Little research has explored the challenges of difference and difficulty to principal leadership in changing school contexts. This paper explores two Chinese principals’ journeys to enact different leadership approaches to overcome these challenges during a time of massive education reform. Three specific questions are asked: What challenges do the principals face in diverse student populations? What leadership practices do the principals adopt to support the learning development of these students? What support do the principals need most to enact this leadership? This cross-case study, conducted in Hong Kong, finds that principal leadership that focuses on inclusion is important in efforts to overcome these challenges, with innovative and flexible interventions to ensure equality in student learning development. Despite this, they need support from every part of the school community: the school sponsoring body, the teaching team and parents. The implications of these findings for interpreting the meanings of principal leadership for inclusion are also discussed. Copyright © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

This paper aims at identifying the use, benefits and challenges of integrating Minecraft in teaching students with autism. Classroom observations, students-created manifests and interviews were conducted in two Chinese-speaking special schools in Hong Kong. It is concluded that Minecraft does have positive impact on how children with ASD learn. Students were more engaged in class, showed improved collaboration and communications skills, developed deeper relationship with their classmates and the teachers, and were more motivated to learn. Some potential challenges and concerns are discussed. Copyright © 2018 The Hong Kong Jockey Club.

The Self-Report Family Inventory (SFI) is a 36-item scale developed by Beavers, Hampson, and Hulgus (1990) to assess competent and dysfunctional family functioning. While the SFI is widely tested in the areas of counselling psychology and clinical psychology, considerably less effort has been allocated to examine its psychometrics in educational settings. By using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA and CFA) based on previous research, this study aimed to validate the Chinese version of SFI (C-SFI, Shek, 1998) with a sample of Hong Kong secondary students with special educational needs (SEN). The key purpose was to provide a useful tool to assess family functioning of this vulnerable population of students to inform practice improvement to cater for their needs. Consistent with Shek’s studies in typically developed students, the results of EFA showed a two-factor pattern. CFA results provided further evidence showing the best model fit indices were for the two-factor solution (i.e., family health and family pathology) compared with other competing models. This study also developed a short form (8 items instead of 36) of the C-SFI, which would be regarded as a parsimonious screening tool for researchers and practitioners to test family functioning of SEN students.家庭自我報告量表 (SFI) 是由 Beavers, Hamson, 及 Hulgus 在 1990 年編製的評估家庭功能狀況的量表。雖然該量表被廣泛應用於輔導心理學和臨床心理學，然而在教育領域的應用卻鮮有報導。本研究在已有研究的基礎上，通過探索性因素分析和驗證性因素分析評估中文版 SFI (C-SFI, Shek, 1998) 在香港有特殊學習需要中學生群體中的信度和效度。研究的主要目的是為有特殊教育需要學生這一弱勢群體提供一個有用的家庭功能評估工具。並在了解他們家庭功能的基礎上，為改進幫扶這一特殊需要群體的實踐提供指導作用。探索性因素分析結果生成兩個因素，這與已有的在香港普通學生中的研究結果一致。驗證性因素分析進一步提供了兩因素模型相關的擬合指數。本研究在原中文問卷的基礎上(36 條題項)，發展了一個簡化版 SF-C-SFI(8 條題項)。簡化版的兩因素與原版對應的兩因素之間的相關係數較高，達到 r=.92 以及 r=.94。 本研究初步為研究者和實踐者提供一個簡化版的篩查工具，用以評估殘疾學生的家庭功能。 Copyright © 2017 The Special Education Society of Hong Kong Ltd.

A hierarchy of inclusive teaching tasks by associated level of teacher efficacy is derived from a group of primary and secondary school teachers in Hong Kong using a Rasch rating scale model on 536 in-service teachers attending a professional development course. Findings show collaboration tasks represented the highest teacher efficacy in primary and secondary teachers. Managing behavior represented the lowest level of teacher efficacy but slightly more in primary than in secondary school. Hence, future training regarding inclusive practices should be specific to the school level, with a strong focus on collaborations between school, parents, and the community. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Students with special educational needs (SEN) are at an elevated risk of psychological and behavioural dysfunctions. In this study, we conducted a survey of parents of students with SEN in Hong Kong to examine the impact of two school practices – learning support and school climate – on the psychological and behavioural functioning (PBF) of students with SEN. We also examined the mediating effects of social participation and academic engagement. Questionnaires were distributed to 586 parents in 139 primary schools. The results of structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis show that perceived school climate has a direct effect on perceived PBF, while perceived learning support does not. Perceived learning support has two indirect effects on perceived PBF, with perceived academic engagement or social participation as a mediator. The findings have implications for the effective use of educational resources to support the inclusive education of students with SEN.
[Copyright of International Journal of Disability, Development & Education is the property of Routledge.]

