In this paper, taking as our point of departure the importance of China's " boya " education (BYE) and the West's liberal arts education (LAE) in an era that will be increasingly dominated by information technology (IT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), we examine the importance of BYE in Mainland China and LAE in the U.S. and Hong Kong. We argue that (a) the recent resurgence and growing significance of LAE in the world has been due to the right skill sets it provides in the information technology era in which many new jobs will be created and existing jobs destroyed ; (b) professional or technical training is not only compatible with the fundamental values of boya or liberal arts but also important in showcasing the strengths of BYE and LAE; (c) the combined benefits of BYE or LAE and professional or technical training may be achieved by adopting the main features of LAE such as its broad-based curriculum and whole-person development approach to undergraduate education or by combining a student's undergraduate and postgraduate studies over time; and (d) for BYE to achieve its goals in China it should occupy a central rather than tangential role in the undergraduate curriculum. Copyright © 2021 Elsevier.

音樂教師教育是培養音樂教育人才的重要途徑, 本文以香港教育大學和湖南師範大學為例, 圍繞課程定位、課程內容、課程安排三個方面介紹了兩校的課程設置, 並分析比較了香港與內地音樂教師教育專業課程設置的異同, 以期充分借鑒香港的先進做法, 為我國內地音樂教師教育專業課程設置提供參考。

Hong Kong, as a capitalist society, has an achievement-driven education system. Visual arts have become a marginalized learning area, especially in early childhood education. Although 'art and creativity' is one of the six learning domains for early childhood education in the kindergarten curriculum guide in Hong Kong, product-oriented and craft-based art activities are commonly practiced in kindergarten classrooms. This study observed 33 classrooms and interviewed 29 teachers for a total of 409 minutes to discuss issues surrounding the early childhood art curriculum in Hong Kong and the difficulties teachers face responding within the context. Through the triangulation of observations, interviews, and documentation analysis, the teachers indicated that they are facing a dilemma regarding teacher-directed and child-centred orientations towards teaching children visual arts. To sustain the 'third space' of early childhood visual arts education, three main areas are considered: (a) introducing visual arts as an alternative narrative in early childhood curriculum, (b) considering that children's creative behaviours are performative, and (c) positioning teacher education in relation to the visual arts. Copyright ©Routledge.

The language of music shares a number of basic processing mechanisms with natural languages, yet studies of learner autonomy in music education are rare. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of fostering music students' learner autonomy in performance practice through a series of curriculum changes. A mixed-methods approach, including a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews, was used to investigate two cohorts of music education students (N = 74) from Hong Kong. The analysis reveals the students' autonomous learner characteristics, including the ability to formulate their own learning strategies, identify both musical and non-musical weaknesses and take appropriate steps to improve their performance skills. Copyright ©Cambridge University Press.

In the last 20 years, humane education (HE) has undergone a paradigm shift from a simple animal welfare education model to a teacher-led positive education approach that cultivates kindness, love, and empathy in children and youth. While teachers’ humane attitudes are considered a prerequisite for HE program success in school settings, their attitudes toward animals have received little attention to date. This study investigated pre-service teachers’ humane attitudes toward animals and assessed whether and to what extent these attitudes are correlated with empathetic tendencies as well as variables such as gender and current and previous pet ownership. A total of 226 pre-service teachers in Hong Kong completed the Animal Attitude Scale (AAS) and the Davis Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). The results showed that pre-service teachers showed moderate concern for the humane treatment of animals, and a difference in humane attitude was identified based on sex: female pre-service teachers tended to express more humane attitudes than their male counterparts. Moreover, pre-service teachers with greater tendencies toward warmth and compassion demonstrated a more welfare-oriented attitude toward animals. The results of the current study support using HE as a positive education approach and imply that the provision of training for pre-service teachers and teachers should be given higher priority by humane educators. Humane educators are recommended to recruit pre-service teachers as HE program instructors in their research projects. Copyright © 2020 ISAZ.

