This chapter aims to explore the novelty and utility of political economy discourse, termed “neo-statism,” as an analytical lens for comparative research in higher education. Analysis is framed within the context of Hong Kong’s transition from a British colony to a Special Administrative Region under China’s sovereignty, and its shifting academic paradigms from a more or less spontaneous philosophy rooted in liberal capitalist economy to embracing neo-statism, which involves market-conforming and state-sponsored approaches to economic and social restructuring whereby the state regulates higher education in support of national integration and global power projection. The statist regulation depends heavily on its deployment of discursive legitimacy, strategic distribution of resources, organizational synergy, and elite cohesion articulated through higher education policy, research projects, and cross-border academic exchange and cooperation. The Hong Kong case suggests that comparative research in higher education should advance from the methodological aspects of the comparative approach to exploring wider theoretical spectrum, for understanding emerging politico-economic factors shaping academic paradigm in comparative contexts. Copyright © 2024 The authors.

This article analyses the study-abroad identity of Central Asian undergraduate students in a Hong Kong university. It draws on the narrative data to explore the intercultural tensions and challenges they faced in the higher education context, as well as the impact of their study-abroad experiences on their identity-making when integrating into the receiving society. Drawing on Herzfeld’s (2005) concept of cultural intimacy, this article explains the students’ limited participation in local Hong Kong communities and their strong connection to the small, diasporic Central Asian network. It also reveals the co-existence of post-Soviet national identities and a cohesive Central Asian identity in the participants’ identity-making processes. Copyright © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

This study analyzed the variation in teachers’ mathematical educational values between distance and traditional face-to-face teaching. Enabled by the unique circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, the research explored the impact of remote teaching on primary and secondary mathematics education in Hong Kong. An online survey, completed by 109 practicing mathematics teachers, assessed their pre-existing educational values and their adaptability to the shift towards distance teaching, as well as their teaching practices. Findings indicated that despite the multitude of digital teaching tools, the implementation of most mathematical educational values was more restricted in distance teaching. Rationalism and Control were prioritized, reflecting the challenges of assessing student progress remotely. Among the 13 values identified, Fun and Engagement, along with Thinking and Problem-solving, Achievement, and Reasoning, were significantly diminished, highlighting the shortcomings of one-way and superficial concept-based teaching. The study concludes that distance teaching, when completely isolated from traditional methods, may not offer the benefits suggested in the literature, impacting student engagement, motivation, and higher-order thinking. This necessitates a unique curriculum development model to effectively incorporate blended and self-directed learning. Copyright © 2023 Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, Inc.

This paper proposes and describes a context- and subject-specific professional digital competence (PDC) framework for beginning English language teachers in Hong Kong. Taking a localised approach, the framework was developed through a four-stage data collection process, (1) Literature review of empirical studies conducted in Hong Kong of English language teachers’ technology use, (2) Review of local government curriculum documents; (3) An online survey of English language teachers’ technology use (n = 83); (4) follow-up individual interviews (n = 22). The study revealed that the local subject-specific PDC of teachers includes five aspects; Technological proficiency; Pedagogical compatibility; Preparing students for the digital world; Risk, well-being and ethical awareness and Professional work. Each aspect includes ability statements. The framework can be used to evaluate existing teacher education programmes, support the development of pre-service English-language teachers and facilitate self-, peer- and teacher assessment. The elements of PDC can be converted into programme- and course-level learning outcomes or incorporated into assessment rubrics. In addition, the methods used to develop the framework can be used by scholars in other contexts and subject areas to develop localised subject-specific PDC frameworks. Copyright © 2023 De La Salle University.

