Early childhood education in Hong Kong has experienced drastic changes since 1982 following the criticism made by the Llewellyn visiting panel and a western style play-based curriculum was recommended. The Curriculum Development Council in 2006 stated that curriculum development is a continuing process of renewals that should devetail with the development of education system globally. The curriculum renewal, however, has been based on continuous fostering the play-based approach of the 1980s, despite that in the Western world, there have been calls for a reversion to the traditional teacher-centered education paradigm in recent years. Is there a double standard in designing curriculum in this respect? Copyright © 2018 CESHK.

國際化是現時高等教育界的一個重要議程和發展方向，也是主流評級機構用以評核大學的其中一個因素。各界對國際化的定義不盡相同。在香港，有意見指實施國際化目的就是為了強化「香港的特徵」，從而增加國際學生與本地學生相互文化發展機會。境外學習活動既可以提升學生多方面的技能，亦能讓他們獲得個人全面發展及擴闊全球視野。透過瞭解國際化的定義，以及一所本地大學在其國際化進程中為學生提供境外學習的經驗，我們可對香港高校學生怎樣在國際化中獲益有更深瞭解。 Copyright © 2017 香港教師中心.

Liberal Studies was initially introduced as a non-statutory subject in Hong Kong in 1992. It then confronted intense opposition and a bumpy implementation path before securing mandatory status in the new senior secondary curriculum introduced in 2009. Recently, this core subject has been under review. Whilst it is considered to promote students' socio-political participation, the subject has also been accused of triggering antagonism towards the government. In view of these concerns, this article probes teachers' perceptions of the recent development of Liberal Studies and examines the dynamic interplay between the curriculum review and the potential political controversies surrounding the subject in post-colonial Hong Kong. Reporting the results of a study comprising questionnaire-based surveys and follow-up semi-structured interviews, it reveals that whilst teachers are worried about the proposed reduction of socio-political topics in the curriculum, they approve of incorporating additional China-related content. Furthermore, the participating teachers praised Liberal Studies for its notable impact on raising students' social consciousness, which has motivated them to learn about community affairs and fight for justice. Finally, the article also explores the study's profound implications for the further development of Liberal Studies and citizenship education in Hong Kong and beyond.
[Copyright of Oxford Review of Education is the property of Routledge.]

Despite the growing advocacy for implementing leisure education in schools, its application lags behind its global expectations. Unlike the US trend of 'back to basics' educational philosophy which prioritizes the learning of core subjects over leisure related subjects, countries in Asia have been changing their curricula to nurture the whole person development and thus paving the way for infusing leisure education into school systems. One example is Hong Kong which has undergone a major education reform in the last two decades. Even though scholars have suggested numerous channels and strategies for leisure education in schools, a lucid framework which takes into account the views of those for which leisure education in planned was not developed. This study is to explore the underlying dimensions of leisure education as it is manifested by teachers' and students' views. A Seventeen-item questionnaire has been submitted to 105 teachers and 1187 students from seven schools geographically distributed around Hong Kong. Responses were analyzed through Smallest Space Analysis (SSA). The SSA solutions among both students and teachers have yield three-dimensional solution with coefficient of alienation .14. The solutions indicated a division to five dimensions: values and attitudes, self-development, motivation, ends and means and education among teachers and three combined dimensions among students: motivation and ends and means, self-motivation and education which includes active engagement, and values and attitudes. The identified dimensions resonate well with the suggested channels and strategies for leisure education in schools which incorporate various offerings, freedom of choice, trial and error and experiential learning. Whereas this similarity could facilitate the utilization of leisure education in schools, there is a need to consider the nature, strategy and context of such implementation. The paper addresses these challenges and draws implications for teacher training

Outdoor adventure education (OAE) is philosophically rooted in Western values, yet it has been implemented in non-Western cultures, such as East Asia. This paper examines how OAE functions in East Asia, through data from Hong Kong. Although some cultural differences are clear, there is no compelling evidence that OAE cannot provide benefits in Eastern contexts. The data in our example support the premise that OAE can be a viable and valuable medium for the development of social and intrapersonal skills and may serve as a complementary approach to traditional schooling in East Asia. Implications from this paper include better aligning OAE with schools and teachers, understanding the merits of relationships developed through OAE, and appreciating that some traditional OAE practices should be questioned when exported to different cultures.
[Copyright of Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education & Leadership is the property of Sagamore Publishing.]