香港地區出於殖民背景的特殊情況,其肩負國民教育重要責任的中國歷史科長期以來受到忽視。在香港回歸之際,香港當局為了更好的配合政權的銜接,開始重視在教育課程的改革,而中國歷史科作為教育課程的重要成員,則成為了香港回歸以後歷次教育改革的重點關注對象。本文以香港地區青年學生的國家認同狀況、中國歷史科的發展歷程以及中國歷史科的課程設置為論述重點,輔以對比香港、澳門兩地青年學生的國家認同及中國歷史科的課程設置差異來進行論述,總結分析香港地區中國歷史科與青年國家認同之間的相關關係,並進行總結思考與展望。第一章節緒論部分,重點論述了本次選題的背景與意義,香港自回歸以來,在青年學生群體所顯示的調查結果中,關於國家認同和身份認同模糊且界定不清,更有青年群體動亂事件頻繁發生,不少專家學者將其與香港特殊的中國歷史課程聯系在一起,認為中國歷史科課程設置是影響香港地區青年學生國家認同的關鍵原因。第二章節主要對文中的關鍵詞、相關概念及其相互之間的關係進行了解釋與敘述。首先是對歷史科、中國歷史科與中國歷史等專有名詞進行解釋;其次是對國家認同概念做簡單敘述。國內外對國家認同概涵研究眾多,本文重在解釋國家認同的經典定義和與本文相關的國家認同的外延;最後,運用馬克思主義的基本原理對中國歷史科與國家認同之間的關聯進行了科學論證。第三章節,重點梳理了香港地區中國歷史科的早期發展歷程。在香港回歸前,中國歷史科歷經波折終於在眾科目中脫穎而出,以獨立成科,但是在香港回歸後的幾次重要教育改革中,中國歷史科又面臨著“邊緣化”與“廢科”的危險。第四章節是在描述香港回歸以來青年學生歷年的國家認同狀況的大量數據上,分析中國歷史科的課程設置變化對香港青年學生國家認同變化的影響。可以發現,每一次課程設置的弱化都使得學生對待中國歷史科從愛轉恨,同時呈現出了青年學生的國家認同感越來越低。經大量的數據分析顯示,中國歷史科課程改革與香港青年學生的國家認同呈正相關關係。最後一個章節在前文分析總結的基礎上,筆者對改善香港地區中國歷史科課程設置與青年國家認同的狀況思考與展望。改善香港地區學生的國家認同必須要改進中國歷史科課程設置:首先,從立法上給予中國歷史科堅強的保障機制;其次,統一教材與歷史分期,規範化培訓香港的教師隊伍;最後,要理智正確的處理香港史與中國史之間的關係。

Aims and objectives: To test the effectiveness of a musical training programme in promoting happiness and quality of life of Hong Kong Chinese underprivileged preschool children. Background: The impact of poverty and income disparity on the psychological wellbeing of children remains a profound global public health concern. There is substantial evidence that poverty and income disparity have many negative impacts on children's psychological well‐being, adversely affecting their quality of life. Methods: A nonequivalent, quasi‐experimental, two‐group, pretest and post‐test, between‐subjects design was conducted with 171 Hong Kong Chinese underprivileged preschool children (aged 3–6 years). Participants (n = 100) in the experimental group attended a weekly 1‐hr musical training lesson for 12 weeks conducted by the Music Children Foundation. Participants (n = 71) in the wait list control group received the same training after all data had been collected. Data collection for both groups was conducted at baseline and 12‐week follow‐up. The measured outcomes were happiness level and quality of life. A TREND checklist was completed. Results: Participants in the experimental group reported significantly higher levels of happiness (p = .002) and quality of life (p = .44) than those in the wait list control group. Conclusions: The present study indicates the effectiveness of a musical training programme in promoting happiness and quality of life of Hong Kong Chinese underprivileged preschool children. It also demonstrated the feasibility of implementing the programme in a community context. Relevance to clinical practice: This study aids to inform nurses the beneficial effect of the musical training programme in improving underprivileged children's psychological well‐being and quality of life. Indeed, community nurses may act as facilitators to promote the musical training programme to underprivileged children. The involvement of community nurses may greatly enhance the sustainability