Background: Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy is a crucial part of digital literacy that all individuals should possess in today's technologically advanced world. Despite the potential benefits that AI education offers, little research has been done on how to teach AI literacy to children. Objectives: This study aimed to fill that gap by investigating how children were engaged in AI literacy activities that are supported by intelligent agents. These activities were implemented in a Hong Kong kindergarten with a class of six 5-year-olds (Mage = 62.83 months, SD = 2.91) over a 6-week period. Methods: The study gathered data from multiple sources, including classroom observations, teacher interviews, and documents/artefacts. Results and Conclusions: The results showed that children could learn about AI through interaction with intelligent agents in embodied learning contexts. The findings of this study have implications for the broader field of digital technology education, particularly in the context of early childhood education. Copyright © 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Turnover intention of kindergarten teachers is a concerning issue. This issue is particularly salient for novice teachers who, although employed, are still actively exploring their career choices. Scant research has examined what factors during the pre-service period can predict newly appointed kindergarten teachers’ turnover intention and the underlying mechanisms. To fill these gaps, we examined a possible, yet understudied, idea that kindergarten teachers’ employability during the pre-service period would shape their work adjustment after being employed (i.e., how well newcomers adjust to the job demands, work group, and organizational culture), and poor work adjustment would further elicit turnover intention. We tested this idea with a longitudinal, school-to-work transition study among 117 novice kindergarten teachers in Hong Kong. Participants reported their employability at the last semester of a pre-service teacher training program (T1). One to two months after the fall semester began, participants employed as in-service teachers reported their adjustment at work (T2). Then, they reported turnover intention at the beginning of the spring semester (T3). The results showed that T1 employability positively predicted T2 task and group adjustment but not organizational adjustment. More importantly, the indirect effect of T2 group adjustment was significant in the link between T1 employability and T3 turnover intention, but the indirect effects of task and organizational adjustment were insignificant. These findings illuminate the group adjustment mechanism behind the association between novice kindergarten teachers’ employability during the pre-service period and later turnover intention at work, contributing to the socialization process and professional development for novice teachers in the kindergarten context. Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Despite the mounting evidence supporting the effectiveness of short-term study abroad programs (such as Service-Learning programs) on university students’ development, few studies have been conducted to explore the impact of short-term study in China programs on young people from Hong Kong. This study employed a qualitative design method to examine the impact of three types of short-term study programs in China—summer school, cultural tour, and service-learning—on Hong Kong university students’ development and to explore both the facilitators of, and the barriers to, the impact of the programs. A total of 42 students from 17 short-term study in China programs were interviewed individually. Results showed that all three types of short-term study in China programs were perceived by participants as having a positive impact on their intercultural competence as well as their perceptions of, and attitudes toward, the Nation and Chinese people. Participants of service-learning programs also demonstrated enhanced global citizenship. However, these programs did not have any significant impact on their perceived identities as Hong Kong or Chinese citizens. Individual and program factors that facilitated or impeded the student’s gains from the programs were identified. These findings provide pioneer evidence for the positive impacts of short-term study in China programs on Hong Kong local university students and for the improvement of the current programs as well as the development of new programs in the future. Copyright © 2023 The Author(s).

Collaborative Science Inquiry (CSI) is a pedagogical approach that fosters students’ scientific skills and competencies through group-based inquiry activities. However, CSI poses various challenges for teachers (i.e., recognizing the problems and needs of each group, identifying appropriate strategies to address them, and reviewing the impact of these strategies) to support students’ learning process across different contexts and social levels, especially in a Mobile Learning Environment (MLE). To address this problem, this study adopted Design-Based Research (DBR), aiming to design, develop, implement, and evaluate a theory-led LA tool on a mobile app, namely, the m-Orchestrate app to support teacher orchestration in CSI. The tool aligns with the inquiry cycle model and provides teachers with real time data and feedback on students’ inquiry progress, collaboration, and learning outcomes. The DBR lasted three years, involving four phases, including (1) Phase I: Analysis of practical problems in orchestrating CSI in an MLE, (2) Phase II: Design and development of a theory-led LA tool, (3) Phase III: Three iterative cycles of testing and refining the LA tool in practice, and (4) Phase IV: Reflection and further implementation of the LA tool. The researcher collaborated with two primary schools, four teachers, two pre-service teachers in General Studies, and around 250 students in Grade 4 in Hong Kong. The research questions focused on (1) investigating the affordances of the LA tool with theory-led and interactive design for teacher orchestration of CSI; (2) the impact of the tool on teacher orchestration in CSI; and (3) the impact of teacher orchestration supported by the tool on student performance in CSI. Data collection included log data from the LA tool and the m-Orchestrate app, teacher interviews, and students’ pre- and post-quizzes. Both qualitative and quantitative data analysis methods were adopted. The research findings show that (1) the affordances of the developed