English learning is pervasive in Hong Kong kindergartens. Hong Kong children start to learn English as a school subject as early as three years old. However, the practices are diverse and there is a lack of understanding in current practices of English language teaching and its impacts on early literacy outcomes. The present paper will report the development of an observational system for English teaching in the Hong Kong classroom. The system developed by the researchers focused on evaluating the amount of code-based and meaning-based instruction provided to Hong Kong Chinese ESL children and the pedagogical strategies teachers employ in the classroom. Around 30 English lessons from 13 kindergartens located in various geographical districts in Hong Kong were coded using the observation system. The coding results provide information regarding the current practices adopted by Hong Kong kindergartens. School characteristics (e.g. SES, teachers’ qualification, teachers’ nationality) and the pedagogy and teaching content of English language teaching will be discussed. Preliminary findings of the impacts of teaching content on language and literacy skills of around 300 children from the 13 kindergartens will be presented.

漢字的認讀和害寫是閱讀和寫作的前提，故漢字教學是語文教學的基礎。學生通過漢字識字和寫字的學習，豐富了識字量，為間讀奠基，成為掌握知識、學習的基本知能。識字是對字的形、音、義的掌握，漢字是單音獨體的方塊字，往往是一字一義、一字多音，同音字多、筆劃字形不能透露讀音等等，構成漢字學習的繁難，識字成為小學語文教學首先要解決的一個難題。 香港課程發展議會編訂的《香港小學中國語文建議學習重點﹝試用﹞》﹝2008﹞，是香港教育統籌局的語文教育指導文件之一，其中列出漢字的形音義是語文學習基礎知識的學習重點，包括了漢字的筆劃、筆順、字形間架結構、偏旁、部件、漢語音節的組成、造字法、同音字等等，這成為香港小學語文教科書構思的重要依據。教科書是學生學習的媒介，其創設的條件和環境，對教師的「教」和學生 的「學」皆有極大影響。 本研究以香港三套較通行的小學中國語文教科書為觀察對象，以文本分析法，比較三套教科書中有關識字教材的選擇、重點、識字類型、編列次序、指導策略等，以期釐清識字教學的概念，提升識字教學的素質。研究成果除有助教材編撰者日後教材的編寫外，面對重視學生主體性，積極發展校本課程的當下教育界，這個研究有助教師建構校本課程的參考。 研究發現香港教科書的識字教學設計，主要是隨文分散識字，有知識和能力並重的意識，並有集中識字的安排，但採用的組織方式不同，例如有特設識字單元的，也有在不同單元都加有識字欄目。集中識字的策略也各有偏重，識字重點方面，有識字和寫字並重，有只重視字詞的認讀，而忽略字形的書寫指導，又或寫字指導系統不完備，序列與學生的認知心理有矛盾。

This study examines the impact of a revised one-week training course on teacher self-efficacy in terms of improving teaching and learning strategies and classroom management to support students with special educational needs (SEN) in ordinary schools in Hong Kong. Various teacher-related variables (i.e., level of prior training in special education, confidence in teaching students with SEN, knowledge of legislation and policies, years of teaching, teaching experience with students with SEN, gender, and school type) are analyzed among 347 regular primary and secondary teachers. Teacher confidence and school type are determined to be significant predictors for the self-efficacy of teachers in inclusive education.
[Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.]

Enormous variation exists among nations and regions in their inclusive education provisions. In addition to comparisons based on policy documents and figures, in-depth and contextually grounded comparative studies involving qualitative data based on stakeholder’ experiences are needed, especially between western and Asian regions or nations where socio-economic and cultural contexts vary greatly. This article examined and compared how the conceptualization of inclusive education and elements that affected school leaders’ decisions to participate in inclusive education in Guam and Hong Kong where vastly different socio-economic and cultural contexts were present. An interpretive qualitative approach of interviewing school leaders was adopted to permit an in-depth understanding of these contexts. Findings revealed that the legislation-based versus the cultural heritage of Confucianism and the geographical location versus the elite education system of Guam and Hong Kong were key contexts affecting conceptualizations and challenges in the two regions. Large scale cross-national qualitative studies are called for to examine contextual factors from other key stakeholders, to give meaning to statistical figures and policy documents, and to offer more meaningful interpretation of the relationship between national contexts and inclusive education provisions.
[Copyright © 2017 Whole Schooling Press.]

面對有限的政府資金投入、民眾不斷增長的高等教育需求及建立世界一流大學的願景與對有效治理的需求，高等教育的擴張、私有化、資金來源多樣化及公共問責成為無可回避的趨勢。香港政府通過教育資助委員會來負責本地高等教育院校的發展及經費，避免政府過度干涉學校內務，並平衡政府與學校間的關系。通過審閱高等教育機構遞交的自主評估報告及政府推行的一系列質素評估檢驗，香港政府的角色主要體現為調整者而非直接管控者。
[Copyright © 2016 中國高等教育學會.]

The roles of principal leadership in change management have long been documented. The key concern to examine in this study was the dilemmas and measures confronting principals’ when they led changes to instigate inclusive education in Hong Kong. Thus, this paper aims to report sources of dilemmas and how principals tackled them in the change process. Ten principals of schools recognized for effective inclusive education practices were interviewed in a qualitative study. Findings suggested that the process of leading change was very complex. Two dilemmas were identified: (a) principals’ struggles between benefits and issues of participating in inclusive education and (b) autocratic initial decisions versus need for staff involvement. The second dilemma stemmed from not involving key staff while the implementation required their active participation. Thus, the existing organizational culture and personnel capacities became obstacles required for the success of inclusive education. The leadership measures to tackle the obstacles began by building a shared vision which in turn required both transactional and transformational leadership activities in order to increase teacher commitment to reforms. This study has contributed to change leadership theories in affirming the need to include socio-political contexts in examining leadership decisions toward school reforms.
[Copyright © 2017 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.]

Children's understanding of the concepts of teaching and learning is closely associated with their theory of mind (ToM) ability and vital for school readiness. This study aimed to develop and validate a Preschool Teaching and Learning Comprehension Index (PTLCI) across cultures and examine the causal relationship between children's comprehension of teaching and learning and their mental state understanding. Two hundred and twelve children from 3 to 6 years of age from Hong Kong and the United States participated in study. The results suggested strong construct validity of the PTLCI, and its measurement and structural equivalence within and across cultures. ToM and PTLCI were significantly correlated with a medium effect size, even after controlling for age, and language ability. Hong Kong children outperformed their American counterparts in both ToM and PTLCI. Competing structural equation models suggested that children's performance on the PTLCI causally predicted their ToM across countries.
[Copyright © 2017 Wang, Wang and Chui.]

This paper explores the elements of technology leadership practice in a technology-rich kindergarten in Hong Kong. The centre head of this technology-rich kindergarten, who keens on promoting technology use, has been selected for this study. The center head and three teachers voluntarily participated in an in-depth semi-structured interview, and observations have also been operated during class activities for further confirmation. Findings show that centre head applied strategies that empowered teachers to design creative interactive activities with digital devices for teaching and learning purposes, collaborate with parents through the use of social networking system, and use new technologies in team supporting system. Six key elements are revealed from this technology-rich kindergarten, they are network learning culture development, resources enrichment, leadership empowerment, vision settlement, target achievement, and team enhancement.
[Copyright © 2012, Infonomics Society.]