Early exposure to quality musical activities benefits children’s holistic development and learning. It is, therefore, crucial to ensure kindergarten teachers can provide such activities for children. In Hong Kong, the Education Bureau (EDB) designed the Kindergarten Education Curriculum Guide (Curriculum Development Council, 2017). While music is included as a subdomain in the official curriculum, with specific learning objectives and expectations for children, there is a dearth of research on the musical activity types kindergarten teachers conduct in practice. Similarly, no research has been conducted to explore the perspectives of local kindergarten stakeholders (e.g., quality assessors) on quality music education. Investigating these topics is vital to guide subsequent professional development (PD) efforts in kindergartens.This dissertation portfolio draws on Campbell and Scott-Kassner (2019)’s theoretical framework of quality music education in early childhood. The overall objective was to explore the provision and types of musical activities in Hong Kong kindergartens and stakeholders’ perspectives on quality musical practices. This dissertation comprises three empirical studies. Study 1 was a large-scale survey study with kindergarten teachers (n = 1,019), investigating the provision of musical activities in kindergartens and the potential differences in musical activities among teachers with different teaching experience. Descriptive, non-parametric, and parametric statistical analyses were performed. Study 2 was a content analysis exploring the types of musical activities mentioned in 164 Quality Review (QR) reports published by the EDB. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistical analyses, word frequency, and co-occurrence analyses. Study 3 was a content analysis of 323 QR reports, exploring the positive and negative feedback and recommendations for improvement regarding music pedagogical practices mentioned by quality assessors in the reports. Data was

This study, which investigated primary school English teachers’ cognition in English Language Teaching (ELT), was a two-year longitudinal qualitative case study with five cases. Data were collected across two years from June 2014 to June 2016 at two sites (i.e., the informants’ practicum schools and in-service schools) using different sources, including semi-structured interviews, lesson observations, post-lesson conferences and reflective journals (i.e., one retrospective text and one questionnaire) for checking the consistency and inconsistency of the informants’ claimed beliefs about ELT and their pedagogy during actual teaching practice; other artifacts collected during the lesson observation (e.g., lesson plans, learning products, etc.) were also taken into consideration.Data were gathered at three stages: (1) before the teaching practicum (2) during the teaching practicum, and (3) during the 1st year of teaching. These procedures were followed first to identify the initial beliefs, assumptions and pedagogical content knowledge the five informants held before they served in schools, and then to track the stability and changes over time from “schooling to teaching practicum” and “teaching practicum to 1st year teaching.” The analysis revealed that the five informants’ cognition, shaped by both schooling, and professional coursework would change over time when influenced by contextual factors.The perceptions the informants held about ELT were quite consistent with their fond, and negative experiences encountered during their early “schooling.” They regarded the following elements as effective: motivation, inviting learning environments, good teacher-student rapport, availability of learning resources and encouragement from knowledgeable adults, e.g., NETs, favorable teachers, etc. The following traditional teaching approaches were considered ineffective and demotivating to language learning: drilling, rote-learning, and being teacher-centred. Evidence showed that

分析深圳、香港和臺北三地公辦（非牟利）幼兒園教師的工資待遇發現：（1）香港幼兒園教師的工資架構比較單一，沒有津貼、獎金或福利；臺北幼兒園教師的工資架構最為全面、合理、人性化；深圳介於二者之間。（2）深圳和臺北均採用崗位績效工資制，而香港是名義上的能力工資制。（3）臺北幼兒園教師的工資水準是三地中最高的。在扣除每月房租後，香港幼兒園教師的工資實際購買力最低。針對香港幼兒園教師工資待遇最低的問題，研究者建議香港特區政府進一步完善幼兒園教師的工資架構，考慮採用崗位績效工資制，發放住房、交通、教育等津貼。 Copyright © 2013 浙江教育報刊總社.

Generative AI (GenAI) has become popular with many university students since late 2022 and is incorporated in their daily life. To use GenAI tools effectively and equitably, and also to meet industry expectations, students should be supported to develop GenAI literacy skills during their time at university. Even though some universities have provided AI literacy training courses to students, the courses are not yet widely available to students across the higher education sector. Besides, there has been a shortage of GenAI literacy courses in particular. And more importantly, it is unclear what knowledge and skills that need to be included relating to GenAI literacy, from the student perspective. Building a strong understanding of student perceptions in this area is critical, because it will help enhance appropriateness and content relevance and promote student engagement. Adopting the four-dimensional AI literacy framework as the theoretical foundation, this paper aims to address the gaps. It explores the perceptions of university students on GenAI literacy in the UK and Hong Kong contexts. Survey data from 234 students were collected and analyzed using the descriptive analysis and Kruskal–Wallis test. The results show that factors such as country of studies and prior learning about AI greatly impacted GenAI literacy. However, factors such as age and educational level do not have a significant effect. Built upon the findings and the theoretical foundation, this paper proposes a new GenAI literacy framework. This framework is a revised version of the four-dimensional AI literacy framework and proposes the essential GenAI knowledge and skills for university students. The new framework also acknowledges the impact of the macro, meso, and micro factors on student GenAI literacy development. Copyright © 2024 The Author(s).

Programming education has become essential in primary schools, yet students' perceptions vary significantly across different achievement levels. While teacher support is crucial for learning, little is known about how it influences students' attitudes and flow experience across different achievement groups in programming education. This study examined the interrelationships among perceived teacher support, students' attitudes, and flow experience in programming learning across different achievement levels. Data were collected through surveys from 549 students across 43 Hong Kong primary schools. Students were categorised into three groups based on their programming achievement levels: above-average, average, and below-average. A multi-group mediation analysis was conducted to examine the relationships between variables. The above-average group showed significantly more positive perceptions across all variables than other groups. Students’ attitudes mediated the relationship between perceived teacher support and flow experience differently across achievement groups. The findings highlight the importance of differentiated teacher support strategies across achievement tiers and suggest that fostering positive attitudes towards programming is crucial for all achievement levels, particularly through enhancing the perceived usefulness of programming. Copyright © 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

The advent of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed information acquisition and utilization in higher education academic writing. This study fills the empirical research gap by examining how university students use generative AI tools for digital academic writing. The study investigates the experiences of 140 undergraduates enrolled in an ‘Introduction to Linguistics’ course at a university in Hong Kong employing generative AI applications, such as ChatGPT3.5 and the AI Image Generation feature in Padlet, for a collaborative multimedia Wikibook project spanning 13 weeks. The mixed-method approach included analyzing AI-generated content integration within 29 multimedia-enhanced Wikibook chapters, development logs with ChatGPT interactions, the assimilation of AI-generated content into drafts, and collaborative composition dynamics. Additionally, a survey with 98 student responses assessed perceptions regarding AI efficacy in academic writing support. Key findings reveal the multifaceted role of ChatGPT in shaping discourse, offering linguistic tools, and structuring information. The students recognized the advantages of leveraging AI tools, rapidly acclimating to their strengths and limitations through practical engagement. The outcomes of this research offer insights into students’ effective utilization of AI-generated content and suggest potential directions for incorporating generative AI tools into academic writing pedagogy. Copyright © 2024 by the authors.