This study investigated the environmental learning of a group of senior geography students through a problem-based learning (PBL) field program to see if the goals of education for the environment could be accomplished. In the PBL field program, the students were given a problem statement concerning a real-life scenario of an old lady living in a remote village of Hong Kong. During the PBL field program which also has adopted an action research framework, the students were observed to have identified the problem statement, set hypotheses, constructed the research methods and collected empirical data in an authentic environment all by themselves. This paper reports on the first cycle of this piece of action research. Data were collected both quantitatively and qualitatively via questionnaires, students' reflective journals, field observation notes and group interviews. The initial finding of this PBL field program reveals that students had acquired more in-depth knowledge and extended their comfort zones in learning. They were able to develop and practice their critical thinking and problem-solving skills while they were working on the problem in the field. Although there was no evidence of sustained self-directed learning among the students, the PBL field program offered them a framework for developing self-directed learning. An initial conclusion is that PBL in the field can provide a useful framework and direction for EE to accomplish the goals of education for the environment.
[Copyright of International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.2167/irgee230.0]

Presents information on a study conducted to analyze the level of environmental consciousness of students in the educational system in Hong Kong, with emphasis on environmental education. What is environmental consciousness; Details on the growth of materialistic values in society; Lack of attention to attitudinal and behavioral objectives in class room teaching; Method used in the study; Findings of the study.
[Copyright of Environmental Education Research is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1350462980040302]

Some critics have commented that online courses may discourage teacher–student interaction, which is considered by teachers and researchers as an important element in language learning. A total of 60 associate degree students who attended an online English course in Hong Kong responded to a questionnaire asking them about their effort and interest in learning English, their anxiety about computer applications, their self‐monitoring capability, their interactions with the teacher and their peers and their competence in English. Analysis of variance results showed that those students who perceived themselves as more competent had more favourable perceptions of their interaction with the teacher than did those who were less competent, but for all other variables the two groups did not differ. The findings imply that online language learning does not necessarily diminish interaction. Instead, the level of interaction may depend on the learners' sense of competence in the target language.
[Copyright of Educational Media International is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09523980600641429]

This article outlines some of the ways in which foreign teachers, who wish to teach English in modern China, need education of a special kind. Starting with Hong Kong, now part of China, some of the difficulties for English language teachers, stemming from Hong Kong's colonial history, are outlined, and the necessity of cultural adaptability in expatriate teachers is emphasised. This is even more necessary in Mainland China, where differences in ideas on pedagogy and in approaches to educational administration can prove frustrating for foreign teachers. From another perspective, the article also considers the rewarding aspects of teaching English in China-the enthusiasm and industry of the students, the cultural challenge, and the sense that one is doing a worthwhile job-all positive motivating factors for the teacher who is adaptable and willing to learn.
[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/10.1080/02607470050127063]

A four-hour integrated teaching session on clinical decision analysis has been developed and introduced as part of the Life Long Learning Skills course for medical students at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. The feasibility and effectiveness of teaching the principles and practice of clinical decision analysis to final-year undergraduate medical students was evaluated. One hundred and thirty-two students were randomly assigned to medical (intervention) and surgical rotations (control) and were assessed two weeks before and three weeks following a teaching session. The students' performance was assessed in response to 10 A-type multiple choice question items that incorporated various clinical scenarios requiring decision making and interpreting cost-effectiveness ratios and sensitivity analysis graphs. More students in the intervention group improved their overall performance scores compared with those in the control group (23.4% vs. 7.4%; 16.1% difference; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.8-28.5%; p = 0.01). Improvements were in interpretation of decision making (22.2% difference; 95% CI, 10.1-34.4%; p < 0.001). No improvements were seen for calculating cost-effectiveness ratios or interpreting sensitivity analysis graphs. The overall educational intervention was well received by students and effective in improving students' clinical decision analysis skills under simulated conditions. Practice points Clinical decision-making skill is an important aspect of evidence-based medicine. A randomized controlled trial assessed the effect of teaching clinical decision analysis to undergraduate medical students. An integrated teaching session consisting of three 40-minute lectures on the principles and practice of clinical decision analysis, followed by two 1-hour workshops is effective in undergraduate final-year medical students.
[Copyright of Medical Teacher is the property of Informa Healthcare . Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
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