Over the past two decades children's fitness levels may have declined (Ross and Pate, 1987; Ignico, 1990; Leung, 1995). Currently, attention is being directed to young children's gross motor performance, assessment procedures and program planning issues. This paper will present findings of a study which investigates the gross motor proficiency of young children in Hong Kong. The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (Subtests 1-5) was used to assess the gross motor proficiency of 320 children aged 5 to 6 years. Gross motor proficiency was measured in terms of their performance on running speed and agility, balance, bilateral coordination, strength and upper-limb coordination.
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The present study investigated physical activity trends among young children aged three, four, and five years old in Hong Kong preschools using pedometry. Subjects were eighty-six boys and sixty-two girls (n = 148). The Digi-walker sw-200 electronic pedometers were utilized to collect activity data during daily regular physical activities in three preschools. School A was located at the rural area whereas School B and C were in urban areas. An observation inventory, Children Activity Rating's Scale (CARS), was used to categorize the intensity level of the physical activities and to validate the pedometer counts. In line with overseas studies, significant age and gender differences in physical activity levels were also observed among the Hong Kong preschool children. A two (gender) × three (age groups) analysis of variance indicated that both main effects were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Older children in the school (School A) with a larger outdoor play space in a rural district were much more active than their counterparts in urban schools (Schools B and C) with limited indoor play space. The pedometer counts correlated significantly (p < 0.05) with the CARS scores, which suggested that pedometry can be a reliable tool to measure the intensity of physical activity level of preschool children.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0300443022000022459]

The present study adopted a qualitative approach through in-depth individual and focus group interviews to study the attitudes of the early childhood teachers in Hong Kong. The goal of the study is to reveal the lived experience of real people in real contexts. The first part of the study looks at how satisfaction/dissatisfaction of early childhood teachers was experienced by teachers and the principal, in the process of a top-down curriculum implementation at a local kindergarten in Hong Kong. Building on the findings of this case study, the need for pedagogical skill and knowledge to enhance the job satisfaction of early childhood teachers was addressed. By means of an action research, thirty student teachers at the In-serve Qualified Kindergarten Teacher Education Course were involved in learning ways of understanding and implementing an art project. The ability to help children learn was reported by the student-teachers as the main source of satisfaction when implementing a revitalized process for a more child-centred approach in art projects for children. However, the opinions towards the bottom-up scenario on innovative learning and teaching approach were diverse. The lack of positive supporting context at the organizational level was identified to be the main obstacle to teachers' improvement and satisfaction. Besides the professional/pedagogical development of the teachers, the attitude of the administrators/principals and parents were vital factors in promoting the satisfaction of early childhood teachers in Hong Kong.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0300443022000022413]

The idea of active learning was first introduced to kindergarten teachers in Hong Kong in 1981 when they received their in-service teacher education. In a two-year, school-based project, 60 teachers in five schools were asked to create collaborative videos about models of good practices after sharing "effective" teaching episodes with peer teachers who were experimenting with "desirable" learning activities in their classrooms. This study reports on the planning, implementation, classroom ethos and adult support displayed in the project deliverables (videos) so as to portray the kinds of emergent innovations that were being adopted. The findings of the study suggest that there was some significance to the use of collaborative reflection to activate teachers' creativity and sensitivity in giving children's learning first priority in their pedagogy. As well, it points toward using collaborative reflection as an element of teacher education.
[Copyright of Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10901020701634864]

This article reports findings from a qualitative interview study that examined the provision of integrated kindergarten education for children with disabilities from the perspectives of general education teachers implementing integrated kindergarten programs. Analysis of interviews with eight informants led to the identification of two broad generalizations: the interviewed teachers emphasized teaching academics to children without disabilities, but they focused on social development at the exclusion of academic instruction for children with disabilities; and, according to the teachers, instruction was academic and skill-oriented in the integrated kindergarten programs. Research procedures are described and data supporting the findings are presented. Ways to improve program quality are discussed in terms of three major components: the Hong Kong government should include early childhood education within the compulsory education system, and enforce the formally recommended approach of developmental appropriateness; teacher education institutions should prepare prospective teachers to work in school settings where program goals may be contradictory with the ideology of inclusion; and educational researchers should monitor program quality in integrated childcare centers by conducting further research.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03004430600563430]

Educators in China are facing challenges as a tug-of-war between local culture and global influences in Chinese early childhood music educations plays out. By exploring the situations of Hong Kong and Nanjing, the authors demonstrate a wide gap between policy and practice. The top-down policy from government officials is based on global views of education. It cannot work without providing the necessary support for teachers, parents, and children based on an understanding of local cultural beliefs. Four factors need to be considered in bridging this gap. The aims of the policy must be appropriate; resources necessary should be available, capacity of the practitioners has to be adequate, and the local environment should be carefully considered.
[Copyright of Arts Education Policy Review is the property of Routledge . Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.3200/AEPR.109.3.9-16]

Substantial, broad and varied benefits can be gained from mentoring; however, the key to successful mentoring lies in the mentor/mentee relationship. The present study investigated the dimensions in the mentoring relationships that foster or impede the mentoring process between four kindergarten principals and four student-teachers in Hong Kong. The findings of the study support the view that relationship-building is critical in the mentoring process. The dimensions that may sustain an effective mentoring relationship appear to be a high comfort level, trust, openness, ongoing support, regular communication, and the mentors' expertise and level of commitment.
[Copyright of Early Child Development and Care is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0300443022000022404]

Reviews of teachers professional development show that it is a highly complicated area, in which it is difficult to offer a unified and comprehensive view of the growing development of teachers. This study looks into the development of teachers by tracking their practices in a problematic teaching area: 'learning through play'. Four Hong Kong kindergarten teachers participated in a qualitative study that investigated their implicit knowledge of teaching. The findings show that there is a close relationship between the informants' teaching approaches and their self-learning patterns. The result raises doubt about the staged developmental perspectives of teacher development. The significance of meta-learning ability, which is found to be an essential component for the professional development of teachers in a changing context, is revealed.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13664530701827764]