In response to public concerns over the declining language (English) and (Chinese) standards of students and teachers, and the demands to raise the quality of language teaching, the Education Commission, in 1995, published its sixth report (ECR6) in which it proposed, among other things, a system in which all teachers in Hong Kong would need to acquire benchmark qualifications in order to enter or continue in the profession. The proposal received very mixed feelings from different sections of the community. This paper will look into the socio-political context in which the policy was proposed, alongside the factors which are linked to general policy analysis concepts like human capital theory, social reproduction theory and equality opportunity theory. The paper will end on a discussion on how this policy proposal can achieve what it set out for itself.

Several leadership approaches have been advocated as effective ways of bringing about substantial changes in practices. “Instructional” or “transactional leadership” describes the qualities of a leader who provides the vision and impetus for change. In contrast, “transformational leadership” refers to those whose approach is more consistent with evolving trends in educational reform such as empowerment, distributed leadership, and co-construction of learning. Hong Kong has launched a variety of education reforms that focus on quality of learning and teaching. While there has been a general recognition of the importance of teacher leadership few efforts have been made to identify and promote specific approaches to teacher leadership designed to bring about desired improvements at the early childhood stage. The present study examines how teacher leaders conceive their role within current school leadership models. In this study kindergarten/preschool teachers of the senior management team were asked to complete a questionnaire concerning various aspects of leadership. Factor analysis, however, was unable to replicate the clear patterns found in Western countries which broadly differentiated between transactional and transformational styles of leadership. Instead a mix of styles was more often reported. A number of possible explanations for this finding are considered and some implications for policy makers wishing to transform kindergarten education in Hong Kong are put forward.
[Copyright © 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York.]

This paper will report how practicing teachers implement an interdisciplinary curriculum in Hong Kong classrooms. General Studies, as an interdisciplinary subject first developed for primary curriculum, has essential contribution to enhance meaningful learning relevant to daily experiences and develop pupils' high order thinking skills. Thus, the realization of the intended aims and objectives of this curriculum is of pivotal importance for the achievement of the overall aims of education for the 21st century. Through questionnaire survey, pre and post-lesson interviews and lesson observation, the researchers examine whether intended aims of the General Studis Curriculum have been achieved. Implications and suggestions will be discussed in relation to professional development of practicing teachers on integrated teaching.

This longitudinal study aimed to examine the role of a professional learning community (PLC) in changing teachers' beliefs and practices. Teachers of a Chinese department in a Hong Kong secondary school were interviewed and observed. The findings indicate that the features of a PLC-facilitating teacher change are development of a coherent structure, a collaborative culture, and effective learning activities. These help teachers to overcome initial difficulties and induce their motivation for transformation. Teacher change in five dimensions (curriculum, teaching, learning, roles of teachers, and learning to teach) and three patterns (change in practice but not in belief, change in belief but not in practice, change in practice and belief) were detected. It is argued that cultivating an effective PLC is significant to teacher development.
[Copyright of Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2014.928122]

This study explores the use of video reflective narratives. It reports on data derived from 28 in-service primary school teachers undertaking professional development to support small class (n = 25) teaching in Hong Kong. The findings serve to highlight that such professional development is fraught with confounds, for professional development works at the level of the individual, and is complex and interactive. Analysis of data derived from video reflective narratives suggests that such phenomenon may be explained by reference to a professional developmental learning model. Findings suggest that such interactions are predictable and accordingly, the effects of specific professional development programs can be monitored.
[Copyright of Teacher Development is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2012.730713]

This article reports on a qualitative study that explored the experiences of eight Hong Kong teachers of academic subjects who undertook a full-time, short-term professional development course (PDC) designed to provide them with specialized knowledge and classroom skills required to teach content subjects through the English medium. Using a theoretical framework for understanding teacher identity, the study examined how these eight teachers believed the experiences of a short-term PDC shaped their ongoing identity construction, particularly upon completion of the course and subsequent return to their respective schools. Based upon in-depth interviews with participants and using methods of discourse analysis, the results suggest that while participants believed the impact of the PDC in terms of their own classroom teaching was positive, they faced significant challenges in realizing their preferred identity positions within the context of their whole school communities. The response of some participants to these difficulties indicated that their PDC experiences may have contributed to the establishment of a rigid division between different types of teachers within schools and that relations of antagonism appeared to exist between these different teacher identities. Implications for overcoming such divisions for the design of PDCs and for future research are discussed.
[Copyright of Roeper Review is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2011.576262]