作為凝聚有特殊教育需要子女家長的處所，特殊學校是有責任組織適切的活動，支援家長克服子女的學習及成長困難。本文概述一所收取中度智障學童的學校，如何透過發展性小組去支援校內的家長，並探討如何就這些孩子家長的需要、家校合作的現況、家長參與的層次與區分、家長賦權歷程、學校背景、朋輩輔導及小組發展歷程等概念，去全面理解不同持分者在籌辦家長互助小組過程中，要準備的工作及注意事項。透過有層次地去組織支援家長的「伴你同行」小組，除能夠支援更有需要的家長，加強他們處理子女學習、行為、情緒問題，增強親子關係並完備家庭與學校合作的同時，亦促使家長間建立一個非常規的支持和朋輩網絡。 Special schools being a place for gathering parents of students with special educational needs bear the responsibility of organizing supporting services for these parents to overcome difficulties encounter by their children. The paper describes the efforts of a special school for moderate intellectually disabled students in applying developmental group work to support the parents of the school. While considering the needs of these parents, current trends of home-school cooperation, differentiated levels of parental involvement in a school, parent empowerment process, school background, peer tutoring and group development processes for enhancing the understanding of different stake-holders of the school to plan and organize parent groups of such purposes are examined and applied. In the end, not only that the parent support group supported the more needy parents in strengthening their methods of coping with learning, behavioural, emotional difficulties and parent-child relationship. The support group too facilitated home school cooperation process, an informal peer support network amongst these parents is formed as another source of support for parents of the school.
[Copyright of 香港特殊教育論壇 is the property of 香港特殊教育學會有限公司. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
https://sites.google.com/a/seshk.org.hk/seshk-org-hk/c_publication]

本文的主要目的是介紹一套為有特殊教育需要的粵語兒童而設的語文教育套件。此套件包括評估工具、語言發展階梯、課程內容和活動建議。希望套件對學童學習和語文科教師教學有幫助。套件內容包括學習語文中不同的範疇(例如︰聆聽、說話、閱讀和寫作等)的發展概況和資料，可供從事特殊教育工作者，特別是語文教師，參考和使用。此外，在使用套件的過程中，不同的專業人士有一起協作的機會，使彼此均有長足的發展。
[Copyright of 香港特殊教育論壇 is the property of 香港特殊教育學會有限公司. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
https://sites.google.com/a/seshk.org.hk/seshk-org-hk/c_publication]

It is agreed that many children with disabilities benefit from instruction in social skills. This literature review looks at various approaches to the teaching of social skills to students with disabilities that significantly impact behavior, discusses the rationale behind social skills training, and questions the wisdom of limiting particular approaches to students with specific disabilities. The authors urges special educators to consider the overall efficacy of social skills training in general, the effectiveness of particular approaches, and the wisdom of sharing procedures and techniques across categories of disabilities. 很多人相信殘障的兒童都能夠在社交技能訓練中獲益。本文探討最為影响殘障兒童行為的不同社交技能訓練方法及社交技能訓練的背後理念。文章並質疑將某類社交技能訓練方法局限於處理某種殘障類別的理據。作者目的是鼓勵特殊教育工作者持開放態度，考慮社交技能訓練的整體效益並從不同社交技能訓練方法中針對性地找出最適合處理不同殘障類別的方法。
[Copyright of Hong Kong Special Education Forum is the property of Special Education Society of Hong Kong Ltd.. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
https://sites.google.com/a/seshk.org.hk/seshk-org-hk/c_publication]

This paper was an attempt to review the scene of inclusive education in Hong Kong throughout the development of educating children with special needs for the purpose of identifying challenges posed on inclusive education. It was shown that Hong Kong was still lagging behind the international context in this inclusive movement. Using the Three Domain Framework to analyse the situation, it was shown that the deeply rooted belief in some aspect of Chinese culture had a great impact to hinder the progress of inclusive education. Strategies related to the normative domain, the institutional domain and physical domain were suggested but ultimately progress depends on the government's decision to bring inclusive education forward as the major concern of education. 本文嘗試探討在香港特殊教育發展的歷程中，融合教育面對的挑戰。資料顯示融合教育在香港的發展情況仍落後於國際水平。文章從三個層面 (3 Domain Framework) 去分析融合教育的現況，發覺中國文化某些根染蒂固的信念可能是香港融合教育發展的主要障礙。文章從文化規範、體制及物質層面上作出改善的建議。然而，歸根究底，香港融合教育的有效發展，仍有賴於政府推行融合教育的決心。
[Copyright of Hong Kong Special Education Forum is the property of Special Education Society of Hong Kong Ltd.. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
https://sites.google.com/a/seshk.org.hk/seshk-org-hk/c_publication]

