculum guidelines are absent, and teachers have limited exposure to AI technologies. This study delves into the importance of integrating Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED), particularly in primary and secondary school settings, with a specific emphasis on the obstacles and facilitators. The research examines the impact of digital leadership and its role in mitigating teachers' barriers to AIED incorporations. These external variables are systematically outlined within the conceptual framework proposed by this study. Furthermore, it conceptualises and considers three AIED approaches—Learning from AI, Learning about AI, and Learning with AI—as internal variables central to basic-education AIED incorporations, as highlighted in previous research. The study gathers quantitative data through a self-constructed questionnaire survey from 204 school principals and management-level teachers across 60 primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong, capturing their perceptions of AIED incorporation. A structural equation model (SEM) is adopted to analyse the relationships between digital leadership, internal and external teacher barriers, and the three AIED approaches. The findings underscore that digital leadership is a significant factor in facilitating AI incorporations in schools, and that teachers' internal and external barriers considerably affect Learning about AI. The paper concludes by proposing strategies to enhance the capabilities of school leaders and teachers in promoting AIED in basic education. Copyright © 2023 The Author(s).

STEM education has taken on high importance in Hong Kong K-12 education landscape. Despite policy advocacy and curriculum endeavour, the quality of STEM education varies significantly between schools. Research literature indicates that high-quality STEM education requires teachers’ rigorous delivery of topics and appropriate pedagogies, and one approach to improve such practices is teacher professional development (TPD). However, because current research on TPD has not given explicit consideration to the complex nature of STEM education, there remains a lack of a clear blueprint of how TPD should be conducted to build teachers’ capacity for STEM education effectively. This paper presents a case study that explores the necessary attributes and identifies the missing links of STEM education TPD by understanding how various TPD models supported a Hong Kong K-12 school embracing STEM education. Qualitative data collection methods, including semi-structured interviews and classroom observations, were employed to draw a picture of TPD implementations in the selected school. The findings suggest that, at the macro-level, effective STEM TPD should not stop at employing mixed use of TPD models; the models have to be integrated organically with respect to a school-based STEM curriculum implementation approach. A collaborative culture between teachers must be cultivated for effective inter-disciplinary integration. Collaborative action research should also be promoted to develop collective wisdom of STEM pedagogies. At the micro-level, TPACK and cross-disciplinary integration skills need to be focusing areas of STEM TPD. With these guiding principles, some possible strategies for effective STEM education TPD are suggested. Copyright © 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Teaching has often been discussed as skills hence teacher education is focused on promoting a certain set of competencies. The changing view of education has turned researchers to study the internal factor of teachers to account for teaching behavior that benefits learners. The current study is underpinned by self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000). It aims to identify work engagement as a significant factor that affect teachers to adopt teaching behavior that effectively supports learners, it also explores teachers social support behavior. It is a mixed method study including an investigation based on psychological measurement and a qualitative study based on interview. The paper first reports a survey study which is based on 309 Hong Kong junior secondary school teachers. The path analysis results showed that Work Engagement fully mediates the impact of Autonomy and Competence, as two factors of Psychological Need Satisfaction at Work, on teachers' Social Support giving. It then reports an interview study on twenty teachers as the second part study. The content analysis results suggest that social support is featured by teachers' use of questioning, dialogical feedback, authentic interaction, and metacogntive teaching in the classroom. Enabling learners to pursue a good life are identified as a common goal of teaching. The study provides a theoretical framework to explain teachers' engagement behavior. It contributes an important perspective that effective teaching and teaching competencies should be generated internally, suggesting that basic need satisfaction should be promoted as it support teacher development and student learning positively. The study also has important implications to make on teacher education and training. Copyright © 2022 RPIC.

Based on self-determination theory (SDT), this study examines the relationships of Basic Psychological Need (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) at Work (BPNW), Social Support Giving (SS), and Well-being measured by Psychological Meaningfulness, Health and Work Engagement. It addresses human beings’ integration in social environment, highlighting eudemonia satisfaction as the core of well-being. Results based on a survey on 309 Hong Kong teachers revealed that BPNW significantly predicts all the well-being indicators, the predictive patterns are mostly consistent with SDT. The results also inform that BPNW (competence and relatedness) predicts SS, and SS significantly predicts well-being. The study suggests the influential role of BPNW on teachers’ well-being, it endorses social support as an important instructional behaviour that would benefit teacher development. Implications to the development of SDT and enhancement programs promoting BPNW to boost teachers’ wellbeing will be discussed. Proposals to strengthen learning and teaching in school policies and practice are suggested. Copyright © 2021 HKERA-APERA International Conference.

