In this age of new media, children are exposed to media messages at an early age. What can we do when the mass media exert such a great influence on children? One proposal has been for the introduction of a new school subject: media education. Though media education has not been part of the official curriculum in Hong Kong, some schools, both primary and secondary, have tried it out. This paper argues for the desirability of introducing media education in primary schools in Hong Kong, with regard to social change, recent education reform and learning initiatives of primary pupils. It then draws on the findings of a study conducted in a local primary school to examine the views of pupils, parents, and teachers on the effects on pupils of the implementation of media education lessons and campus radio projects in this age of new media.
[Copyright of Educational Studies is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03055690500237033]

Recent reform in the Hong Kong senior secondary education has awakened the need for a balanced and comprehensive learning experience in the academic, vocational, organizational, social service, arts and sports domains to prepare students for employment, for learning and for life. Following on from its recommendation, the Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) launched a programme—the Career-Oriented Diversified Curriculum (CODC) in 2003, renamed the Career-Oriented Curriculum (COC) in early 2004, with the purpose of providing students with the opportunity to explore their possible directions for further study, and to fulfil their career aspirations. This study attempts to examine the effectiveness of, and the issues involved in, the first phase of implementing a CODC programme in a class of 32 senior Secondary 4¹ students from 19 different schools. The results suggest that providing a diversified career-oriented curriculum is an alternative way to widen a student's learning horizon. Course providers and students agreed that the participants enjoyed the CODC pilot programme more than they did mainstream subjects. They also found that the programme was useful and relevant for future employment.
[Copyright of Journal of Vocational Education and Training is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13636820600591529]