This study utilised 2015 PISA data from the United Kingdom and Hong Kong to examine the relations between outside school ICT use for learning and science performance through a mediation model. The results uncovered three key findings: Firstly, ICT use for learning exhibited negative total effects on science performance in the United Kingdom, whereas the effects were non-significant in Hong Kong. Secondly, ICT use for learning consistently showed positive indirect effects on science performance through the mediation of self-efficacy, enjoyment and interest. However, no indirect effects were observed through utility value in either of the sampled countries/regions. Notably, ICT use for learning showed positive indirect effects through the mediation of epistemological beliefs in Hong Kong but not in the United Kingdom. Thirdly, ICT use for learning displayed negative unexplained (i.e., direct) effects on science performance, suggesting that potentially negative mediators have not been fully identified. Future research shall focus on exploring potential mediations that may cause negative indirect effects to develop more targeted interventions. Copyright © 2025 Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

In recent years, there has been a rapid expansion of master's education worldwide. Using a mixed methods research design, this paper explores the factor structure of students' motivation for pursuing a master's degree and their changing expectations of its returns, with a focus on mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong. We first distributed an online survey to students enrolled in various kinds of coursework-based master's programmes; we collected 302 responses. The survey data were subjected to an exploratory factor analysis from which four factors emerged: positional advantage, educational pursuit, intrinsic motivation, and career progression. Twenty-six interviewees participated in follow-up, semi-structured interviews. The content analysis of the interview data corroborated and supplemented the interpretations of the exploratory factor analysis. The declining expectations of economic returns upon graduation suggest that master's degrees were not necessarily viewed as guaranteeing career progression. Furthermore, students' changing expectations of non-monetary returns, including social benefits and self-growth as viewed retrospectively, contributed to students' overall satisfaction level on master's education. The study has implications for understanding and responding to the increasing demand for master's education and rethinking the value of master's education. Copyright © 2024 Springer.

Informed by self-determination theory, this study investigates the motivations behind students' voluntary pursuit of a master's thesis and the crucial role of supervisory support in their academic journey. The study also explores the impact of writing a master's thesis on their growth and well-being. Data were collected through interviews with 20 students from diverse disciplines in government-funded universities in Hong Kong. The interviews centred on critical themes such as students' motivations, expectations, feedback practices, supervisor-student relationships, challenges, and engagement levels. Thematic analysis revealed that the students were primarily driven by well-internalised and autonomous extrinsic motivations to write a master's thesis, with the aim of laying the foundation for a future PhD and achieving personal and professional development goals. The interaction between these motivations and the supervisory support, particularly in meeting students' needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, significantly contributed to their academic, professional, and personal growth and well-being. The implications of these findings for supporting students' engagement and development are discussed. Copyright © 2024 Routledge.

This study investigated the feasibility and effectiveness of using a flipped classroom (FC) approach to combine self-regulated learning (SRL) instruction and out-of-class eLearning activities in a two-year reading intervention program to facilitate students' learning of classical Chinese reading. A total of 352 junior secondary students from three Hong Kong secondary schools participated in the study voluntarily. Using a quasi-experimental design, students from each school were assigned to one of the following conditions: SRL instruction plus out-of-class eLearning (EG-I+E), SRL instruction only (EG-I), and control (CG). Both quantitative methods, including reading tests and student questionnaires, and qualitative methods, including teacher and student interviews, were adopted to collect data for the program evaluation. Findings indicate that after implementing the intervention program, EG students perceived significant changes in their classical Chinese lessons to be more SRL-oriented. While all treatment groups significantly improved their performance in the reading post-tests, only EG students significantly improved their strategy use, self-efficacy, and intrinsic motivation. Although both EG groups had similar improvements in all outcome measures, teachers and students of EG-I+E opined that the eLearning component of FC facilitated teachers' implementation of the intervention and students' strategy learning and motivation. Findings are discussed to shed light on applying SRL instruction and FC in a school subject long dominated by teacher-centered instruction. Copyright © 2024 Springer .

Growth mindset (GM) theory conceptualizes that one’s ability can be improved with effort (Dweck, Self-theories: Their role in motivation, personality, and development, Taylor & Francis, 1999) from a social-cognitive perspective. Self-determination theory (SDT) emphasizes the motivational source of learning, i.e. autonomous motivation (AM) and controlled motivation (CM). The two motivational theories can both lead to strategy use (SU) in writing contexts. To provide a more comprehensive understanding of motivation, this study investigated GM, AM, CM and SU through an integrated writing task. Participants were 465 secondary-four students in Hong Kong. Structural equation modelling showed that GM indirectly promoted writing performance through the mediation of AM and SU. Besides, neither motivations exerted direct effect on writing performance, whereas both did so via the mediation of SU. The findings unveiled the importance of GM in Hong Kong secondary school students’ writing performance since it contributed to AM and SU. Regarding pedagogical implications, we encourage the proliferation of GM in every-day classroom. Copyright ©2024 Springer.

