In recent years, studies have discussed how to introduce computational thinking (CT) concepts in mathematics education through mobile app development. In this study, the design of mathematics lessons based on the 5E instructional model to extend the idea of CT in a mobile technology environment (i.e., mobile CT) was investigated. Twenty-three primary five students in Hong Kong participated in this study. The teacher taught the students how to develop a mobile calculation game to learn the mathematical concept “area” through paper prototyping and mobile app development activities. Using a design-based research approach, the study examined students’ performance and behavior in the classroom to acquire mathematics knowledge and mobile CT. Qualitative conversation analysis was used to interpret teacher-student interaction, code files, and screen captures of students’ work. The analysis provided evidence on how students constructed mathematics concepts about “area” and built their mobile calculation games using mobile CT concepts, practices, and perspectives. The results propose the use of the 5E instructional model to enhance students’ engagement in and motivation for mathematics learning and strengthen their problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and communication and collaboration skills. Mobile CT-integrated mathematics lessons suggest ways for future educators to incorporate other mathematics topics into CT education. This study recommends that the 5E instructional model could be suitable for the instructional design of primary school CT-integrated mathematics curriculum. A set of design principles for integrating CT into mathematics curriculum is recommended. Copyright © 2025 The Author(s).

To promote computational thinking in mathematics education, Scratch is used to foster students' computational thinking and mathematical understanding. However, students face challenges in block-based programming environments, such as having low motivation, high anxiety, and cognitive loads. This study combined the pedagogical values of Geogebra and Scratch to enhance primary students' learning outcomes in computational thinking. We investigated two interventions (solely Scratch and Scratch combined with Geogebra) among 72 Hong Kong fifth-grade students. We found that students who learned computational thinking using Scratch and Geogebra had higher motivation, perceived ability, and lower cognitive load than those who only used Scratch. However, students' anxiety had no significant difference between the two groups. In addition, Students faced more challenges and gained less positive learning outcomes in Scratch group. The use of Geogebra can better complement Scratch in teaching computational thinking in primary mathematics classrooms. We identified the potential of using Geogebra to visualize mathematical knowledge and help students apply what they have learned in block-based languages. Pedagogical implications are provided for instructional design and teaching strategies of computational thinking integrated with STEM education. Copyright © 2025 Elsevier.

Along with the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, the educational systems in the world faced challenges due to the school lockdown and the change from face-to-face to online learning mode to adapt to the emergency health issue. The present chapter reviews the digital divide issues during the pandemic of COVID-19 over three years (2020-2022) in Hong Kong. Regarding the three levels of the digital divide (access, usage, and outcome), this chapter collected and analyzed secondary sources of literature to understand the extent to which digital resources were unevenly distributed among students from different backgrounds in Hong Kong and how various social sectors provided timely support to address these needs. The result showed the good practice of Hong Kong, in terms of the efforts made by multiple parties to provide prompt support to fill the gap of the digital access divide. Nevertheless, the gap in digital capability across individual students may have enduring impacts on their academic study and personal growth, which have not been sufficiently addressed. Copyright © 2025 selection and editorial matter, Huixuan Xu; individual chapters, the contributors.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers faced challenges conducting data collection. However, emerging communication technologies, such as web-conferencing platforms, provided an alternative mode of data collection. Among these platforms, Zoom stands out for its functional affordances and unique features that support data collection methods, including screen-capturing, digital photography, drawing, polling, and artifact-based interviews, which attempt to reveal a child's viewpoint and ability. In this article, we explore the feasibility of using Zoom to conduct educational research by investigating the mathematical learning experience among 26 primary 1 and 2 students in Hong Kong on two topics—understanding time and addition and subtraction. Five mathematics teachers were recruited to participate in 2-month online workshops with assessments among three groups of students to understand the suitability for data collection. Based on teachers’ observations and students’ responses, our findings suggest that Zoom is a viable and effective tool for qualitative data collection. It offers a cost-effective method for researchers and educators to examine students’ mathematical performance in an online environment. We also investigate students’ perceptions of online assessment strategies, perceived usefulness of various Zoom functions, and explore the benefits and challenges teachers and students perceived throughout mathematical education using Zoom. However, several technical difficulties were encountered, such as the digital literacy gap and privacy concerns. Therefore, improving students’ digital literacy for remote learning and triangulation is important for online mathematical data collection and assessments. Copyright © 2023 The Author(s).

