Despite much attention having been paid to foreign language (FL) reading and related variables such as self-efficacy, relatively few studies have focused on young learners, and even fewer on storybooks, arguably the commonest genre read by children worldwide for language learning. As FL learning commences at a young age in many contexts globally, it is of importance to examine how FL children's perceptions of storybooks and reading self-efficacy relate to their proficiency. In the present study, 96 Grade 5 English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners in Hong Kong completed a questionnaire (measuring their perceived value in English storybooks and English reading self-efficacy) and various proficiency tests (vocabulary size, word reading, reading fluency, and reading comprehension). Drawing on Expectancy-Value Theory (EVT), the interrelationships between the variables were analyzed using hierarchical regression and mediation. The findings revealed that self-efficacy was a significant positive predictor of all aspects of EFL proficiency while value was predictive of vocabulary and word reading only. Self-efficacy was also found to be a significant mediator between value and some areas of proficiency investigated. The study advances our understanding of EVT in which value and self-efficacy seem to have stronger predictive power of lower-order aspects of proficiency (vocabulary size and word reading) than a higher-order aspect (reading comprehension). The article ends with a brief discussion of the implications of the findings. Copyright ©2024 SAGE Publications.

Performing arts education has been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis around the world since early 2020. Educators had to adapt the classes with remote learning when face-to-face instruction had been suspended during the pandemic. Although frustrations and confusion continued to abound with the implementation of new pedagogies, online teaching, and learning spurred new practices, innovative ideas, and breakthroughs. Some performing arts educators took this opportunity to explore new skills and strategies and provided performing arts students with more impactful learning experiences. Presently, with the COVID-19 pandemic gradually showing a sign of easing, many Hong Kong schools have returned to in-person instruction. Meanwhile, the impactful learning feedback from students triggered calls for redesigning the pedagogy of performing arts education. This study placed the impact of COVID-19 on performing arts education into context and drilled down into the delivery of performing arts education in the post-pandemic era. This study reviewed teaching and learning experiences of performing arts education, with the following three research questions addressed: (a) What is the correlation between performing arts students' academic traits and their proficiency in utilizing technology during the COVID-19 pandemic? (b) What are the influential factors impacting the hybrid learning experience and outcomes of performing arts students during the COVID-19 pandemic? (c) What are the anticipated expectations of performing arts students regarding future models of arts education? Furthermore, practical solutions and insights for performing arts educational delivery in the post-pandemic era are provided in this study. Copyright ©2024 SAGE Publications.

The COVID-19 pandemic has left a profound impact on higher education, prompting the need to assess its effects and provide guidance for future pandemics or disasters. While previous research has often focused on individual courses and short-term consequences, there is a limited understanding of the broader college experience. This study conducts a comparative analysis of graduate performance throughout different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, utilizing a Graduate Learning Experience questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale. Scores for graduate attribute items were collected and compared across three distinct phases: pre-pandemic, pandemic era, and post-pandemic. The results reveal significant shifts in the student learning experience during these timeframes, with notable differences between on-campus and off-campus learners concerning their learning environments. The study also examines the reasons behind these variations, particularly among students living in on-campus hostels versus those off-campus. Additionally, it assesses the university's response to the pandemic's adverse effects and evaluates the effectiveness of these response measures. These findings offer valuable insights into the factors influencing graduate attributes in the context of online learning, with a specific focus on Hong Kong. They also provide policy recommendations for shaping the future of higher education in the aftermath of pandemics or disasters. Furthermore, these results can serve as a guiding framework for addressing similar challenges in other regions dealing with post-disaster recovery. Copyright ©2024 SAGE Publications.

Blended learning pedagogical practices supported by learning management systems have become an important part of higher education curricula. In most cases, these blended curricula are evaluated through multimodal formative assessments. Although assessments can strongly affect student outcomes, research on the topic is limited. In this paper, we adopted a learning analytics approach to explore student engagement with formative assessments and the power of these assessments to predict student outcomes in an English for Academic Purposes courses in a Hong Kong university. The study retrieved the data logs from 7,815 students and used the data to analyze student engagement with the formative assessments. The results suggested that the students put effort into completing the assessments. The degree to which assessments predict learning outcomes depend on students’ level of subject knowledge and their understanding of the relevance of the assessments. This study showed that learning analytics provided reliable evidence for understanding students’ engagement and identifying at-risk students. Therefore, learning analytics research has the potential to inform pedagogical practice. Copyright © 2022 The Author(s).

The number of teaching assistants (TAs) working in mainstream schools has soared in recent years as students with special educational needs (SEN) are integrated into regular classrooms. However, research on TAs is rare. This study investigated whether and how work engagement mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and job satisfaction among 292 Chinese TAs working in Hong Kong mainstream schools. Survey data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Supported by the social cognitive theory of self-efficacy and self-determination theory of work engagement, our results showed that TAs' self-efficacy is positively related to their job satisfaction through the mediation of work engagement. Implications for an appropriate focus on enhancing TAs' self-efficacy through classroom experiences and training courses are discussed.
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