Empirical Research Background: Recent waves of Fullbright and other charity foundations‘ sponsored American English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) integration into tertiary module teaching and learning in Asian countries, has raised concerns whether the ETAs are welcomed by students. Empirical Research Aims: The present study discusses the development and piloting of an instrument to evaluate students‘ perspectives of ETAs‘ role in module teaching and learning in a tertiary context in Hong Kong. Empirical Research Sample: Participants were 153 students from modules that involved ETAs, ranging from first to third year students of four year undergraduate programmes. Empirical Research Method: Students were asked to rate their agreement to 20 statements related to ETAs‘ role in and out of classroom situations on a 4-point category. Empirical Research RASCH: Rasch analysis was used to determine the fit and reliability of the items and the performance of the category structures. Empirical Research Results: Adequate item and person separations were found for all items except for two. Repeated analysis without these items showed improvements in item and person fit and separations. Individual item category structures were generally found to fulfill Linacre‘s (2004) eight guidelines for well performing categories. Empirical Research Conclusions: The resulting 18-item tool is suitable for future evaluations of ETA‘s role in module teaching and learning in tertiary context.

This paper is based on research conducted at the Hong Kong Institute of Education with student teachers. The paper outlines the implementation of portfolio assessment by some lecturers of the Curriculum and Instruction Department. The portfolio, which incorporates critical self-assessment, is discussed and presented as an alternative form of assessment. This form of assessment provides student teachers with the opportunity to demonstrate their progress in learning and metacognitive skills. This research was conducted using qualitative methodology to study the processes involved in portfolio assessment and the values which underlie the new assessment methods. Teaching sessions were observed, interviews of students and their lecturers were conducted, and documentary evidence (such as the teaching portfolios and students self-assessments) were examined. The findings include an analysis of the implementation of the process of portfolio assessment, the supports and constraints which impacted on the implementation, and the student learning outcomes. The research was funded by the Hong Kong Institute of Education.

The study on effective teachers has been conducted as early as 1890. At that time effective teachers were rated against their personality traits by their superiors. Research done along this line gave discouraging result as the personality traits of an effective teacher were not consistently tied to the rating levels (Barr, 1961 ; Darling- Hammond, 1988). Research focusing on the relationship between teacher behaviour and student learning began to be dominant since the 1960's. Effective teachers were then defined according to their ability to help students gain in their achievement. Lo and Siu (1987) suggest that different people such as principals, teachers, students and parents have different perceptions of an effective secondary school teacher. This paper attempts to investigate the perceptions of student teachers on the characteristics of an effective primary school teacher. The sample subjects consisted of 66 student teachers selected from the Hong Kong Institute of Education. The method of collecting information was by conducting a survey in which all the sampled student teachers were administered to a questionnaire to find out their perceptions of an effective primary school teacher. Four respondents were further asked for interview to look into the reason why they had such perceptions. Frequency counts from the questionnaires revealed that 'possesses a sense of responsibility' ranked top among the ten most essential characteristics selected by the respondents. The findings also showed that an effective primary school teacher should have good personal quality as well as professional skills and abilities. Result of the interview reflected that the respondents' former teachers, their teaching experience, and the Institute in which they were studying were the main factors affecting their perceptions. The implications for teacher education of these findings were finally discussed.

Teaching excellence may mean different things to different people. The experience of students is vital because they are the consumers and they know what good teaching is about. Based on a survey conducted in the Hong Kong Institute of Education for the Distinguished Teacher Awards, this paper attempts to identity what the main criteria of good teaching are. As student opinions may relate to a particular cultural norm, the relevant social factors and their implications will be discussed in the paper.

According to the Curriculum Guide issued by the Education Bureau in Hong Kong, English should not be taught as a formal subject and children should be EUR exposed' to it. This paper presents findings from a questionnaire survey and classroom observations on how teachers in Hong Kong preschools help children learn English. It examines the various ways teachers create a rich environment for the children to be exposed to English as a second language.

The key to successful of assessment reform depends on how teachers understand the concept and practices of assessment. Brown s (2003 & 2004) studies provided initiation for educators in this area. Different versions of Brown s questionnaire on teachers conceptions of assessment (TCoA-III) used both in Hong Kong and China rendered new insights and information into the wide range of conceptions and practices of assessment among Chinese practitioners (Brown, et al., 2006 and Li & Hui, 2007). These results showed that there might be fundamental difference in conceptions and practices of assessment between practitioners in a Chinese context and those in the West. Using interviews to tap into the minds of the local teachers, this study sets off to investigate the missing conception of assessment among Hong Kong teachers. Qualitative interviews were conducted among local practitioners of different backgrounds and subject specialists. The study is able to validate traditional, unwritten as well as unique conceptions of assessment held within Chinese teachers. Preliminary results show that there are cultural-specific as well as context-based differences. The former is illustrated by examples such as assessment as a way of promoting industriousness among students and assessment as differentiating brilliance in studying. The latter is supported by examples of using assessment to predict and boost the results of Territory-wide System Assessment which indicates individual school s standards in key learning areas for the purposes of school improvement. The results are helpful in revealing the possible cultural factors and their influences that contributes to the dissimilarities found in the conceptions and practices in assessment. It also provides insights of why these conceptions govern the ways in which assessment is practised in local schools. This missing link broadens our understanding about and allows us to better measure teachers conceptions and practices of assessment.