Social support is a feature of instructional behaviour, it is an engaged behaviour of enthusiastic teachers. As an altruistic behaviour, teachers’ social support to students has been regarded as a factor that impact teachers’ well-being, however, this factor has yet to explore. The present study attempts to fill such research gap. The paper first reports a survey study based on 309 Hong Kong teachers. The path analysis results showed that Psychological Need Satisfaction at Work (BPNW) significantly predicts the three indicators of well-being, i.e. Psychological Meaningfulness, Health and Work Engagement. The predictive patterns of BPNW on well-being are mostly consistent. The results also suggested that the mediating effects of social support between BPNW and well-being indicators are small. Given the positive correlations with both BPNW and well-being indicators, social support can be regarded as an instructional behaviour that would benefit teacher development. The second part of the paper reports interviews of a sample of 15 teachers. Content analysis suggests that teachers’ source of satisfaction has largely derived from engaging with students, such as in assisting students’ growth, or developing good teacher-student relationships; teacher satisfaction derives from higher-order value of a job (i.e. serving students) that causes psychological meaningfulness and commitment. Implications to the development of enhancement programs promoting BPNW to boost teachers’ wellbeing and engaging teaching behaviour will be discussed. The study highlights eudemonia satisfaction as the core of well-being, for teachers, social support behaviour may be significant indicator of work engagement. Copyright © 2022 Tenth SELF International Conference.

Past studies identified isolated factors influencing teachers' formative assessment practices (FAP) but did not show a comprehensive model of it. Hence, this study systematically creates and tests a theoretical model of FAP by determining whether personal or contextual factors are linked to teachers' FAP. We collected longitudinal data from 296 Hong Kong primary and secondary teachers through two waves of the survey. The results of a multivariate outcome, multilevel analysis showed that personal (teacher rank, years of teaching experience, and self-efficacy) and contextual factors (school support, total number of teachers in a school, and teaching grade) significantly impact teachers’ FAP. Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Collaborative lesson planning (CLP) is a key component of teachers’ professional development that responds to students’ ever-increasing learning needs. This study aimed to develop and validate an instrument to evaluate teachers’ CLP practices. Guided by the SECI (socialisation, externalisation, combination, and internalisation) knowledge-creation model of Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995), items assessing CLP practices were developed. To validate the CLP scale, we analysed data from 540 primary and secondary school teachers in Hong Kong. Exploratory factor analysis on a random half of the sample suggests a four-factor solution that supports the SECI model. A confirmatory factor analysis and multidimensional Rasch analysis on the remaining half of the sample confirmed the four-factor structure. Both analyses support the dimensionality of the four-factor model, rating scale effectiveness, and item fit statistics. The final version of the CLPS has 21 items that assess teachers’ CLP practices under the four SECI processes. This instrument has practical value in assessing, monitoring, and promoting collaborative teaching practices in school. The study's limitations and implications are discussed. Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, there has been considerable interest in taking up the opportunities of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education. As an emerging concept and a driving technological force, AI is changing the kind of knowledge and skills students need for success in the forthcoming Industrial Revolution 4.0, and at the same time, enabling novel, powerful methods of teaching and learning. Although many school leaders, policy-makers and frontline teachers understand the need for embracing AI, they may lack clarity on what to teach students in the era of AI; how to harness the power of AI tools; and where to start given their own school contexts. This paper describes an ongoing study that uses Communities of Practice (CoPs) as a knowledge management strategy to support Hong Kong K-12 schools in embracing AI. CoPs comprise members who genuinely care about a mutual interest and seek to solve a common problem. The premise underlying this study is that the cultivation of CoPs may present enabling conditions and pave the way for AI adoptions. In these CoPs, members would engage in reflective discussions on the opportunities and challenges of embracing AI in their schools and collaboratively support each other through meaningful knowledge exchange. METHODS: A collective case study is being conducted with members from 20 K-12 schools in Hong Kong to substantiate and illustrate the power of CoPs that aim to support schools in embracing AI. Qualitative data are gathered via semi-structured interviews and focus-group meetings with participants. Thematic analysis is adopted for analysing the data. RESULTS: The preliminary results of this ongoing study have shown that CoPs, if successfully launched, can play an uplifting role for Hong Kong K-12 schools embracing AI. More specifically, the collaborative learning process in CoPs has helped members make sense of AI core concepts and the pedagogical implications as they access authentic, relevant and updated information. The