This paper investigates the effects of large language model (LLM) based feedback on the essay writing proficiency of university students in Hong Kong. It focuses on exploring the potential improvements that generative artificial intelligence (AI) can bring to student essay revisions, its effect on student engagement with writing tasks, and the emotions students experience while undergoing the process of revising written work. Utilizing a randomized controlled trial, it draws comparisons between the experiences and performance of 918 language students at a Hong Kong university, some of whom received generated feedback (GPT-3.5-turbo LLM) and some of whom did not. The impact of AI-generated feedback is assessed not only through quantifiable metrics, entailing statistical analysis of the impact of AI feedback on essay grading, but also through subjective indices, student surveys that captured motivational levels and emotional states, as well as thematic analysis of interviews with participating students. The incorporation of AI-generated feedback into the revision process demonstrated significant improvements in the caliber of students’ essays. The quantitative data suggests notable effect sizes of statistical significance, while qualitative feedback from students highlights increases in engagement and motivation as well as a mixed emotional experience during revision among those who received AI feedback. Copyright ©2024 Bastas Publications.

This study investigates the factors influencing university students’ online learning engagement from three distinct aspects, namely, behavioural, cognitive and emotional engagement. A comparison is drawn from university students in Asia who embraced online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey was conducted on 495 university students in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Malaysia during the surge of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, which was considered more infectious but less deadly than previous variants. A consistent positive relationship between Satisfaction and Academic Performance is found in all the regions. Malaysia presents a unique situation as compared to Mainland China and Hong Kong whereby no association was found between Social Context and Online communication towards Student Engagement. The novelty of this study is attributed to the integration of Social Presence Theory in Student Engagement through the nature of online learning as a coping strategy to halt the spread of COVID-19 during the Omicron variant surge. Copyright ©2024 Springer.

Online teaching was adopted in Hong Kong and many other places worldwide due to lockdown policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research explores the effectiveness of kindergarten students' online learning as measured by parents' reports of their child's satisfaction with learning, engagement in learning, effective teaching strategies, and an environment conducive to online learning. Parents of 392 students from 40 randomly selected kindergartens in Hong Kong completed questionnaires in March 2022, a few months after the end of online teaching. A questionnaire was designed for this study, with reliability and validity supported by Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test hypotheses. The findings show that effective teaching strategies and an environment conducive to online learning positively affected student learning. It can cast light on the issue of whether online teaching is suitable for kindergarten students, the appropriate teaching strategies, and the kind of learning environment needed to enhance online learning processes and outcomes. Copyright ©2024 Gate Association for Teaching and Education.

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered learning and teaching approaches in higher education. Research concerning COVID-19 revealed inconsistent results on student engagement, which is a robust predictor of academic performance in higher education. This exploratory study examines the relationship between grit and student engagement in the pandemic through the mediating role of negotiable fate. Although previous research demonstrated that grit could positively predict student engagement, there have been inconsistent findings between the two sub-factors of grit: consistency of interest (grit-CI) and perseverance of effort (grit-PE). Besides, there is a lack of theoretical explanation of the mechanism between grit and engagement. The adaptation of negotiable fate seeks to provide one of the pathways of how grit would be associated with student engagement. To examine these hypotheses, the present study recruited 339 undergraduate students from two universities in Hong Kong to participate in an online survey. The results showed that grit, grit-PE, and negotiable fate positively correlate with student engagement, but the path of grit-CI did not reveal any significant results. After accounting for the mediating effect of negotiable fate, grit-PE still positively correlates with student engagement, suggesting a partial mediation model. This study provides empirical evidence that grit positively predicts student engagement with the mediation of negotiable fate. However, only grit-PE was positively associated with other variables, while grit-CI did not reveal any significant predictions. The present study (1) extends the understanding of the mechanism between grit and student engagement and (2) explores the mediating role of negotiable fate in this relationship in the higher education context. Theoretical and practical implications of this mediation model among grit, negotiable fate, and student engagement were discussed. Copyright © 2023 SAGE Publications.