Supporting students with special education needs (SEN) in classroom is a main duty for teaching assistant (TA). According to the Code of Practice of Education, students with SEN in Hong Kong were encouraged to enroll in mainstream school. Therefore, TAs are inevitable to work with students with SEN. This research was an investigation on TAs' self-efficacy which was a factor that would affect students' achievements and classroom management. There were two purposes in this research. First, level of TAs' self-efficacy would be explored. Second, the effect of training course to accommodate students with SEN on TA's selfefficacy would be studied and further suggestions on training course reformation would be made. Quantitative method was adopted in this study. 463 TAs had participated in this study, and their self-efficacy had been tested in 5 domains: teaching support, learning support, behavior management, cooperation and administrative support. Data indicated that TAs were most confident in cooperation and least confident in teaching support and behaviour management. Training to support students with special education needs (SEN) were found to contribute to TAs' self-efficacy in all 5 domains. However, no differences were found among different training hours because the training course cannot meet the needs of TA. This paper suggested that future TA training course should put more emphasis on teaching support and behavior management.

The present research aimed to explore how family functioning influenced self-determination among students with and without special educational needs. The Chinese version of the Self-Report Family Instrument and the American Institutes for Research (AIR) Self-Determination Scale were administered to 575 Hong Kong senior secondary school students without SEN and 106 with SEN in the present research. Results showed that the Chinese version of the Self-Report Family Instrument and the American Institutes for Research (AIR) Self-Determination Scale were reliable and valid among students with and without SEN. Furthermore, for students with SEN, family health significantly positively predicted self-determination. For students without SEN, family health significantly positively predicted self-determination, while family pathology significantly negatively predicted self-determination. Significance, limitations, and implications of the present research were discussed.

In Hong Kong, students with special educational needs (SEN) are able to access the senior secondary education in the 12-year free education. Teachers teaching students with SEN have to prepare their students with knowledge, skills, and competency for overcoming the challenges of lifelong learning and career planning. It is well noted the post-school transition period signifies the transition to adulthood and independent life. A successful transition may lead to students’ adaptive motivation to continuing higher education or employment opportunities, which contributes to good quality of life. However, for students with SEN, they often need to face more challenges than regular students do. This chapter first discusses the contextual analysis for the education of students with SEN in Hong Kong schools by analyzing the increasing number and complexity of disabilities, concerted effort in school support and pathways of postsecondary education. However, teachers always reported the uncertainties and difficulties in supporting the smooth transition of the SEN graduates. By taking account of the research done by the authors specifically through a series of focus group interviews to a wide range of stakeholders, the chapter identifies variables affecting the post-school transition outcomes of students with SEN in Hong Kong. With reference to the contextual needs, the identified variables inform the policy change in career guidance and support for students with SEN. Implications and recommendations at individual, school, community, and policy levels are discussed. In regard to the development of career guidance and planning in schools, this chapter will finally conclude the intensive support, supporting strategies, and multiple pathways for students with SEN in Hong Kong.

The number of students with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream education in Hong Kong has increased, but the lack of professional training for in-service teachers appears to impede the successful implementation of an inclusive education policy. This study aims to evaluate and reflect on the delivery of an in-service inclusive education teacher training course provided by a local teacher training institution. A total of 3,274 teachers took this course between 2007 and 2010. Students' responses to an exit questionnaire were used to assess the course. The attitudes of the respondents towards the aim, content, resources, effect and value of the course and the level of satisfaction were generally positive, and increased as it evolved over time. The practical aspects (e.g., case analysis, classroom level strategies, guest lecturers' sharing and group discussion) were appreciated most by respondents. The implications of the findings and suggestions for further improvement are presented and discussed.

Parents are key stakeholders in education and their support is pivotal to policy implementation. Through a large-scale survey, the present study investigated the validity of a structural model describing the relationship between attitude, knowledge, and perceived social norm among parents of children with special needs. Results revealed that knowledge and perceived social norm were powerful predictors of parents' attitudes towards inclusion and the two predictors were intercorrelated. Exploratory analyses on the effect of demographic variables on parents' attitudes demonstrated that male parents exhibited more positive attitudes towards inclusion than female parents; and parents of children at a higher grade level indicated less positive attitudes. Cultural issues of parents' concerns about inclusive practice are discussed.
[Copyright of International Journal of Inclusive Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2015.1037866]