Although teachers’ attitudes and beliefs are linked to their practice, many argue in social foundations and multicultural education that student-teachers are resistant to changing their attitudes about education’s role in society. Researchers have contended that student-teachers engage in a variety of strategies to maintain attitudes gained through their personal experiences as students, which casts education as key to increasing social mobility and meritocracy in society. This article explores the case of one instructor in teacher education and educational foundations in Hong Kong. Findings from pre- and post-course surveys and online forum writings from students are used to share how student-teachers’ attitudes changed regarding equality and the role of education during the course. The study suggests that the use of a social-constructivist pedagogy that enables student-teachers to learn from their peers’ diverse experiences and professional circumstances can meaningfully impact student-teacher attitudes, and assist new teachers in better understanding education’s role in society. Copyright © 2015 Common Ground, Liz Jackson, All Rights Reserved.

The concept of happiness has been addressed from both philosophical and psychological perspectives. Given the possible connection between happiness and well-being, the promotion of happiness in teaching and learning and the development of ＂happy schools＂ have gained increasing attention. The present exploratory empirical study is conducted in Hong Kong and investigates the teaching of happiness in a sample of pre-service and in-service teachers. Their perceptions of teaching happiness are also compared, which may have implications for teacher education and development programmes. The results reveal that whilst pre-service and in-service teachers have different perceptions of happiness, many agree on the importance of teaching happiness and the key role of teachers, positive emotions in such teaching. The findings suggest that from the perspective of life education, more attention should be given to teaching happiness through different perspectives and strategies, including the development of happy schools.人們通常從哲學和心理學的角度來理解幸福的概念。有鑑於快樂和幸福感之間可能存在的聯繫，在教學中推廣快樂與幸福感以及發展「幸福學校」越來越受到重視。本文以香港地區教師為研究對象，以香港在職及職前教師為樣本，旨在探討快樂教學的探索性實證研究。本文比較了在職教師及職前教師對教授快樂與幸福感的看法，並討論不同的看法對教師教育和教師發展計畫的制定可能產生的影響。結果顯示，雖然職前和在職教師對快樂與幸福感有不同的看法，但多數教師都同意教授快樂與幸福感的重要性，並肯定教師的正向情緒在教授快樂與幸福感中的關鍵作用。此外，從生命教育的角度來看，教育者應多加思考透過不同的視角和策略來教授幸福，亦應考慮發展「幸福學校」。 Copyright © 2020 社團法人台灣生命教育學會.

Citizenship education has been implemented in Hong Kong primary schools in the name of moral, civic and national education (MCNE). In the context of the backdrop that schools have been granted autonomy for implementation, this chapter explores teachers' perceptions of the implementation of MCNE in Hong Kong primary schools. The findings indicate that Hong Kong teachers in general hold an eclectic attitude towards MCNE. With these prevailing attitudes, MCNE was loosely defined and flexibly implemented. Although the whole-school permeation approach was considered ineffective, teachers did not support MCNE as an independent subject due to an overcrowded curriculum and assessment issues. Some teachers illustrated that the issues that arose in the implementation of MCNE were related to time and resources, the marginalization of MCNE, professional development training, and a contradiction between the teachings of schools and parents. Despite the many issues that have arisen in the implementation of MCNE, the findings suggested MCNE could be taught through history (including Chinese history) which could help strengthen students' knowledge of the world community and the country, and prepare students to live in the complex real world. Copyright © 2021 selection and editorial matter, Kerry J. Kennedy; individual chapters, the contributors.

Internationalisation of the curriculum (IoC) is on the agenda of many higher education (HE) institutions worldwide. Typically seen as associated with a top-down strategy, IoC often meets resistance from university teachers, many of whom struggle to understand its relevance to teaching practice. This phenomenographic study investigates university teachers' conceptions of IoC. Five conceptions ranging in sophistication have been identified. The least sophisticated focuses on making the curriculum content internationally relevant, whereas the most sophisticated centres around developing self-awareness, awareness of others, and a change in mindset in students. The latter is realised by embracing reflexivity and criticality and, more importantly, utilising societal and political issues as learning opportunities for identity development. Situated in the Hong Kong context, the findings not only suggest the need for teachers to shift their focus from curriculum content to value-based development but also for educators to reflect on their role in helping students to reconcile their identity in relation to their counterparts regionally and globally.
[Copyright of Higher Education is the property of Springer.]

This article is principally designed to examine social workers' retrospective views on their past educational experiences with case management in disability services to supply a deficiency that very little literature attention has been paid to how prior professional education shape their case management practice. Using qualitative methods, 13 social workers selected by purposive sampling were invited to participate in in-depth interviews. The qualitative data were analysed to generate some themes. Three themes found are "from 'rarely heard of it' to 'remember it being referred to'"; "buy a lottery ticket before starting a field placement"; and "Ambiguity". These themes indicate that social work education related to case management was lagging behind, which may exacerbate social work's polarisation and lead to social workers' confusion about their professionality. As a result, an urgent need for greater knowledge of case management in university education and in-service training should be addressed in Hong Kong.
[Copyright of China Journal of Social Work is the property of Routledge.]