The COVID-19 pandemic forced Chinese cross-border students in Hong Kong to participate in online homeschooling for three years while local students attended face-to-face schooling when the situation released. Previous studies have explored the learning challenges or educational inequity among students in online learning during the pandemic. Limited studies explored the educational inequality between local students and cross-border students. To fill this gap, this study explored the extent of educational inequity between Hong Kong local students and Chinese cross-border students. It further investigated the elements that lead to educational inequity between these two groups of students and the long-term consequences of prolonged purely online learning for Chinese cross-border students. This study compared self-regulated learning, perceived academic achievement, and learning challenges between 35 cross-border students and 32 local students in Hong Kong primary schools. According to the questionnaire and open-ended opinion surveys, the findings showed significant evidence of educational inequity between these two groups of students. Through six teachers' semi-structured interviews, the study analyzed students' learning experiences and synthesized the elements contributing to the issue of educational inequity. The study attributed this inequity to infrastructure elements and stakeholder-related elements. Prolonged purely online learning has resulted in negative and positive effects. This study offers practical implications for the government to implement feasible policies to reduce educational inequity in cross-border education and for stakeholders to conduct effective measures to support young learners in the post-COVID world. Lastly, this study discusses the limitations and recommendations for future research. Copyright ©2023 Springer.

Due to the varied social inequities, the pandemic has prompted unprecedented attention to the social divides in learning gains via online/blended learning. It has been identified that approximately 27,000 Chinese cross-border students live on the Mainland but attend Hong Kong schools every day. The pandemic has restricted the passage of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong border, and these students suffer greatly as they may still be forced to attend online lessons at home for over two years, even if schools return to face-to-face teaching. This study is a 2-year longitudinal case study with a purposeful sampling of a primary school that has over 70% of Chinese cross-border students. A mixed-methods approach was adopted to examine students' online learning experiences via teachers' interviews. Regarding their learning challenges, 35 students were invited to complete a 5-point Online Self-regulated Learning Questionnaire (OSLQ) and an open-ended opinion survey, which was then triangulated with teachers' feedback. First, this study has identified three major challenges that cross-border students suffer the most in online learning: self-regulation strategies, technical challenges, and social interaction. Second, several teaching strategies have been found to offer additional support (e.g., after-school classes and learning centers in Shenzhen) for cross-border students to sustain their online learning and alleviate their learning challenges. Based on these findings, this study contributes to documenting the learning challenges for cross-border students during the pandemic, which provides insights for other schools to facilitate cross-border education and develop appropriate online learning strategies for cross-border students. Copyright © 2023 International Forum of Educational Technology & Society.

We presented a design-based study within the context of a four-session Scratch programming activity among 23 fourth-grade students in Hong Kong. Inspired by the computational thinking (CT) strategies and the 5E instructional model, we investigated students’ mathematical learning of fractions in a Scratch (block-based programming) environment. Students developed CT concepts, practices, and perspectives by building a “fraction magic calculator” in groups. This study analyzed the lesson design, students’ drawings, interviews, and work expressing their mathematical understanding of fractions in Scratch applications. The learning tasks were designed to support the students’ fraction learning and utilized computational abstractions in the form of variables, functions, and iterations to formulate mathematical models in a programming context. Students’ artifacts and feedback showed they were interested in learning fractions in a programming learning context, contributing to exercising and improving their fraction concepts and CT. Ultimately, we emphasized the benefits of CT integrated into mathematics education, promoting students’ understanding of fraction concepts, a set of CT abilities (concepts, practices, perspectives), and learning motivation. Moreover, we suggested a set of non-cognitive skills (e.g., socializing, expressing) to enrich the CT perspectives in the framework and show the importance of developing coding communities to co-create digital artifacts among learners. Overall, we highlighted that mathematics teachers should apply and create learning tasks that promote computational thinking to forge mathematical ideas and thinking. Copyright © 2023 The Author(s).