This research attempts to explore the antecedents of teacher behavior in communicating with parents, and to develop and test a model of teacher-parent communication in the context of Hong Kong primary schools.
The investigation comprised four parts. The first part was the evolving of a conceptual framework in predicting teacher behavior in communicating with parents. The proposed framework made important reference to concepts in the theory of planned behavior, but adopted neither the majority of its constructs nor the second-order structure of attitude- belief. It was hypothesized that teacher behavior was mainly determined by teacher intention, and teacher intention was subsequently determined by four components of teacher beliefs: namely role beliefs, normative beliefs, efficacy beliefs and context beliefs. Relevant teacher beliefs were identified and incorporated into the four components.
The second part of the study (Study One) explored the feasibility of the proposed framework with a small sample. Instruments for measuring various teacher variables were developed. The proposed model was basically supported by path analysis. This initial study was encouraging and justified the use of a more powerful tool of structural equation modeling, which could test simultaneously the whole system of variables.
The third part of the study (Study Two - Part One) was the first section of the main study involving 1918 teachers from primary schools. It comprised the developing of a total of thirteen measurement models of teacher beliefs and intention to be used in the modified framework of study. Satisfactory goodness-of-fit indices were obtained for all resulting instruments.
The last part of the study (Study Two - Part Two) involved the developing and testing of the structural model for predicting teacher communication behavior. A model generation approach was adopted. Altogether, three paths and six correlations were added to the hypothesized initial model.

Academic stress is widely recognized as a prominent source of stress for children in Hong Kong. What can be done to enhance children's resilience to this type of stress? The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between academic stress, children's anxiety, and academic attainment in senior primary school children in Hong Kong. Specifically, the objective is to investigate the moderating and mediating mechanisms through which parental support and children's resourcefulness might modify stress outcomes. To better determine the relationship patterns of these variables, a cross-sectional quantitative research design was used. Proportional stratified sampling, cluster sampling and random sampling methods were employed in various phases to locate suitable informants. Nine primary schools and a total of 1,644 senior primary school students participated in the study.
Three academic stress domains were generated from the Academic Hassles Scale.These were "academic inefficacy and fear of failure", "expectations and demands from significant others" and "academic demands and overload". Domain analysis proved to be more sensitive to gender difference when compared with the global academic hassles measure. Girls were more disturbed by "academic inefficacy and fear of failure" and boys were more affected by "expectations and demands from significant others" and "academic demands and overload". Correlation of the domains with factors in the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale indicated that the manifestation of anxiety was different in these domains.
Time spent by parents communicating with their children, parental emotional, informational and instrumental supports and children's resourcefulness were beneficial to children's emotional and academic adjustment independent of the stressors. When the support was delivered in overprotective and authoritarian ways, adverse outcomes were the result. Interaction effects were found only in the domain "academic demands

Data for this study was collected from the Program for International Student Assessment in Hong Kong (HK-PISA), which was conducted in 2002. A total of 4405 fifteen-year-old students from 140 Hong Kong secondary schools completed the student assessment. A total of 4336 parents also completed the parent questionnaires. These questionnaires was used to provide information about family social capital and family background.
In conclusion, the results of this research support Coleman's thesis of social capital in the creation of human capital. It also underscores the importance of bridging social capital in student's learning. Finally, the given recommendations based on the results of this research may be useful for policy makers, educators and parents in assisting students to improve their learning and develop their potential fully.
The CFA results suggest that the applicability and validity of the indices related to the three types of capital created by OECD is fair, and therefore the local social context should be taken into consideration when modifying these indices for adoption in the research. The results of the HLM analysis demonstrate that most measures of family social capital are consistently associated with students' literacy. They also show that effects of the process attribute of social capital on student's achievement are stronger than that of the structural attribute. Among the social capital variables used at the individual-student level, students score higher if their parents communicate (both social and culturally) with them more and also if their parents expect their child to attend university. Among the social capital variables used at the school level, the school mean parental network has a stronger positive contextual effect on students' achievement. As for the variables of physical and cultural capital, only part of them has a significant effect on student's achievement, and the effect is weaker than that of family social capital.
The

香港的鄉村學校，歷史悠長，曾在香港的教育發展扮演重要的角色 1；隨著近年出生率下降，鄉村學校正面臨結束，然而，香港少數村校，在政府不准招收小學一年級的影響下仍有能力繼續接收從別校轉過來的「插班生」。本文將以兩所村校的經驗為個案，探討學生為何轉校？以及家長為何會選擇鄉村學校？調查發現村校的「學習的環境」和學生的「自尊感」是村校學生成績進步和個人成長的重要因素。本文指出：在香港的情境脈絡裡，傳統的「成本」、「效益」觀念需要進一步檢視和省思。
As the birth rate in Hong Kong declines constantly in recent years, many villages are going to be closed. However, many of them have played an active role in the educational development of Hong Kong. It is difficult to understand why some village schools still can enroll students from P.2 to P.6, although they have not been permitted to enroll P.1 students under the primary school enrolment policy of the government. The article, which takes two village schools as case study, intends to explore the questions that: Why students left their primary schools while studying? Why parents take village school as their own choice? Our survey finds that "learning environment" and "student self-esteem" are two main factors that have effects upon both academic results and personal development of the students in the village schools. It is purposed that the "cost-benefit analysis" needed to be revised in the local context in Hong Kong.
[Copyright of New Horizons: The Journal of Education, Hong Kong Teachers' Associationl is the property of Hong Kong Teachers' Association at http://www.hkta1934.org.hk/]

本論文就家長的參與和支持，包括出席音樂會、聆聽音樂、在家中觀看音樂節目和整體財政支持等進行研究，亦調查學生在家長參與和支持其器樂學習上的觀感。於2007年10月至11月期間，本研究以自行填寫問卷方式，收集了香港10所中學共1,493位中一至中七學生意見的數據，發現家長對學生音樂活動的參與和支持總體屬低水平，家長的參與僅流於財政上支持。這裡值得關注的，是如何使學生和家長對音樂產生興趣並感到雀躍，從而一起參與音樂活動。
This paper examines various aspects of parental involvement in and support for musical participation, including concert attendance, music listening, watching music programmes at home, and overall financial support. It also examines students' perceptions of parental involvement in, and support for, their instrument learning. Data are drawn from self-completed questionnaires administered in school from October to November 2007 to 1,493 Secondary 1 to Secondary 7 students attending a total of 10 Hong Kong secondary schools. The survey finds low overall levels of parental involvement in and support of students' musical participation, with students reporting that financial assistance from their parents accounts for the majority of parental involvement. The results suggest it is important to determine how to make both students and parents interested in and excited about music, and how to get them to enjoy participating in music together.
[Copyright of Journal of Youth Studies is the property of The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups at http://yrc.hkfyg.org.hk/]