Through focus group interview, this study explored teachers' perceptions and experiences of the general university requirements (GUR) in the new four-year undergraduate degree program of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong. A total of 52 colleagues involved in teaching and coordination work participated in focus group interviews. Eight focus group sessions were formed to understand the views of teachers on the eight GUR curriculum components. Results showed that teachers generally had positive views of subject content as well as student learning and engagement. Teachers also demonstrated deeper understanding of teaching with active involvement. Teachers also had gained multidisciplinary working experience through teaching GUR subjects. Teachers perceived their subjects and related teaching as beneficial to students' all-round development, particularly in communication, critical thinking, confidence and self-esteem.
[Copyright of International Journal of Child and Adolescent Health is the property of Nova Science Publishers, Inc.]

The relationship between the teaching of English as a foreign language (EFL) and translation have been loosely entwined for a very long time. However, in the past decade, a number of academics have developed a renewed interest in the interplay between the two, and some teacher education universities offer translation courses to their student teachers. This paper presents findings from a preliminary study in which a questionnaire survey was used to identify the motives and perceived benefits of learning translation of 40 non-native EFL student teachers whose first language is Chinese, in a teacher education university in Hong Kong. The findings indicate that the pre-service teachers decided on taking translation courses or taking the subject as a minor because of their interest in both Chinese and English and their eagerness to improve their proficiency in these languages. The belief that learning translation might help non-native EFL student teachers secure a job in a language-related field is another prime motive for them to learn translation. It was discerned that they perceive learning translation to be beneficial to both their Chinese and English proficiency, especially in the knowledge of English grammar, and they have benefited in bilingual competence and career options. The paper concludes that although EFL student teachers tend not to work as professional translators after graduation, learning translation is deemed to have provided them with multifaceted benefits and increased their competitiveness in language-related fields.A relação entre o ensino de Inglês como Língua Estrangeira (EFL) e a tradução está entrelaçada há muito tempo. Contudo, na última década, diversos acadêmicos têm desenvolvido um interesse renovado em sua interação e algumas universidades de formação de professores oferecem cursos de tradução para os seus professores em formação. Esse trabalho apresenta os resultados de um estudo preliminar no qual um questionário foi utilizado para identificar

Under 'One Country, Two Systems', 'good citizens' ‐ as supported by pro-democratic positions ‐ and 'good citizens' ‐ as promoted by the Chinese government ‐ are seemingly in contradiction with each another based on their values and ideologies in Hong Kong. The competing values of citizenship are demonstrated by deep divisions within Hong Kong society, with pro-democratic groups advocating democratic values and initiating societal transformation, and their pro-establishment counterparts highlighting patriotic values and sustaining the status quo. From an educational perspective, teachers take on an essential role in the implementation of education policies designed to cultivate students who are 'good citizens'. This research employed a mixed-methods approach to examine Hong Kong teachers' perceptions of 'good citizens' based on their affinity with democratic and patriotic values. The findings indicated that rather than conflicting, patriotic values tended to be complementary to democratic values. Moreover, critical patriotic citizens with multiple identities who participate rationally and constructively in social and political activities might be more likely to facilitate democratic development in Hong Kong. These findings have implications for policy-makers responsible for the citizenship education and preparation of future citizens living within polarized and pluralistic societies, and they highlight the value of learning to live together in a complex world. Copyright © 2019 Intellect Ltd Article.

Teacher identity construction is seen as crucial for professional development and in readiness for adoption of pedagogical innovation. Based on life-history narrative study of three experienced CFL teachers, this chapter explores how the three teacher participants account for their experiences of constructing successful professional identities. The three teacher participants shared their stories of over 20 years of teaching Mandarin Chinese to non-native speakers in both the national school context in Australia and the international school context in Hong Kong. Their collective reflection on the process of constructing successful professional identities in Western-based school contexts revealed the complex and shifting nature of identity construction. The study finds that the processes of constructing a successful professional identity in Western-based school contexts are reflected in narratives of an effective blend of Eastern and Western cultural values and pedagogical practices. This “middle ground” notion of constructing professional identity has important implications for CFL pedagogical innovation in Western-based school context. Copyright © 2016 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore.

Mathematics has be stereotyped as a male-dominated subject, and there is considerable evidence to support this belief. There has been much research in the past three decades on gender-related differences in elementary and secondary school mathematics. The research found that teachers possess different beliefs about male and female students that influence their teaching behaviour, which then directly or indirectly impact their students' behaviours, beliefs, and achievements in mathematics. Based on data collected from teacher questionnaire surveys in the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong, this study examines teachers' beliefs about the achievements of boys and girls in mathematics. The study also compares the findings in the two regions surveyed. Results showed that teachers gave more attention to boys than girls, regardless of the teacher's gender. Not only are teachers more likely to recall more boys than girls, but also more boys than girls with average academic standards. Copyright © 2013 Korean Society of Mathematical Education.