Emotional intelligence (EI) is foundational to students’ success in the university. However, past studies on EI in the higher education context have mostly focused on how EI is related to academic achievement neglecting student engagement and other learning-related outcomes (e.g., generic outcomes). In this study, we examined whether and how individual differences in EI influence students’ learning, engagement, and achievement during their first year at university. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used to garner both quantitative and qualitative insights. We recruited and followed up with 560 first-year students in Hong Kong. The quantitative findings revealed a strong EI gradient with more emotionally intelligent students having higher levels of learning, engagement, and achievement. Qualitative findings corroborated the quantitative results and further showed that emotionally intelligent students are goal-directed, assertive, and self-regulated. Taken together, this study sheds light on the importance of EI for the optimal functioning of first year university students. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed. Copyright © 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Hong Kong is moving towards a knowledge-based economy. In order to nurture and motivate a population to continuously achieve world-class success, Hong Kong‟s education system has been reformed extensively since 1997, with a balanced focus on academic and practical learning. Generic forms of learning outcomes are critical to allow students to demonstrate high flexibility and adaptability in response to ever-changing challenges in the future. By using two well-validated instruments which measure students‟ achievement of generic learning outcomes and their engagement in schools, the cultural literacy and student engagement scales, this study aims to assess the development of generic learning outcomes of Hong Kong senior secondary school students, the extent to which students are well-equipped with the skills to succeed in a knowledge-based economy. The results of a survey study of 1,715 students inferred that their performances were not up to standard and questioned in particular the success of the New Senior Secondary (NSS) school curriculum. A regression model further suggested that these generic learning outcomes could largely be explained by how schools plan and facilitate students‟ learning inside and outside the classroom. It is argued that the primary role of NSS schools should focus to provide students with meaningful and useful learning experiences so as to achieve the curriculum goal of fostering their generic learning. This paper will contribute to the discussion of how to better support the NSS curriculum reform in Hong Kong. Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). All Rights Reserved.

The role of emotions in student engagement has been examined in many studies. However, little is known about how emotional intelligence (EI) is related to engagement and other key learning outcomes in higher education. To fill this gap, this study examined how EI is associated with student engagement and how EI and engagement jointly predict key learning outcomes in higher education, including the students’ GPA, generic outcomes, and satisfaction with the university experience. The study adopted a prospective longitudinal design involving 560 first-year students from 10 faculties of a university in Hong Kong. The data were collected at two-time points, namely before the start and after the end of the students’ first year in the university. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the measurement and hypothesized models. Results indicated that EI positively predicted all dimensions of student engagement and promoted key learning outcomes (including GPA, generic learning outcomes, and students’ satisfaction with the university) via the different dimensions of student engagement. The model also explained 16%, 44%, and 38% of the students’ GPA, generic learning outcomes, and satisfaction with their university experience, respectively. This study provides empirical evidence on the positive effect of EI on the students’ optimal functioning in the higher education context. Implications of the findings are discussed. Copyright © 2020 Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada, Lisboa and Springer Nature B.V.

Student engagement is recognised as a key process that can assist students’ learning. This paper reports a study in which three variables were examined to assess their potential in creating engaging and participative classrooms. The focus was on ‘teacher engagement in the community’, ‘teacher engagement in school’ and ‘teachers’ teaching confidence’ and their impact on the way teachers perceive their classrooms. Data was drawn from the International Civics and Citizenship Study, and the views of over 1400 teachers in 90 Hong Kong schools were analysed. The results of the study showed that teacher engagement is an important construct that directly supports teachers’ positive descriptions of their classroom activities. At the same time, teacher engagement also influenced teachers’ confidence in their teaching which in turn influenced the positive descriptions of their usual classroom activities. The theoretical foundations of these results are discussed as well as the implications for teachers’ professional lives, for policymakers concerned with enhancing teacher quality and for school leaders with responsibility for teacher professional development.

Classroom research suggests teachers can use instructional (cognitive, organizational, and procedural) choices to support student autonomy and promote their engagement in schools. Guided by self-determination theory, this study examined the relationships among these three instructional choices and students' engagement in secondary physical education. Participants were 92 middle school (64 boys, 28 girls; M age = 13.94 years, SD = 0.87) and 83 high school students (29 boys, 54 girls; M age = 17.76 years, SD = 0.94) enrolled in physical education classes at six schools in Hong Kong. They responded to previously established questionnaires on 5-point scales. Results of the study revealed cognitive, organizational, and procedural choices emerged as differential predictors of student engagement in physical education for middle and high school students. Teachers should be aware of this finding while providing students instructional choices in physical education.
[Copyright © ACESS, Asian Council of Exercise & Sports Science].