This study adopted a pre- and post-intervention design to develop and investigate the efficacy of the social inclusion intervention for pre-schoolers with social communication deficit (SCD). It is based on the operant conditioning theory to promote peer acceptance and positive attitude towards children with SCD for their friendship formation in inclusive preschool settings. The participants were 128 pre-schoolers aged from 3 years 9 months to 6 years 11 months old (Mean age = 4 years 9 months) in Hong Kong. There were 54 children with SCD and 74 without SCD with 71 boys and 57 girls. A quasi-experimental research design was conducted, and quantitative data analysis methods were applied. The data were analyzed using a mixed measures ANOVA, followed by two-way ANOVA and independent samples t test or pair samples t test for further analysis. By comparing the sociometric, observation, and questionnaire data before and after the social inclusion intervention, the changes in the sociometric status, interaction frequency, and questionnaire scores of the participants were analyzed. The results indicated a significant increase in popularity and decrease in peer rejection for social acceptance level (SAL) and gain in mutual friendships (MF), F (1, 124) = 4.74, p < .05, ηp² = .04, for all children (both SCD and non-SCD) in the experimental class. No significant differences were found in the Mutual Social Interaction (MSI) and Social Inclusion Status (SIST) scores for all children in the experimental and control class, ps > .05. The performance across the diagnostic types (SCD versus non-SCD ) were further compared. The results in the SCD group revealed a statistically significant gain in the production of SAL and MF, F (1, 124) = 5.08, p < .05, ηp² = .04, and no statistically significant differences in MSI and SIST, ps > .05. The key findings suggested that the novel intervention in the current study is effective to enhance children’s social acceptance level and friendship formation

Numerous studies have shown that the Philosophy for Children (P4C) programme can promote the development of critical thinking. Meanwhile, it is arguable that the emphasis of Confucianism on creating a hierarchical and harmonious society can easily lead to submission rather than opposition, producing a conformist rather than a critical mind. A question arises here as to whether Confucianism tends to denigrate criticism and thus hinder the development of critical thinking through P4C in Hong Kong. In this chapter, I first argue that Confucianism still has a profound influence on the Chinese in the modern world. I then examine the connection between Confucianism and criticism, focusing on how Confucianism is critical. Finally, I report the results of the first systematic study that assesses the effectiveness of P4C in promoting children’s critical thinking in Hong Kong. Copyright © 2020 selection and editorial matter, Chi-Ming Lam; individual chapters, the contributors.

The term critical thinking has received much attention over the past few decades in both Western and Eastern countries and regions. From 1990s onwards, the Hong Kong educational authority undertook a series of educational reforms in order to encourage a new generation in critical thinking. In the New Senior Secondary curriculum – which commenced in 2009 - Liberal Studies is one of the core subjects in which the aim is to promote critical thinking among senior high school students. Despite this intention, there is no clear definition of what critical thinking is. The purpose of this study was to investigate teacher and student conceptions of critical thinking in Liberal Studies; and the relationship between these two conceptions. Fourteen teachers teaching Form 5 (Year 11) Liberal Studies in four secondary schools in Hong Kong, along with their 480 Secondary 5 students, completed a questionnaire consisting of 40 definers of critical thinking, and one teacher and eight students from each school participated in interviews. The results indicated that both teachers and students emphasised the skills dimension of critical thinking; and explicit and implicit relationships between teacher and student conceptions of critical thinking were found. The results have important implications for teacher education, as well as the successful implementation of Liberal Studies as a subject in the Senior Secondary Curriculum. All rights reserved.

In Hong Kong children aged 4-6 years old are taught Chinese characters writing in local preschools. Non-Chinese speaking (NCS) preschool children are affected by the differences between their mother language and Chinese when they are given similar Chinese writing exercises in the preschools. This study aimed to investigate how Chinese preschool teachers taught Chinese characters writing in local preschools and how NCS preschool children learnt to write Chinese characters in an authentic classroom. Three parts of ‘Object of Learning’ were employed in this phenomenographic study. The first part was ‘Intended Object of Learning’, in which data were collected through semi-structured interviews with participating teachers. It aimed to study the teachers’ understanding of the teaching of character writing to the preschool children. The second part was ‘Enacted Object of Learning’, whose data were recorded by the researcher about how the teachers implemented their character writing activities in the class. The third part, ‘Lived Object of Learning’ concerned how the NCS children, who were 5 to 6 years old, performed after they had experienced the character writing activities. This study investigated the mentioned experiences of teachers and NCS children of upper level in 3 local preschools. A total of 4 preschool teachers and 12 NCS preschool children participated in this present study. The time period was twice a week, especially during their daily Chinese character writing demonstration times, for twelve consecutive weeks. The researcher used various methods to collect data, including video- and audiotaping, field notes, photographic documentation, collection of lesson plans and interviews. The findings were compiled using ‘Categories of Descriptions’, which reflected the preschool teachers‟ and NCS preschool children’s ways of seeing Chinese characters writing in their daily classroom experiences. In the first part of the findings five teachers’ conceptions from their understanding

Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, this study aims to examine the relationship between the personal, communal, environmental, and transcendental domains of spiritual well-being of university students in Hong Kong and their academic performance measured by Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA). The study is guided by two research questions. Research Question One: What are the relationships between university students’ spiritual well-being and their academic performance as measured by CGPA?Research Question Two: If there are any relationships between university students’ spiritual well-being and their academic performance, how are the background demographic variables, including major discipline, family socio-economic status and religious beliefs related to spiritual well-being and academic performance?The quantitative part of the study consists of a survey that collects data from a random sample of 1,130 Year 2 and Year 3 students from three universities in Hong Kong. The questionnaire used is adapted from the Spiritual Health And Life-Orientation Measure (SHALOM) developed by John Fisher. The quantitative findings indicate a moderate positive relationship between the spiritual well-being of the respondents and their academic performance; the results also demonstrate that students’ academic performance corresponds with their levels of spiritual well-being. The qualitative part of the study is comprised of 11 focus group discussions. The findings of this support the quantitative findings and contribute to the exploration of the background variables that mediate the abovementioned positive relationship. The study also involves data triangulation.The findings suggest that the resulting positive relationship can be explained by three demographic features, namely, family social-economic status, major disciplines, and religious beliefs. Thus, these demographic features are used to delineate and analyze the positive relationship and the various patterns of the relationship

自 2000 年課程改革以來，教育局提倡幫助學生達至全人發展的目標和發展終身學習的能力，以「全方位學習」的概念，鼓勵把學習空間從課室拓展到其他環境，推展一系列的「體驗式學習」，「其他學習經歷」便是以此理念推行的一個高中課程組成部份，約佔總課時百分之十至十五。體驗式學習並不是新猷，是世界各地教育的主要教學模式之一。有別於正規課堂學習，體驗式學習着重利用多樣化的環境和社區資源，配合時、地、人各方面所組成的學習情境，達至一個「體驗式學習循環」，需包括具體體驗(Concrete experience)、觀察及反省(Observation & reflection)、總結體驗(Forming abstract concepts)及實踐應用(Testing in new situations)。由於體驗式學習需要不同的資源投入，校本情況不一。為使每一位學生尤其是基層學生得到公平的學習機會，「大教育平台」積極為中學提供體驗式學習活動並有意檢討體驗式學習在香港推行的成效。香港政策研究所教育政策研究中心得到大教育平台資助，於 2017 年 7 月至 2018年 9 月期間，邀請全港五間中學作一年的追蹤研究，研究分別以問卷調查及學生訪談形式進行。問卷調查利用教育局的情意及社交表現評估套件(第二版)，加上企業精神、STEM 技能、人文價值的 APASO+問卷，及活動檢討問卷，分別於 2016/17 學年末及2017/18 學年初收集，共收到 414 個有效回應，了解學生在情意及社交表現的變化。學生訪談以小組及個人形式進行，深入探討學生對「體驗式學習」的感受及意見。Since the curriculum reform in 2000, the Education Bureau has been advocating to help student achieve whole-person development and lifelong learning. The concept of Life-wide learning encourages the extension of learning from the classroom to social environment through a series of experiential learning, Other Learning Experience (OLE) in the senior secondary curriculum, which accounts for 10-15% of total class hours, is one of the examples. Experiential learning is not a recent term, but one of the major teaching models in the world. Apart from formal learning in the classroom, experiential learning emphasizes using diversified environment and community resources to reach an experiential learning circle, including concrete experience, observation and reflection, concluding abstract concept and practical application. As experiential learning requires different resources input and school-based situations are varied, Big Education Platform, which actively provides experiential learning for secondary schools in Hong Kong, has the aim to review the effectiveness of these activities, on the participating students. Hong Kong Policy Research Institute was funded by Big Education Platform to conduct an impact study in five secondary schools, including a questionnaires survey and student focus group discussion

本文旨在探討香港新高中通識教育科的校本課程由誰來決定。本研究在2010年的暑假進行，透過半結構性的訪談以探索不同中學發展通識課程所採取的策略。研究者發現校長在通識科的課程決策上佔主導地位，通識科主任才是正真的課程領導，而科任教師多扮演追隨者的角色。 This paper aims to explore the position of different stakeholders in the development of the New Senior Secondary curriculum of Liberal Studies. This research was conducted in the summer of 2010 to investigate the curriculum development strategies used by different schools. It is found that subject panel heads are the authentic curriculum leaders even though school principal is the core person who makes the final curriculum decisions in school. Teachers prefer to act as the followers and often play passive roles. Copyright © 2011 華東師範大學.

Web 3.0時代帶來了幼兒園教師培養與培訓方式的變革。本文對香港大學教育學院基於魔燈（Moodle）2.0平台構建的PBL²課程模式作了較詳細介紹，並剖析了這一課程模式所蘊含的幼兒園教師培養與培訓的變革意義。這一課程模式對內地開展幼兒園教師培訓有一定借鑒意義。 The Web 3.0 era has brought up with many revolutions in early childhood teacher education. This article aims to introduce the Moodle-based PBL2 Model used by Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong and analyzes its significance for early childhood teachers’ cultivation and training. This model also has its educational implication for the reform of teacher training in Mainland China. Copyright © 2014 浙江教育報刊社.