THE main purpose of this study was to explore a teacher's and her students' perspectives on practices designed to enhance the self-esteem of students in an aided secondary school in Hong Kong. Interviews were conducted with a local teacher of English and her female students. The findings from the interview with the teacher support a view that teachers do play a vital and planned role in developing teenagers' academic self-esteem. The teacher used a wide variety of methods inside the classroom, such as offering extrinsic rewards and facilitating the process of attaining goals. The students considered that among the teacher's different practices, the facilitation of achieving social goals was the most effective for building their academic self-esteem in the long term. Based on the findings, recommendations are made for teachers to enhance students' academic self-esteem inside the classroom. 是次研究的主要目的是從一位於香港津貼中學任職的教師及其學生的角度，探討其教學方法對提高學生自尊的成效。此研究是透過面談，訪問了一位教授英語的本地中學教師及其十名女學生。從老師的面談結果中，顯示教師於發展青少年的學業自尊過程裡，扮演著一個不可或缺的角色。該受訪教師在課堂中使用多種不同的教學方法，如對學生提供外在的獎勵、協助學生達成目標等。而學生們則認為，最有效建立長期學業自尊的方法，則是老師協助自己實現社會目標。根據調查結果，是次研究會為教師提供建議，以提高學生的學業自尊。
[Copyright of Hong Kong Special Education Forum is the property of Special Education Society of Hong Kong Ltd.. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
https://sites.google.com/a/seshk.org.hk/seshk-org-hk/c_publication]

The social communication needs of young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are complex and yet this area has not been well researched. The present study investigated the social inclusion of young adults with ASD in colleges. A total of 80 young adults studying full- time in colleges completed the self-developed on-line questionnaires on the social perceptions of their peers on the spectrum. The findings indicated that about half of the respondents would engage peers on the spectrum in their social groups. However, the respondents showed the least willingness of having someone with ASD to join their collaborative project groups. About half of the respondents mentioned the communication challenges in socialising with peers on the spectrum. Our findings re-affirmed that the importance of peer support to include young adults with ASD to different social and academic contexts in post-secondary education settings. The strength-based approach to support young adults on the spectrum to increase social connectedness and self-confidence is discussed. 自閉症譜系障礙(自閉症)年青人的社交環境是複雜、多層次的,但現時,這方面的科研卻十分缺少。本研究的目標是探討自閉症年青人的社交融合情況。80位全日制專上學院或大學生填寫了關於他們與自閉症同輩交往的網上問卷。數據顯示,大約一半的填卷者願意與自閉症同輩交往,但是他們卻最不願意與自閉症同輩做小組研習活動。大約一半的填卷者表示社交溝通困難是主要的挑戰。研究結果肯定了同輩互動對自閉症年青人融入社群及學習環境的重要性。總括而言,本文建議利用「優勢模式」來擴闊自閉症年青人的社交圈子及提升自信。
[Copyright of Hong Kong Journal of Special Education is the property of Special Education Society of Hong Kong Ltd.. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
https://sites.google.com/a/seshk.org.hk/seshk-org-hk/c_publication]