Considerable research on university undergraduates’ struggles to master English for academic purposes (EAP) has been undertaken, yet little attention has been paid to the motivational needs of this specific learner group, or the fulfilment of such needs in university EAP courses. This study examines motivational strategies used by teachers of undergraduate EAP classes, student-perceived ineffective characteristics of the strategies, and students’ suggestions for better strategy implementation, together with the relationships between the strategies and the ineffective characteristics/suggestions. Reflective journals were collected from 69 first-year undergraduates who were enrolled in EAP courses offered by a Hong Kong university. The major findings are: 1) The adopted motivational strategies correspond closely to those endorsed in an influential framework; 2) the student participants reported ineffective characteristics pertinent to difficulty, relevance, expected learning outcomes, fairness, and interest; 3) the main suggestions were increased strategy use and provision of more assistance, encouragement, and examples; and 4) most of the suggestions appear to be non-strategy-specific, so they can supposedly be applied to a wide range of motivational strategies. The findings confirm the overall effectiveness of motivational strategies in undergraduate EAP courses, as well as informing university EAP teachers of possible ways to further improve their motivational techniques. Copyright ©2024 Routledge.

This qualitative study investigates the impact of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) on the emotional engagement, motivation and well-being of first-year university students in Hong Kong. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 21 students and three instructors to explore their perceptions of how GenAI influences the affective dimensions of language learning. The data were analyzed using manual coding and inductive thematic analysis to identify key themes. The findings revealed that GenAI generally enhances students’ motivation, reduces anxiety and stress, and fosters an emotionally supportive learning environment. However, challenges related to cultural context and technical issues were also identified. The study highlights the pivotal role of instructors in shaping students’ experiences with GenAI and underscores the need for ongoing support and professional development. It also demonstrates the importance of cultural sensitivity, technological infrastructure and balance. The study is valuable for those who aim to harness GenAI while preserving the irreplaceable human elements of teaching. It contributes to the growing body of knowledge on integrating AI in language learning. Copyright © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Introduction: Students’ peer relatedness is vital to their academic achievement and engagement. However, little is known about the mechanisms that can explain such a link in health professions education, especially in interprofessional education (IPE), where interprofessional socialization is promoted. To address the research gap in understanding the social dynamics embedded within IPE and their impact on crucial motivational outcomes, this study examines how peer relatedness (belonging) mediates the link between motivation (both intrinsic and extrinsic) and engagement in IPE. Methods: Data from 841 students enrolled in IPE from Medicine, Nursing, Social Work, Chinese Medicine, Pharmacy, Speech and Hearing Sciences, Clinical Psychology, and Food and Nutritional Science from a university in Hong Kong were used in this study. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation were collected at baseline, while peer relatedness need satisfaction and engagement and disaffection in IPE were assessed after four weeks. We used a fully latent structural equation model to examine whether peer relatedness mediated the link between motivation and engagement in IPE. Results: Our results indicate that intrinsic motivation at baseline significantly increases engagement and reduces disaffection four weeks later, while extrinsic motivation shows the opposite effect. Crucially, the adaptive role of motivation to engagement was significantly mediated by relatedness from IPE teams. Specifically, the effect of students’ motivation on their engagement/disaffection in IPE can be partially explained by their relatedness within IPE teams. Conclusion: This study underscores the importance of peer relatedness in IPE, highlighting its role in harnessing student motivation to foster student engagement. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the psychosocial mechanisms in IPE and highlight the value of collaborative learning environments in fulfilling students’ need for relatedness, thereby fostering

Effective teaching practice requires that teachers know their students not as ‘faceless average learners’, but as individuals. The most individual of learner characteristics is personality, and yet language education research has made little progress in understanding the role of personality. As the field of language learning motivation seeks to develop frameworks for motivational teaching practice, a richer understanding of learners’ individuality is crucial in shaping practices that respond to learners’ needs. The present study examines the role of learners’ personality and teachers’ practice in shaping motivation and self-efficacy in language learning. Drawing on data gathered from 277 learners of English in Hong Kong, aged 11–14 years, and 24 lesson observations, across 10 classes, the study applies hierarchical multiple regression analysis to reveal a significant role of personality and teachers’ motivational practice in predicting language learning motivation and self-efficacy. Results reveal that while personality variables demonstrated large effect sizes for motivational orientations, teacher practice variables evidenced large effect sizes for language learning self-efficacy. Implications are discussed for theorization of language learning motivation and for teaching practice, with a particular emphasis on language teacher education. © The Author(s) 2020.

This paper presents a study on the evaluation of hybrid learning and teaching practices by academics. A mixed research method involving a questionnaire survey and a focus group interview was employed to gather academics’ feedback on their experience in delivering hybrid instruction in a synchronous manner in which on-site and remote students attended classes simultaneously, their students’ hybrid learning effectiveness, and their suggestions for improvement. The questionnaire was administered to 76 academics from a university in Hong Kong where hybrid learning and teaching were implemented, and the focus group interview involved 10 academics. The findings reveal that the participating academics perceived themselves as having an overall high degree of readiness to handle technical issues. They expressed that the students from their hybrid classes had lower levels of interaction, engagement, and motivation than those from traditional face-to-face classes. The participants also reported their challenges regarding hybrid learning and teaching, including heavy workload for lesson preparation and face-to-face and online classroom management, unfamiliarity with interactive teaching design suitable for hybrid classes, and difficulties in monitoring students’ learning process. They provided suggestions for the improvement of hybrid classes, ranging from the provision of technological support to professional development for enhancing students’ online interaction and engagement. These findings contribute to revealing academics’ experience in practising hybrid learning and teaching and identifying ways to address their challenges. © 2023 by the authors.