While online learning has been widely adopted to substitute in-person schooling and sustain children's learning at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, some schools have implemented offline distance learning instead of depending on technology. This case study documented how offline home learning focusing on child-centredness and authentic learning experiences was implemented through home and school involvement in a typical preschool in Hong Kong. This study aimed at examining the phenomenon of this home learning practice and its effectiveness from the perspectives of school administrators (n = 3), teachers (n = 8), and parents (n = 18). Qualitative data collected from interviews and supplemental school documents revealed that the effective implementation of offline home learning primarily depended on (1) a child-centred approach with individualized learning support and (2) family-based support tailored for diverse families. The findings also suggested that a connection among peers was lacking as a result of social distancing and limits on physical interactions. Based on the findings, implications for further studies and parent education for strengthening competence in home learning are discussed. Copyright © 2022 Routledge.

Background: Early childhood is a critical period during which patterns of movement behaviors are formed. The World Health Organization had endorsed guidelines for physical activity, sedentary behavior and sleep over a 24-h time period, which had been adopted by the Center for Health Protection of Hong Kong. This paper reports on stakeholder engagements that were conducted to inform the design of strategies to disseminate the guidelines in early childhood education (ECE) settings. Methods: Using a mixed-methods study design, we sought to (a) assess the stakeholders' levels of awareness and knowledge of the Hong Kong movement guidelines for young children and (b) identify the factors that influence the uptake of the said guidelines. We conducted an online survey of early childhood education teachers (N =314), twelve focus groups involving teachers (N = 18) and parents (N = 18), and individual interviews of key informants (N = 7) and domestic workers who provide care for preschool-aged children (N = 7). Descriptive statistics were used for the quantitative data, and thematic analysis was performed on the qualitative data using an inductive and semantic approach following a realist framework. Findings: Our findings show that teachers were aware of the movement guidelines for young children, but their knowledge of the specific guidelines was deficient; parents and domestic workers had limited awareness and knowledge of the guidelines. Uptake of the movement guidelines is enabled by parent engagement, activities in the ECE centers, home-school cooperation, and community activities for children. The challenges include the time poverty of parents, local curriculum requirements, limited physical spaces, social values, and pandemic-related restrictions. Conclusion: We recommend that dissemination strategies in the ECE context should deliver knowledge content and support stakeholders in mitigating the challenges associated with time, space, and social conditions. Copyright © 2022

In this study, we aimed to explore early childhood educators’ conceptualisations of physical literacy and how these are integrated in their teaching practice. To this end, we used a mixed-methods embedded design, with a primarily qualitative component that is supported by quantitative data (QUAL + quan). Participants consisted of class teachers (n = 26), head teachers (n = 8), and principals (n = 11), who participated in interviews and responded to questionnaires. Qualitative data were examined using thematic analysis, and quantitative data were analysed using non-parametric statistics. Early childhood educators articulated an incomplete conceptualisation of physical literacy and reported low awareness of the concept. While the concept is relatively novel to early childhood teachers, integration of physical literacy in teaching practice was found to encompass the inter-related physical, affective, cognitive, and behavioural domains. Availability of resources, teacher training, education policies, family environment, and community environment were found to influence the development of physical literacy in early childhood settings. We recommend that education policies be reviewed, and systems-based support be provided to enhance teachers’ capabilities, as well as family and community environments. Copyright © 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.

The proliferation of screen-free programmable robotics allows teachers to implement age-appropriate integrated activities that can promote child learning and development. However, very scarce is known about the challenges of using programmable robots as a tool to empower children in minority communities. This mixed-methods case study examined a Free Quality Kindergarten situated in a low-income public housing estate in Hong Kong to explore the affordances and challenges of robot programming (RP) in early childhood education (ECE). Both quantitative and qualitative data were generated through videotaped observations, child assessments and teacher interviews to journey with the teaching team as they managed to implement the newly introduced RP curriculum. Child assessment evidence revealed that there was a statistically significant improvement in CT scores over 6 weeks of RP activities, while the pretest–posttest change of child self-regulation scores was nonsignificant. Video analysis results further revealed that children's interaction level with the robot kit significantly predicted the change of self-regulation over time. Qualitative results are presented to explicate the micro, meso and macro conditions that constrain the implementation of RP curriculum, including the following: (a) teachers' limited TPACK in RP education, (b) a disconnect between the RP curriculum and the school-based curriculum, (c) limited resources and (d) the Confucian tradition and cultural barriers. These illustrate the intricacies involved in the implementation of RP education to empower marginalized children in under-resourced ECE settings. This study will help bring systemic change to the ECE field by uncovering ecological difficulties in integrating new technologies to promote inclusiveness and sustainability for the future. Copyright © 2022 British Educational Research Association.

The aim of the study is to explore preschool teachers’ folk pedagogy as reflected in music education in Hong Kong by examining how Hong Kong teachers act, think and interact with their students when teaching music, and their response when stimulated by Japanese preschool culture. To illuminate the concept of folk pedagogy, the study investigates the tacit norms, views and values of selected Hong Kong and Japanese music teachers. This research is a multi-case study with an ethnographic design for cultural observation. A meta-aspect of this study is to provide a venue for teachers’ professional development, which consists of sharing videos from other countries, discussing their values and allowing these discussions to enlarge their sense of teachers. Through individual and group discussions and the teachers’ beliefs construction one year later, the teachers’ beliefs, teaching pedagogies and implicit behaviours are identified and analysed. The implications of the study will strengthen music teachers’ evaluations of Hong Kong’s folk pedagogy. All rights reserved.

