Based on the results obtained from a survey of "Young Post" readers, the author explores students' English learning experiences and perceptions, and suggests how teachers may arouse students' interest.

*The paper reports that the scores obtained in standard school tests of English usage by 207 technical school students aged 17-25 years old are related to global self-esteem, the evaluative aspect of self-concept, and the eight Chinese person-perception dimensions (the descriptive component of self-concept).

The author points out in the paper the followings: drawings by children of different races and culture show similarities in representations of similar objects. Yet, after seven years of age, the drawings of a European child show subject realism and their representations are mental pictures; the Chinese child's drawings are remarkable not only for their realism, but also for the sense of relations between parts. To the author, the two types of experiences are due to their different training in perception.

Importing a Western curriculum to another culture is contentious. Through a content analysis of guidance materials in selected primary schools, the authors explore the appropriateness of adopting a Western guidance curriculum in Hong Kong. Using a multi-dimensional framework derived from Lawton's (1973) model of curriculum development, they report the sociological contextual features of the materials and present a content analysis to develop an understanding of the different approaches to psychology embodied in the curriculum. Three forms of the same Western guidance curriculum, as used in three Hong Kong primary schools, are analysed to illustrate how Western notions of 'self' do not fit within an 'East meets West' context such as Hong Kong.
They argue that because of the 'East meets West' context of Hong Kong, there is a need to develop a 'hybrid' guidance curriculum that draws on a psychology guided by an understanding of the 'hybrid self', and that reflects the social and psychological contexts of Hong Kong. Implications of the findings for countries with Confucian heritages are discussed.
[Copyright of Journal of Educational Enquiry is the property of University of South Australia, Centre for Research in Education, Equity and Work.
Access via Open Journal Systems: http://www.ojs.unisa.edu.au/index.php/EDEQ]

Mentoring as a time-honored and effective mode of training and teaching is briefly reviewed, highlighting the valuing of the mentoring relationship in educating gifted and talented youths in Chinese history. The current development of mentorship programs for gifted students at the Chinese University of Hong Kong is explained with examples from the search for potential mentors within the university community, and the development and operation of the mentorship program of Chinese creative writings for Hong Kong students. Future directions in the development of mentorship programs for gifted students using reformation technology and peer mentors in double mentoring are discussed, and a model of three levels of mentoring encompassing telementoring, double mentoring, and one-to-one mentoring is suggested.
[Copyright of Roeper Review is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02783190009554072]

This is an exploratory study of junior secondary school students' views of geography in Hong Kong. Twelve Secondary 1 and Secondary 3 students from six schools were interviewed to reveal what they think geography is. It is found that the impact of the school geography curriculum on students' views of the subject was evidenced in students' responses to the question, 'What is geography?'. Students generally held a narrow view of geography and viewed the subject in terms of terminology, topical areas and content covered in geography lessons and what they did in geography classes, such as going on field trips and map reading. Compared with S1 students, S3 students viewed geography as a subject of a wider scope and in their responses they mentioned more topical areas and more geographical issues. However, very few students held the view that geography is a study of spatial patterns. This suggests that teachers may need to strengthen the teaching of key geographical concepts.
[Copyright of International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10382040308667533]

Over 300 Foreign (non Hong Kong) universities deliver undergraduate degree programs in Hong Kong either on campus in that city or via distance education (or both). Although this topic has been studied from a variety of perspectives, the issue of why Hong Kong students might switch from one locally provided foreign university program to another has not been researched despite evidence of it being common. The current research found that students switched to another university if it offered a wider range of course delivery modes, if they could fast track their degree and if they were failing at the existing university. Increasingly, to be successful in competitive markets such as Hong Kong, foreign universities need to deliver their programs in a wide variety of modes, provide high levels of administrative and academic support, and ensure that they assist their students as much as possible. If they do not, students are likely to move to another provider. These findings have complex and far-reaching delivery ramifications for foreign universities wishing to survive in competitive markets such as Hong Kong--and elsewhere--where there is a high degree of competition amongst universities and a stressed economic situation which could force students to adopt quite ruthless consumer behaviour in regards to their university provider.
[Copyright of Journal of Marketing for Higher Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J050v15n01_02]

Objective: The mental health of tertiary education students is an area of increasing concern worldwide. The objective of this study is to examine the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress in first-year tertiary education students in Hong Kong.
Method: Depression, anxiety and stress were measured by the 42-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, completed on the web by participating students anonymously. Results: A total of 7915 students completed the survey, yielding a response rate of 27.5%. Depression, anxiety and stress levels of moderate severity or above were found in 21%, 41% and 27% of our respondents, respectively.
Conclusions: The web-based survey methodology was well accepted by our sample group of tertiary education students. We found high rates of psychological morbidity in first-year tertiary education students in Hong Kong. The high prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms in the first year of college life is alarming. It illustrates the need for primary and secondary prevention measures, with development of adequate and appropriate support services for this group.
[Copyright of Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry is the property of Informa Healthcare . Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1614.2006.01883.x]