This research explored student teacher's thinking in science and how they oriented to professional development from pre-service teacher education to beginning teaching. A more holistic view of teacher thinking with four focuses was embedded in this research: (1) conceptions of teaching and learning science; (2) planning; (3) teaching; and (4) reflections. The characteristics of these four aspects and their changes across time, the interrelationships of the four aspects and the change of their coherence in the longitudinal study were the main focus of the study.
An original group of 25 student teachers in Hong Kong were followed for three years, which included their two-year Certificate in Primary Education (Chinese) (Full-Time) Courses (1996-98) at the Hong Kong Institute of Education and their first year of beginning teaching in local primary schools in 1998-99. The student teachers were interviewed about their conception of teaching and learning science and what they had extracted from the experience. Also, they were asked to draw concepts maps to describe their thoughts during planning and were observed in their micro-teaching, school teaching experience and beginning teaching in local classrooms. After each of on these observations, they wrote journals to reflect on their teaching. The research approach involved in-depth qualitative analyses supplemented by quantification when necessary to allow clearer assessment of change in thinking.
In this longitudinal study, student teachers were found to espouse predominant or secondary constructivist conceptions of teaching and learning science to different degrees in different stages of study. Their planning became less intense in terms of lower complexity and fewer thoughts. Besides, teachers' development of constructivist teaching was evident and there was continuing evidence of confronting reflection among teachers throughout the three stages of the study.
An increase in the coherence between the different

This study sought to identify how teachers of science in English medium secondary schools in Hong Kong make science content accessible to students through English, the students second language. The strong emphasis on language outcomes in much of the research on late immersion (of which English medium education in Hong Kong is considered an example) indicates that a study which addresses classroom processes may be timely.
The significance of language in immersion education suggested that an awareness by teachers of the part language plays in learning within the curriculum might provide a means by which qualitative differences in the teaching of content could be identified. The study, therefore, attempted to determine whether there are any differences between teachers who are strongly aware of the role of language in learning and those who are weakly aware in the ways they integrate language and content in their teaching to facilitate student learning. Further, it explored how those differences are realised.
A qualitative approach was adopted for the study. A theoretical framework was developed with which to analyse classroom data on the teaching of science through English. The framework was made up of six dimensions describing the integrated teaching of science and the English of science in an immersion context. It was developed from the literature and was further refined as a result of intensive reading and re-reading of lesson transcripts.
Six teachers of science were studied. A questionnaire was used to place each teacher on a language awareness continuum and four were thus classified as strongly language aware and two as weakly language aware. The teachers were observed and recorded teaching the same science topic. Following the lessons, the students were given a test of science which required that they express their understanding in written English. The teachers and some students were also interviewed.
The science test results revealed that students

The study examined knowledge building and scientific understanding in the context of high school students working collaboratively on Knowledge Forum in a chemistry classroom in Hong Kong. Three specific questions were explored: 1) How can knowledge building be assessed and characterized? 2) What are the roles of knowledge building in scientific understanding? and 3) How does the community develop and how do teacher and contextual factors influence its growth and evolution? Participants included 34 Secondary Four students (Grade 10) who worked on knowledge building pedagogy mediated by a computer supported platform called Knowledge Forum for eight months. Various data including Analytic Toolkit statistics (ATK), depth of inquiry, learning portfolios and examination results were examined. Students' Knowledge Forum discourse was also analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The findings show that 1) a three-pronged approach using ATK, depth of inquiry, and discourse analysis was a suitable tool for tracing both individual and communal growths in knowledge work, 2) knowledge building learning portfolio and the ATK index "linked notes" predicted students' conceptual understanding, and significant differences in students' school examination, a measure of their scientific understanding, were obtained favoring Knowledge Forum students over comparison counterparts, and 3) three distinctive phases were identified suggesting students' growth in epistemic agency; as well as showing how the growth of the community was mediated by contextual and teacher factors. Discourse analysis suggests how knowledge building might be a useful means of promoting scientific understanding at both individual and communal levels interweaving progress in conceptual understanding with growth in views and ways of doing science, thus helping students to move towards both "science learning" and "learning about science". Theoretical and pedagogical significances of the findings and the limitations of this

本文目的是探討本港中小學科學課程在現階段和朝向廿一世紀的發展。世界科學教育的主要潮流是甚麼？是否有普世性的新方向？若有的話，香港能否作出相應的配合呢？
香港現時經已開展數項科學課程的革新。小學方面：於1996年實施了嶄新的常識科課程，它把社會、科學、健教三科綜合為一，而在科學部份則強調「科學、技術與社會」的關係和有關環境的課題。中學方面：新的初中綜合科學課程將於公元二千年實施，強調科學的探討，藉以發展學生在科學探究技巧上的能力，亦有考慮到小學與中學科學課程的銜接；高中科學課程在日後修訂時，探討性課題(包括科技對社會及環境的影響並科學探究技巧)亦將會成為重點。另一重點乃是資訊科技發展，現時香港政府正全力向中小學推廣。
This paper intends to look at what is happening and what will happen in the Hong Kong primary and secondary science curricula from now to the years beyond 2000. What are the major trends in the world about science education? Are there any new global directions? If yes, is Hong Kong ready for the change?
There are several innovative curriculum projects being initiated in Hong Kong. In primary education, a new General Studies (GS) curriculum has been implemented in 1996, emphasizing on the integration of 3 primary subjects: Science, Social Studies and Health Education. In the science component of GS, more emphases have been placed on the inter-relationship between STS as well as issues concerning our environment. In secondary education, a new Integrated Science syllabus has been developed recently for implementation in the year 2000, placing strong emphasis on science investigative work which develops students' proficiencies in science process skills, and paying due respect to vertical integration between GS and IS. In other science subjects at higher levels, investigative work involving process skills and studies on the impact of Science and technology on society and environment constitute significant elements in the future revised curricula. Another hot topic is Information Technology Education, currently the Hong Kong Government is in full swing to promote it to secondary and primary schools.
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