This paper uses the case-study method to examine detailed data related to student and tutor usage of an asynchronous discussion board as an interactive communication forum during a first-semester associate degree course in applied psychology at the City University of Hong Kong. The paper identifies 'what works' in relation to discussion board use, demonstrating how students might gradually create an online community of their own, but only if prompted in a timely and appropriate way by the course structure. It also identifies three distinct phases in online interaction and suggests these might, to some extent, be mediated by assessment tasks.
[Copyright of ALT-J: Research in Learning Technology is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09687760701673592]

This study looks closely at the relation between background knowledge and L2 proficiency in L2 reading performance in two groups of university learners of English, one from Mainland China and one from Hong Kong. The students (n = 214) shared Chinese culture in general, but differed in terms of their local sub-cultural and social background. They were divided into intermediate and post-intermediate groups on the basis of a test of General Proficiency in English. Two English cloze tests were then constructed to assess reading comprehension, one with cultural content that would have been familiar to the Hong Kong students, and one that was culture free. The results show a strong cultural effect on reading comprehension, but not on post-intermediate readers. The findings have implications for teaching reading to L2 learners.
[Copyright of Language, Culture and Curriculum is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07908310308666657]

After considering colonialism and the transition of Hong Kong, this article explores the state of curriculum management now at the micro- level, through a case study of two secondary schools, It provides a picture of the tensions, compromises and evolution of the educational system.
[Copyright of Curriculum Studies is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14681369800200024 ]

With the current state of web technology, multimedia materials are readily accessible by students. This paper reports on the design and evaluation of three online courses from a university in Hong Kong which incorporate media‐enhanced learning materials. These cases are at different positions with respect to the types of knowledge and levels of cognitive reasoning outlined in the revised Bloom's taxonomy. Evaluation data give qualified support for media‐enhanced aspects of the courses being beneficial to student learning. The study has also highlighted factors that influence the success of the learning experience: attention to the quality and design of the media, considering student motivation and focusing on feedback on learning during the course. Media and learning design, thus, are inextricably intertwined in a complex relationship.
[Copyright of Educational Media International is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09523980600641403]

This study investigated the sense of belonging of part-time students through interviews with 53 novice or experienced students enrolled in part-time programmes in Hong Kong. It was found that students were more easily able to affiliate with their class groups or teaching staff than with their department or university. Seven methods are suggested for promoting a sense of belonging. Class cohesiveness can be developed through learning activities and maintaining classes as a cohort. Relationships with teaching staff can be developed through encouraging interaction, providing good quality teaching and making a positive initial impression. There was also evidence that a sense of belonging was more likely to develop if enrolment was through departments and part-time students had access to resources and facilities. The data showed that promoting a sense of belonging contributed to better quality learning outcomes and increased the chances of students completing programmes.
[Copyright of International Journal of Lifelong Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02601370110048809]

In this research, we normed the Wallach-Kogan Creativity Tests (Wallach & Kogan, 1965) for the school children in Hong Kong. A representative sample of 1418 students (148 1st graders, 155 2nd graders, 159 3rd graders, 163 4th graders, 162 5th graders, 160 6th graders, 162 7th graders, 159 8th graders, and 150 9th graders) was administered a Chinese version of the Wallach-Kogan Creativity Tests (WKCT), developed in a large-scale pilot study. There was some preliminary evidence of reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the WKCT. Results of the forming study showed that there was generally an increase with grade level in the mean of various indexes (Fluency, Flexibility, Uniqueness, and Unusualness) of creativity from Grade 1 to Grade 3 (individual administration mode) and from Grade 4 to Grade 9 (group administration mode) for both verbal tests and figural tests, besides a significant drop in the mean of the various indexes of creativity for figural tests in Grade 7. No gender differences in the indexes of creativity were found. The norms of this first norming study of the WKCT not only provide information about the creative potential of the school children in Hong Kong, but also facilitate future cross-cultural comparison of the scores of the WKCT in different cultures and societies.
[Copyright of Creativity Research Journal is the property of Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15326934crj1601_7 ]