In Hong Kong, the Education Bureau (EDB) assesses the quality of services provided to children in local kindergartens. Quality Review (QR) reports of kindergartens that pass the assessment are published on EDB’s website. We conducted a content analysis of 164 QR reports to examine the alignment between the music activities alluded to and the curriculum objectives established for music in official policies. A coding scheme was developed using both inductive and deductive approaches. High inter-reliability was obtained. MAXQDA was used to conduct word frequency, descriptive, and co-occurrence analyses. The most common terms identified in the music-related segments focused on children’s development of sensory abilities through music experiences, in relation to singing, rhythm, beat, movement, and instrumental music. However, activities intended to foster musical creativity and self-expression were seldom mentioned. We conclude that the QR reports reveal important discrepancies between official curriculum policies and actual classroom practices, which EDB assessors seemed to ignore or overlook. Implications focus on the need for kindergarten stakeholders to address curriculum/practice gaps and further prepare teachers to foster children’s musical creativity. Copyright © 2022 Yan Lam HO, Alfredo Bautista.

本文為探究中港澳臺幼兒教育之多元文化圖像，透過課綱的文本與論述分析，理解其與社會脈絡之連結，且輔以批判視角，嘗試探究課綱中可見與不可見，與4地多元文化教育發展的各自論述。本文分析的文本為中國、香港、澳門與臺灣4地由官方正式公布，且目前使用中的學前課綱。研究結果發現，整體圖像共通性部分，呼應全球化的多元文化教育精神，宣稱不因各種文化背景產生學習偏見與落差的均等追求；其次，在社會領域呈現與多元文化相關的具體目標，豐富幼兒多元文化經驗，同時強調幼兒的自我認同；最後搭配統整與結合生活經驗的教學方法來實踐多元文化教育。在個別圖像獨特性部分，中國側重國族文化與國家團結之認同；香港強調多元族群背景共融的需求與具體作法；澳門凸顯在地與中國連結的文化論述；臺灣重視多元文化各類議題與性別平等意識。 Copyright ©2021 國家教育研究院.

A long-neglected sector in education, early childhood education (ECE) in Hong Kong has generated much attention in recent years following the government's heavy promotion as laying the foundation for lifelong learning and all-round development. Enhancing 'teacher professionalism' by raising qualifications and remuneration is seen as a vehicle to achieve quality ECE. While the once lowly perceived occupation is now 'in fashion' among college applicants, little is known about how prospective teachers view ECE teachers' professionalism in Hong Kong. This study explored the views of 175 Hong Kong pre-service ECE teachers from 7 teacher education institutions using self-administered, open-ended survey questionnaires. The results showed that the pre-service ECE teachers generally described Hong Kong ECE teachers positively and viewed them as professionals. However, they also revealed a sharp dissonance between the participants' own perception and society's perception of the professionalism of ECE teachers due to the different emphases they used to define professionalism when shifting their perspectives. The results reflect a generally pessimistic view of the pre-service teachers on teaching in ECE as a career. Implications and suggestions for government policies, ECE teacher training, and research are discussed. Copyright ©2021 Routledge.

Learning Chinese as a second language is challenging for non-Chinese speaking population in Hong Kong. In order to facilitate the Chinese learning of this group of people, understanding their trajectory of Chinese language development is crucial. The present longitudinal study follows 88 non-Chinese speaking preschoolers in 4 time points, from their K1 to K3, in order to have a grasp of their Chinese language development in three key aspects, namely listening, speaking and reading. Results showed that non-Chinese speaking preschoolers progressed their Chinese language proficiency over time in the three domains, whereas their listening abilities have the best advancement. Though their speaking abilities were the worst at the beginning, they had significant improvement by the end of their K3. The qualitative data provides descriptors of the Chinese language proficiency of non-Chinese speaking preschoolers in different grades. The study's findings serve as a valuable reference for schools regarding school-based curriculum development, learning and teaching materials, approaches and assessments. Copyright © 2021 Academy Publication Co., Ltd.

The discourse around combining local, national and international languages constitutes an important issue in the global education agenda (Kirkpatrick and Chau 2008). Ideas about how trilingual education ought to be designed and implemented vary across stakeholders. This study explores (1) the beliefs which early childhood education (ECE – ECE refers to teaching of young children up to the age of six) principals, teachers and parents exhibit about trilingual preschool education in Hong Kong; (2) the challenges in the trilingual preschool implementation processes, and (3) the mechanisms employed by ECE principals for coping with these challenges. Semi-structured interviews and observations were conducted to collect data from four preschools, and these were supplemented with documentary analysis. Findings indicate that the inconsistent beliefs among stakeholders about the aims of trilingual education and language choice, curriculum design, and instruction (pedagogy and activities) in trilingual preschools are the major challenge administrators-principals encountered impacting the implementation process. Teachers who lack professional knowledge and skills in the provision of trilingual education are also problematic. Moreover, the recruitment of native-speaking teachers of the target language is difficult due to perceived heavy workloads and poor pay. Findings also make evident important implications for policymakers, principals and professional development. Copyright © 2021 Taylor & Francis Ltd.