This paper critically examines parents’ and service providers’ reception of the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme (PEVS), which was designed to enhance the quality of early childhood education in Hong Kong. The PEVS was a universal voucher policy that was designed to harness market forces and increase direct governmental control of quality in a private education market wherein pre-academic training and competition are emphasized. This paper presents the results of a survey of 413 parents and 215 service providers. Findings indicated that despite the government’s efforts in promoting quality as ‘child-centeredness’ and the efforts of preschools in meeting the quality standards, parents remained relatively neutral about the policy's influence on preschool quality. However, all parents appreciated the financial benefits they accrued from the PEVS, and more socially-advantaged families allocated the additional disposable income on extra educational activities and programs for their children. Findings suggest the implementation of the PEVS in a fully private market might unexpectedly exacerbate inequity in educational opportunities. The enrolment size of the preschool was also found to be a determinant of respondents’ views of the PEVS. We argue the government’s idea of ‘joyful learning’ may be even harder to achieve with the current means of service governance.
[Copyright of Journal of Education Policy is the property of Routledge.]

The Hong Kong Secondary Education system moved from the traditional “5 + 2 + 3” system to a new “3 + 3 + 4” structure in 2012 with emphasis on whole-person development. Under the new reform, students are required to undertake a block of new general education (GE) subjects apart from their disciplinary-specific education in their university curriculum. While prior studies mainly investigated the reform of GE and curriculum design, empirical studies on the perceived benefits of GE are sparse. The current study primarily aims to investigate the impact of GE on the generic skills of university students. A survey of 424 undergraduate students enrolled in a self-financing programme in four higher educational institutions in Hong Kong was conducted. The perceived benefits of GE were measured by seven variables, including communication, critical thinking and problem solving, team-work, leadership, lifelong learning and information management skills, ethics, and professional moral knowledge. This study can contribute to the understanding of the interrelationship between GE and the development of generic skills. Results will provide a guideline for educators and management when planning, developing, designing, and reviewing the general education curriculum.
[Copyright of Asia Pacific Journal of Education is the property of Routledge.]

Although teachers’ attitudes and beliefs are linked to their practice, many argue in social foundations and multicultural education that student-teachers are resistant to changing their attitudes about education’s role in society. Researchers have contended that student-teachers engage in a variety of strategies to maintain attitudes gained through their personal experiences as students, which casts education as key to increasing social mobility and meritocracy in society. This article explores the case of one instructor in teacher education and educational foundations in Hong Kong. Findings from pre- and post-course surveys and online forum writings from students are used to share how student-teachers’ attitudes changed regarding equality and the role of education during the course. The study suggests that the use of a social-constructivist pedagogy that enables student-teachers to learn from their peers’ diverse experiences and professional circumstances can meaningfully impact student-teacher attitudes, and assist new teachers in better understanding education’s role in society. Copyright © 2015 Common Ground, Liz Jackson, All Rights Reserved.

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the strategic role of world-class universities and the international academic profession in the regionalisation project of China's Greater Bay Area (GBA). It illustrates the way in which the case of the GBA regionalisation project offers a potentially rich empirical example for adding contextual understanding to the literature of the Triple Helix model, which largely draws on inductive theorising from western successful innovation cases. The GBA regionalisation processes will provide a wealth of empirical cases for identifying circumstances that address tensions and increase interactions in the Triple Helix relationship of university, government and industry for fostering knowledge synergies.Design/methodology/approach: Focusing on the case of Hong Kong, it engages in policy and stakeholder analysis and addresses three key research questions: What are the competitive advantages and potential strategic role of Hong Kong's universities and academic profession in the regionalisation of innovation systems in the GBA? What is the role of the governments in the regionalisation processes? What are the expected opportunities and challenges offered by the GBA policy initiatives for the future development of Hong Kong's universities and academic profession?Findings: Hong Kong, given its status as an international finance centre and global city with intense internationalisation and established judicial system operated by the rule of law, will contribute to the GBA development by leveraging on its edge in scientific research and development and international networks of academic research through the world-class academic profession. Scientists and researchers in the city, possessing the competitive advantages of basic research and international partnerships, are highly regarded by the central government. The engagement of Hong Kong's scientific talents, can play an important role in achieving China's aspiration of becoming a global technology power.Research

This study was performed to explore how a nationally renowned Chinese principal managed a new reformed school based on a unique public-private partnership (PPP). The investigation was focused on how the principal interacted with key stakeholders and managed the ongoing development of this new school. School M is a unique example of PPP in education, in that it has the status and receives the associated benefits of a public school, but is managed by an entrusted philanthropic educational foundation. The school is co-sponsored and operated as a joint partnership between the local education authority and a prestigious private company. The data collection involved semi-structured interviews with 20 informants (four school leaders, six teachers, two private managers, four governmental officials and four parents), representing the main stakeholders of the school. Data were also collected through participant observation, reflective field notes and archival research at the school. Qualitative and interpretive case analysis was used as the research framework. The data were analyzed using analytical codes and thematic clustering. The results of the study highlighted the complexity of the PPP in School M. During the six-years of the principalship, the partnership brought both leadership opportunities and challenges. These were sorted into five categories: institutional innovation, goal planning, resource allocation, principal appointment and flat management structure. A discussion is provided on the different roles of the stakeholders, namely the government, the private company, vice-principals, middle leaders, teachers, and parents. The results also revealed the broad range of leadership strategies used by the principal to respond to multiple accountabilities. In the conclusions section, recommendations are made for further studies on leadership in a broader socio-cultural context, and the implications are discussed for theory, practice and policy. All rights reserved.

Policies of career education facilitate the sustainable development of young people in aspirations, identities and pathways of their career development in senior secondary education. In Hong Kong, the policy has been implemented in public schools since 2014. Principals are responsible for leading a whole-school participation in career education for all students. However, student population of individual schools is more diverse than where they were due to a large number of immigrants from different parts of mainland China and other Asian societies. Many principals have experienced the challenges of increasing diversity in schools, if not any opportunity. This paper aims to explore principal leadership for whole-school participation in student career development. Two research questions are asked: What are the challenges of whole-school participation facing the principals in diverse contexts of individual schools? To what extent do students with different cultural, religious and social backgrounds experience the importance of career development in senior secondary education? We adopted a case study of three secondary schools located in different school districts in Hong Kong. The principals were invited to individual semi-structured interview, while 4 to 7 students from each grade of senior secondary education were invited to a focus-group interview in each school. The findings unveil discrepancy of the expected outcomes of the education between the principals’ experiences of the challenges from a leadership perspective and the students’ experiences of any opportunity for their career development from a user perspective. Potential for positive change through the participation in CLP education varies depending on individual students’ awareness, aspiration and exploration of personal career goal. Implications of principal leadership for whole-school participation in career education in relation to equal opportunity for all students are also discussed. Copyright © 2019 UCEA