The number of teaching assistants (TAs) working in mainstream schools has soared in recent years as students with special educational needs (SEN) are integrated into regular classrooms. However, research on TAs is rare. This study investigated whether and how work engagement mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and job satisfaction among 292 Chinese TAs working in Hong Kong mainstream schools. Survey data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Supported by the social cognitive theory of self-efficacy and self-determination theory of work engagement, our results showed that TAs' self-efficacy is positively related to their job satisfaction through the mediation of work engagement. Implications for an appropriate focus on enhancing TAs' self-efficacy through classroom experiences and training courses are discussed.
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This introductory article for the special issue of “The International Journal of Diversity in Education” weaves the research interests and histories of members of the local organizing committee for the Fifteenth International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations held at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) in July 2015. These members share a common research context—diversity and education in Hong Kong and the article aims to reflect that, although from diverse disciplinary backgrounds and concerns with different sectors and approaches to education, our collective interest centers on education and social justice in Hong Kong. Issues explored in K-12 schooling range across: inclusive education, Chinese language support for special education needs children and non-Chinese speaking (NCS) learners, and multicultural education. Issues explored in higher education focus on the academic workforce in Hong Kong, both in terms of internationalization policy and academic mobility in professional education, and with regard to gender equity and the role of women in the academy. Copyright © 2016 Common Ground Publishing, Susan M. Bridges, Liz Jackson, Patcy Yeung, Kit Chan, Ida A. C. Mok, Sarah Jane Aiston, All Rights Reserved

The psychological construct of self-efficacy plays a salient role in students’ pursuit of a career path. Career-related self-efficacy is strongly associated with life satisfaction and emotional well-being. Most of what is known about this construct has come from research with mainstream students in the West, and considerably less attention has focused on students with special educational needs. The limited knowledge we have of SEN students’ career-related self-efficacy may be due to lack of appropriate assessment instruments with sound psychometric properties that can be used across cultures. This chapter reports steps taken to validate such an instrument, the Career Development Self-Efficacy Inventory (CD-SEI), for assessing career life skills self-efficacy in SEN students. The authors describe the use of a short form of CD-SEI in Hong Kong with a sample of SEN students and a comparison group without special needs. Theoretical and practical implications of using this instrument to assess career life skills self-efficacy of SEN students are discussed in light of current career development theories. Copyright © 2020 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Purpose: A growing body of research has focused on the topic of inclusive education for ethnic minorities in Hong Kong. At the same time, few scholars have explored the role technology can play in enhancing inclusivity within the context of quality education. This study examines how the differentiated use of technology that takes into account disparities in prior knowledge can benefit students of different learning backgrounds.Design/Approach/Methods: This study adopted an experimental design to investigate how content-specific and content-neutral technologies can be strategically used to support the classroom discussions of Chinese and ethnic minority students' learning Chinese language and mathematics. One hundred and twenty-one secondary school students participated in the study. Each student was randomly assigned to a condition, in a 2 (ethnicity: Chinese vs. ethnic minority) × 2 (content: content-specific first vs. content-neutral first) design.Findings: The study found that (a) for Chinese language lessons, ethnic minority students preferred to learn with content-neutral and content-specific technologies in prediscussion and postdiscussion activities, respectively; whereas the Chinese students' preferences were the opposite and (b) for mathematics lessons, both groups of students performed better when content-specific and content-neutral technologies were used in prediscussion and postdiscussion activities, respectively.Originality/Value: The study presents five practical suggestions for the strategic use of technology in inclusive classrooms in Hong Kong. Copyright © 2020 The Author(s).

This study analyses responses (n = 309, across 94 schools) to the General Self-Efficacy Scale (Zhang and Schwarzer [1995]. "Measuring Optimistic Self-Beliefs: A Chinese Adaptation of the General Self-Efficacy Scale." Psychologia: An International Journal of Psychology in the Orient 38 (3): 174-181) from Hong Kong primary teachers of inclusive music classes. Analysis of these results sheds light on the impact that contextual reforms have on these non-core subject music teachers' practice. Respondents' perceived self-efficacy is moderate - characterised as a see-saw relationship between their personal and external domains. A possible behavioural intervention suggests professional-sharing being further enriched were current Education Bureau's in-service SEN courses to be inclusive of all primary school subjects, including music. Specific factors that underpin these respondents 'moderate' self-efficacy are identified as forming two clusters, human resource management and stress, with possible behavioural interventions for these being outlined.
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According to the Hong Kong Education Bureau, the number of students with special education needs (SEN) has been on the rise. In order to cope with an increasing demand for inclusive education, professional training programmes aiming for pre-service teachers to educate students with SEN have increased locally. Guided by the theory of planned behaviour, this study aims to investigate the relations between Chinese pre-service teachers' views and self-efficacy in implementing inclusive education in Hong Kong. A total of 94 Chinese pre-service teachers were recruited at a public university to complete an online questionnaire. Controlling for age, teaching experience, and relevant training, differential effects were found between pre-service teachers' views and self-efficacy. Specifically, teachers' positive attitudes towards inclusion were related to their greater self-efficacy in implementing inclusive instructions and managing students' behaviours. Teachers' fewer sentiments about inclusion were related to their greater self-efficacy in collaborating with parents and professionals. Teachers' fewer concerns about knowledge, workload, and overall feasibility were also related to their greater self-efficacy in collaboration and behavioural management. These findings broaden the literature and inform policy makers the need to strengthen teachers' efficacy by reducing practical barriers and increasing their positive attitudes towards inclusion. Copyright © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

