Social, emotional, and behavioural disorders of children, within the context of a whole-school approach to inclusion as adopted by Hong Kong, can be challenging for teachers and parents. Based on a comprehensive review of the literature and feedback from a range of experts and parent groups in Hong Kong, specific scales were developed to measure four behavioural traits identified in local school-aged children and the impact these have on their teachers and parents. Completed surveys were obtained from 914 members of school staff and 573 parents of school-aged children. This research, carried out by Chris Forlin and Paul Cooper of the Hong Kong Institute of Education, led to the identification of substantial levels of student behavioural problems in relation to educational engagement, motivation, co-operativeness and oppositionality. Evidence of emotional burden from these problems was also identified on parents and teachers. Discussion focuses on areas of potential stress in the school situation and possible points of influence in the home.
[Copyright © Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.].

This lecture explores evidence based approaches to meeting the needs of students presenting with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) in mainstream schools. It is argued that the SEBD phenomenon, although omnipresent, comes to particular public prominence in education in times of change. It is not surprising, therefore, that in a world dominated by social, economic and sustainability concerns, and in the concomitant educational climate characterized by sometimes competing emphases on performativity and social inclusion, that SEBD is a topic of particular interest in Hong Kong and across the developed world. After considering issues of definition and aetiology the focus of the lecture shifts to intervention. Particular attention is given to evidence on the qualities and skills of effective teachers and teaching in relation to SEBD, and the need for educators’ understandings of SEBD to be located within a biopsychosocial paradigm. The fundamental significance of physiological issues is discussed and the value of various empirically validated psychologically based interventions (e.g. psychodynamic, humanistic, behavioural, cognitive-behavioural and ecosystemic) is explored. Consideration is given to the sometimes neglected needs of teachers and parents in relation to SEBD. Challenges and questions elating to the cultural assumptions underpinning some of the dominant thinking in this area are discussed are also explored. Finally, policy and practice implications are addressed.
[Copyright © 2012 The Hong Kong Institute of Education]

This study aims to explore the relationships between the extent and perceived quality of teachers' experience of training in behaviour management (BM), and their awareness of the nature and extent of behavioural problems among school students, and their confidence in their own competence to deal with such problems. Teachers (n=183) from Hong Kong primary schools were surveyed. The results showed that gender, age and whether teachers have received training had no significant influence on teachers' awareness, conception and confidence regarding BM. A negative correlation was found between teachers' levels of satisfaction in relation to their training experiences and their perceptions of the level of problematic behaviours among students, and the impact of students' problematic behaviour on their teaching. A positive correlation was found between teachers' levels of satisfaction in relation to their training experiences and their confidence in their own competence to deal with students' problematic behaviour.

The article describes a comparative case study on children's agentive orientations in two Hong Kong preschools, one is play-based and the other is academically focused. Agentive orientations were measured using Reunamo's interview tool, which focuses on children's uses of accommodative and agentive orientations in everyday situations. The findings show that children in the academically oriented preschool had more uncertain and less participative orientations than those in the play-based preschool. Boys in the academically oriented setting were found to be more vulnerable than both girls and their counterparts in the play-based preschool when confronted with a conflict setting. The results indicate that the play-based environment stimulated children's capacities for agentive and participative social engagement, suggesting that play provides children with the opportunity to develop more versatile social tools and strategies. These competences are of vital importance for successful engagement in collective settings such as classrooms and schools.
[Copyright © 2015 Taylor & Francis.]