This paper reports on a study that explored how teachers interacted with groups of university students in learning the target form in a second language. Adopting a sociocultural approach, the data were based on microgenetic analysis of teacher and student discourse in a English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom at a university in Hong Kong, in which undergraduate students were given a rewriting task in teacher–student interaction. The analysis shows that scaffolding is supportive for language learning as appropriate assistance by both the teacher and peers at the right time with the proper focus can mediate learning. The teacher is reported to maintain student involvement in the task by trying to reinforce the comprehension of task demands, contextual meaning, and linguistic features in texts. The study addresses the teacher's and learners' indispensable roles in leading students to focus on the appropriate form and ensure correctness in linguistic production. The combination of appropriate expert and peer involvement in the discourse seems to provide the optimum form of interaction and, therefore, ensure the high quality of mediation in second language classroom.
[Copyright of Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2011.626858]

To examine the key factors that lead to effective implementation of school-wide behavior interventions, this study examined the extent to which school-wide behavior interventions were implemented in four Hong Kong schools. The study also explored Hong Kong teachers' beliefs about behavioral and social skill programs for secondary students with social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties. Findings indicated that the adoption of behavioral and social skill programs were common practices in schools and that the majority of participants in the present study believed that behavioral and social skill programs should be implemented in schools at an early stage. Furthermore, findings suggested that it is important to consider the interrelationship of professional, strategic, contextual, and attitudinal factors that support students' social competence and minimize their challenging behavior.
[Copyright of International Journal of Special Education is the property of Hindawi Publishing Corporation.
Access via Directory of Open Access Journals: http://www.internationaljournalofspecialeducation.com/]

This study examines the association between teachers' preferred interpersonal behaviour in teaching and their thinking styles. A sample of 131 secondary teachers from Hong Kong (n = 94) and Macau (n = 37) participated in a survey to measure their preferred interpersonal behaviour by the questionnaire for teacher interaction (QTI) and their thinking styles by the thinking style inventory-revised (TSI-R). Results indicated that teachers in both regions preferred to employ student-centred interpersonal behaviour (leadership, helpful and friendly, understanding and freedom teaching styles) in the classroom teaching. Teachers' thinking styles were related to their preferred interpersonal teaching styles. Specific relationships were found between the types of thinking styles and their preferred teacher interpersonal behaviour among Hong Kong and Macau teachers.
[Copyright of Educational Psychology is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2010.548116]