Background: Based on the concept of sexual prejudice and cultural competent model for training professionals, this study explored teachers' perspectives on their needs for sexual diversity training for Chinese Tongzhi students (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, queer, inter-sex, and asexual-LGBTQQIA) in Hong Kong.Methodology: The study adopted phenomenological approach, from the qualitative constructivist paradigm. Semi-structure qualitative interviews were carried out with 25 sexual minority informants on their suggested themes on professional training for teachers, to enhance their cultural competence, including the sexual diversity competence. Data analysis was carried out through NVivo, and followed the procedures spelt out in the qualitative research literature. Inter-rater reliability was calculated. Trustworthiness of the study was addressed through various strategies.Results: Preliminary themes emerged from transcript content analysis: 1) “Our experience of encountering teachers - without awareness and cultural competence”. informants suggested ways of sensitive training for teachers, through diverse and creative strategies; 2) “Our contacts with teachers revealed their narrow perspective on sexuality and sexual diversity”- informants suggested a holistic and comprehensive sexual diversity education for teachers, including contemporary studies on sexual and gender diversity, sexual prejudice, minority stress, with related research studies. Barriers in Hong Kong social cultural context to access sexual diversity knowledge. 3) “They should speak our language” - informants suggested engagement skills with affirmative and culturally sensitive lens; 4) “The training should be mandated and engaging” - informants suggested using diverse strategies to engage teachers to understand their community culture.Implications for culturally competent training for teachers to address the needs of Tongzhi students were discussed. Copyright © 2017 SCAP.

Previous studies have suggested that placing students in ability groups for teaching purposes can have negative consequences on the self-esteem and motivation of the students placed in the lowest groups. The study reported here explored this phenomenon in relation to students in a Band 4-5 secondary school in Hong Kong. A self-report questionnaire, with items covering classroom motivation and attitude, was used to elicit responses from 212 students in the first and second year. The students were from three different ability groups, ranging from high ability (relative to a Band 4-5 school) to low ability. Results indicated significant differences between the mean scores for students in the highest and lowest ability groups in seven out of twenty items in the questioonaire. In general the findings indicate a less optimistic attitude and a reduced level of motivation in students from the lowest group. Research evidence has also suggested that ability grouping can have a negative impact on teachers' motivation and expectancy in relation to the lowest-ability groups. This study explored the expectancies, beliefs and attitudes of 25 teachers who work with the students identified above. It was found that the teachers typically held more negative views of low-ability classes. The article includes discussion of the implications of these findings in terms of modifying teachers' attitudes and improving the learning opportunities for low-ability secondary students.
[Copyright of Hong Kong Special Education Forum is the property of Special Education Society of Hong Kong Ltd.. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
https://sites.google.com/a/seshk.org.hk/seshk-org-hk/c_publication]

Schools around the globe increasingly realized the importance of technology and its application in the education system. To guarantee a successful educational innovation, schools seek out different parties for valuable opinions. Among them, parents are the important feedback providers, because their attitudes are influential on children's academic performance. Moreover, their involvement and support are considered the key factor that facilitates an effective implementation of programming education at schools. This study aimed at developing and validating an instrument measuring parents' perceptions of programming education among P-12 schools in Hong Kong. We propose that parents; perceptions of programming education is a multidimensional construct which constitutes (a) understanding, (b) support, and (c) expectation. In total, 524 questionnaires were collected from the parents who attended programming workshops and seminars. Exploratory factor analysis shows evidence for the three-dimensional construct. Confirmatory factor analysis reconfirms the measurement structure. Implications of the study are discussed.
[Copyright of Journal of Educational Computing Research is the property of SAGE Publications. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0735633118783182]

The benefits of parental involvement in children’s education have been well established but increasing evidence suggests that overparenting may have adverse effects on children. The question of whether excessive parental involvement hinders children’s academic and psychosocial development warrants further investigations. This study examined the associations of parental educational involvement at home and in school with academic performance and psychological health of 507 Chinese Grade 3 schoolchildren in Hong Kong. Parents reported on their level of involvement in children’s schooling and their children’s psychosocial issues. Children were surveyed to determine their school engagement, and their Chinese language and mathematics attainment was assessed. We also explored the underlying mechanism by testing children’s engagement with school as a mediator of the relationships. Our results showed that home-based parental educational involvement was positively associated with children’s language competence and psychosocial wellbeing, and the associations were linked through engaging children with school. However, the benefits reached a plateau at higher level of parental involvement in children’s learning at home. School-based parental involvement had an indirect effect on children’s prosocial behavior through school engagement. These findings highlight the significance of optimal level of parental involvement in children’s education at home for children’s development.
[Copyright of Journal of Child and Family Studies is the property of Springer Science & Business Media. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-1011-2]