This article analysed missionaries' roles in the development of general and special education by examining the relationship between the Great Commission and education and the biblical perspective on disabilities as the foundational links between their work and inclusive education. While missionaries have not been directly involved in the practices of inclusive education today, their work in initiating and formalising special education services has facilitated a more welcoming attitude toward individuals with disabilities, and propelled governments around the globe to make special and inclusive education a public responsibility when socio-political environments demand it. To provide a concrete illustration, this article used Hong Kong as an example by examining missionaries' key involvements and impact in its development of public education from the early colonial era to today's inclusive education. The missionaries' legacy in Hong Kong's inclusive education development lay in their nurturing of Christian educators as supported by a high number of public Christian schools and Christian educators advocated for inclusive education, and in their efforts to formalise special education during the early colonial era (175).
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The present action research examined the effectiveness of one pre-school teacher professional development with the focus of deep understanding of autism behaviour and the practical application of three evidence-based strategies: social story (auditory means), TEACCH (visual support) and positive behavior support. The purposive and self-selected samples of 27 pre-school teachers and their students be diagnosed with or suspected of having autism were recruited (N=32) from seven local kindergartens. The teacher participants of the experimental group completed one two-day workshop and received school-based consultations with the input from autism experts. The teacher participants of the control group received delayed teacher training. The teacher participants completed two instruments in Chinese, the Aberrant Behavior Checklist and the Checklist for Learning, Social and Emotional Adjustment (Kindergarten version) to measure the student performance. The teacher participants completed another two self-reported instruments in Chinese, the revised 10-item Attitudes and Concerns about Inclusive Education Scale (SACIE-R) and the 18-itemTeacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practice Scale (TEIP). The data indicated that the student participants of the experimental group reduced the challenging behavior and at the same time they showed improvement in learning and peer interaction. For the teacher participants of the experimental group, they showed more awareness about the inclusion needs of their students on the spectrum. They also recognized the function of having expert input to further enhance teaching efficacy for inclusive practice. The preliminary outcomes here confirmed the positive impact of the holistic and practical approach to pre-school teacher professional development for supporting learning diversity.本硏究以行動研究探討一項著重知識及實踐的學前老師專業培訓，培訓內容包括深度理解自閉症特徵及實戰執行三項有循證數據的支援策略：社交故事（直接、具體的口頭指令）、TEACCH（視覺提示）及正向行為支持。參加者為來自七間幼稚園的 27 位老師及其 32 位有自閉症診斷或懷疑個案的學生。實驗組的老師完成兩日的工作坊和接受有自閉症專家參加的校本諮詢。比較組的老師於研究完成後接受培訓

Policies of career-planning education have been developed and implemented in different societies over the past decades. The policy facilitates the sustainable development of people, particularly the youth, in exploring career aspirations, identities and pathways at different stages of their development. In Hong Kong, the senior secondary school curriculum has been revised to incorporate career-related learning for all students. A teacher in the position of career master/mistress is responsible for the coordination of student career development in each ordinary public school. The teacher has specifically experienced increasing learning diversity in the school setting where integrated education is provided for students with special educational needs (SEN). This paper aims to explore the teacher’s experience in support of career development of students with or without SEN in the school. We adopted an interview method to capture three teachers’ experiences in three schools located in different districts in Hong Kong. What were the teachers’ experiences of implementing the policy of career-planning education for senior secondary students in the schools? What effects on the students’ career development did the teachers perceive? The findings can unveil the challenges facing the teachers for coordination of career-planning programmes in the schools. Although the programme can generally awaken the students’ self-understanding and career competencies, more resources and intense support for SEN students’ career development are needed. This seems to be an agenda missing in the current policymaking. Implications of the education for positive whole-person development of students are also discussed.過去數十年，不同社會都實施職業規劃教育政策。該政策有助於人們，特別是青年人的可持續發展，於不同階段中探索職業志向、專業身份和發展方向。香港的新高中學課程亦為所有學生提供多種職業相關的學習，而學校亦增設職業輔導主任及教師為高中學生制定職業規劃課程。不過，教師也要面對在融合教育環境內，不斷增長的學習多樣性。本文旨在探討職業輔導教師支援學生職業發展的經驗（包括有特殊教育需要學生）。透過面談，研究問题包括：學校為高中學生實施職業規劃教育，教師有甚麼經驗？職業規劃教育對學生的職業發展有何影響？調查顯示教師在統籌學校職業規劃教育活動所面對的挑戰。雖然職業規劃教育活動可以喚醒學生的自我理解和職業能力

今日的學童常在多元的學校環境中學習。如同世界其他各地，香港亦有各不同程度學習困難的兒童，逐漸融入主流學校的大趨勢。一般教育工作者因而增加了這方面的覺醒與需求，來滿足每一名不論是否殘障或具獨有特質學生的教育目標。本文敘述相關概念、理論、與有效策略來達成融合教育的最大成效。 Children in today's school are learning in a diverse environment. There has been a steady trend of inclusive education for students at various level of learning abilities and/or difficulties. General education practitioners are increasing their awareness of the requirements to fulfill individualized conditions and needs of each unique learner, whether disabled or nondisabled. This article will share information regarding major concepts, theories, and promising practices that can be implemented for better success of inclusive education for all students and school personnel.
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