Inclusive education is one of the most important issues in education in Hong Kong, China. Because the role of teachers is critical to the success of inclusive education, this study investigated some of the elements that determine the success of implementing inclusive education. Teachers' perceived definition of inclusive education, the opportunities for teachers to receive training in inclusive education, and the attitude of teachers were examined through responses to questionnaires. The sample consisted of 51 primary school teachers from two schools participating in the 'New Funding Mode'. Results were analysed using content analysis and Chi-square tests. Implications of the findings are also discussed.
[Copyright of International Journal of Inclusive Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13603110902748947 ]

This article reports the move from paper-based marking (PBM) to onscreen marking (OSM) in Hong Kong for the subject Liberal Studies - whose objectives involve broadening students' horizons through critical examination of current issues. While currently a small candidature subject of approximately 3300, from 2009, the subject will become compulsory for all students in Hong Kong's senior secondary school curriculum with a candidature of 80,000. As marking of all public examinations in Hong Kong is migrating to OSM, the current study reports on a project with the entire 2009 Year 13 Liberal Studies marking panel (49 markers), as part of the OSM validation process. The study involved giving all markers both a pre-marking and a post-marking questionnaire to gauge markers' technological competence in and attitudes towards OSM. Results were positive in that markers generally rated themselves as technologically capable. With regard to attitudes towards the implementation of OSM, the outcomes of the post-marking questionnaire showed markers to be more positive than their pre-marking comments suggested. Nonetheless, they are still not happy about having to travel to special marking centres and the preference for PBM remains strong. The results of the study indicate that OSM is being accepted into marker psyche of what marking involves, an important step as OSM is adopted as the sole marking method for all subjects in Hong Kong from 2012 onwards.
[Copyright of Asia Pacific Journal of Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2010.495836]

This paper argues that the concepts, beliefs and understandings of local and non-local teacher educators in a Hong Kong university are grounded in their own cultural cognition and antecedents. It presents the viewpoint that contemporary notions of good practice were compromised when applied to a context that is strongly influenced by the tenets of Confucianism. Thus the conclusion is that the contingencies of teaching and learning contexts are sufficiently different to compromise the goal of having pre-constructed notions of good teaching. The alternative is that university tutors and future researchers re-conceptualise good teaching practices within a context that gives it meaning and purpose.
[Copyright of Journal of Education for Teaching is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2010.497395]

There has been a widespread belief that teachers in Asian contexts including Japan and China are well protected by a tradition that reveres teachers. However, in Chinese contexts, cultural traditions have been found to undermine the teaching profession, together with educational reforms and societal changes. This paper reports on an inquiry that explored the social censure of teachers, especially language teachers in Hong Kong. The inquiry took advantage of an Internet discussion concerning the 'falling' language standards, a widespread concern in the region. The analysis of the discussion revealed the high expectations that the public had for language teachers as well as the increasingly complex conditions for teachers' professional practices due to ongoing educational reforms and cultural changes. The Internet discussion also offers a unique opportunity to examine how the teaching profession was constructed in these discourses and provides insights into teachers' professional vulnerability in Hong Kong.
[Copyright of Research Papers in Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02671521003637146]

Counselling service is an indispensable component of primary schools. Primary school counsellors should be adequately trained so that they have the competencies to perform their professional responsibilities. This paper examines the model that is currently used by the Education Department to train primary school counsellors in Hong Kong. An alternative training model is proposed. The alternative model consists of theoretical and supervised practica training, as well as formal assessment at different stages resulting in the granting of a postgraduate diploma or degree in primary school counselling. The objectives, structure, and advantages of this proposed training model are discussed.
學生輔導服務是香港小學一個不可或缺的組成部分，從事小學輔導員亦必需具有足夠的專業訓練，令其有足夠的信心與能力，以實踐其對專業的責任與承擔。本文將首先檢視現行香港教育署用作訓練香港小學輔導員（輔導主任／老師）的課程結構與訓練模式，並以此作探討的基礎，進而提出另一個合乎二十一世紀所需要的輔導員訓練模式的建議。這模式除了重視輔導理念的學習及實習訓練的專業指導外，更提出了一個以形成性評估作為發展專業資格的進階方式，令學習者在系統的訓練進程中，獲得具學位或更高水平的小學輔導專業人員資格。文章亦就上述的設計意念提出這訓練模式的目標、結構及其優點。