Co-curricular activities in general are believed to be useful for students' development, such as improvement in academic performance, higher retention rate, enhancement of social and competency skills, and assistance of youth development and employment. With the expansion of the education sector and the implementation of a new 3-3-4 education system in Hong Kong, the background and training of students is different from the past, so it is worthwhile investigating students' interest, understanding and perceptions about co-curricular activities nowadays in an Asian context. Comparison between the perceptions of sub-degree and degree students is discussed. Similarities and differences are found in both groups of students. Based on the findings, suggestions are made to education institutions in planning their resources on co-curricular activities.
[Copyright of International Education Studies is the property of Canadian Center of Science and Education]

This thesis presents three research studies on fundamental movement skills (FMS). The thesis aims to provide insight into FMS teaching and learning in primary school physical education (PE) and to examine the effectiveness of a school-based intervention that can improve FMS proficiency among primary school children in Hong Kong. The first study (Chapter 2) examined the relationships between FMS, perceived physical competence, perceived movement skill competence, enjoyment, and physical activity (PA) among primary school children in Hong Kong. The differences among these variables in terms of gender and grade level were addressed, as well as FMS acquisition and mastery levels among primary school children from grades one to six were reported. Their results revealed that locomotor skill competence had an indirect effect on self-reported PA through perceived physical competence and enjoyment after adjustment for age, gender, and body mass index. Overall, children exhibited low levels of FMS proficiency and moderate-to-vigorous PA. Students from higher grade levels, particularly girls, had lower levels of perceived physical competence, movement skill competence, and enjoyment as compared with younger students. The second study (Chapter 3) examined the current FMS teaching practice in primary school PE. The study adopted a mixed-methods approach to explore the views of teachers and students on their experiences of PE for FMS development and on the motivational climate in PE. The quantitative data demonstrated that students' active time during FMS class was low. Teachers spent a large amount of time on instructions and management but spent a small amount of time to engage the students in movement skill activities and games. Thus, students were prevented from remaining physically active during FMS practice throughout the lessons. The interviews with the students also indicate that the PE lessons offered are not effective enough to provide a broad range of game-related movement

All students, including those with disabilities, are entitled to participate in outdoor learning. However, previous research has found students with visual impairment in mainstream Hong Kong schools often encounter difficulties (and even exclusion) in learning activities conducted outdoors. The research reported here aimed to explore the reactions of students with visual impairment who participate in outdoor learning, and then to recommend solutions for overcoming any obstacles that they identify. A phenomenological inquiry approach was applied to examine data through the live experiences of the students. Their perceptions of the experiences offered by their schools were also collected. The key findings on the positive side were: First, most of the mainstream schools do provide outdoor learning opportunities to all students, including those with visual impairment. Second, some students with visual impairment love to participate in outdoor learning because they can acquire more real-life knowledge; and they can also socialize with different people. Third, students with visual impairment perceive that they can play a more active role (e.g. as a leader) in outdoor activities to help them learn effectively. Findings on the less positive side were: First, public's noninviting attitudes were perceived to be a difficulty the students encountered. Second, students with visual impairment tend to need more time to deal with other school work, and often reluctantly choose to withdraw from optional outdoor learning opportunities. Third, there are insufficient provisions made for their outdoor learning and community service. Implications of the findings for school policies and practices are discussed.

The New Senior Secondary (NSS) curriculum was launched among Hong Kong schools in 2009-10 school year. Under the NSS Curriculum framework, Other Learning Experiences (OLE), which requires students to participate in five areas of OLE, namely Moral and Civic Education, Community Service, Career-related Experiences, Aesthetic Development and Physical Development, is one of the three major components that complement the study of the four core subjects and 2-3 elective subjects for the whole person development of students. The study, mainly employing surveys together with mixed methods, aims to explore the impact of OLE, as a key curriculum component in the NSS curriculum, on students' approaches to learning. In 2010-11, two case study schools, with different features of OLE and with differing background characteristics were selected for a survey on students' approaches to learning over two school years. The survey, namely ‘Studying at School Inventory' (SASI) of 352 S4 students provides evidence of the impact of OLE with regard to learning approaches such as enhancing deep learning and effort. Although the results could not of themselves provide a warrant for a generalizable positive impact of OLE on students' approaches to learning and learning habits, it is reasonable to conclude that OLE has had a positive influence as indicated in policy documents, at the two case schools and in certain school contexts (e.g. year group, school culture, OLE leadership) and with regard to specific OLE component contexts (e.g. activity type, student motivation, pedagogy). The study illuminates the further study of OLE.