While Hong Kong students excel at international tests in mathematics, they do not display corresponding attitudes toward mathematics learning. This study examined 10 Hong Kong Secondary 6 students' perceptions of learning mathematics (experiential curriculum) and their perceived factors that limited the development of students' positive attitudes toward mathematics learning in the New Senior Secondary mathematics curriculum by content analysis of their responses in the interviews. Although the participants in this study expected to learn mathematics by "conceptual learning" and the authentic applications of mathematics, they experienced rote-and-drilling-dominated learning approaches in mathematics education, which had succeeded in developing their numerical senses and problem-solving skills but failed to develop their sense of creativity and positive attitudes toward mathematics. The practical mentality and the examination-oriented culture in Hong Kong were the perceived factors that caused such situations.香港學生於不同的國際數學評測中都表現優越，但他們對學習數學並未展現出相應的態度。本研究探討10名香港中六學生對學習數學的看法。研究員對學生的訪問回應進行了內容分析，從中了解阻礙學生發展出對學習高中數學課程的良好態度的因素。學生雖然期望能透過概念學習和應用數學於日常環境來學習數學，但他們總是經歷死記硬背及不斷操練的方式來學習。此方式或許能有效發展學生的數感和解難能力，但未能幫助他們建立創意和良好的數學態度。務實心態和應試文化是學生最重視的因素。 Copyright © 2022 香港中文大學香港教育研究所.

Hong Kong, a leading city of China, is a place with students having good examination results but being regarded as incapable of thinking critically. In 2005, the Education Bureau decided to make Liberal Studies as a core subject and aroused controversial debate. This change, proposing to use a core subject to nurture student critical thinking skills, is a drastic curriculum change in this society. This study, inquiring into the perceptions and practices of teachers teaching Liberal Studies, consists of two research questions. First, how do teachers perceive the aims and nature of the core subject Liberal Studies in the new curriculum? Second, how do they nurture the critical thinking habits of students in their classroom? Qualitative study was conducted to investigate teachers’ perception and practices of critical thinking in Liberal Studies. Both interview and documentary analysis are used in this study. First, the researcher interviewed five Liberal Studies teachers, who were experienced in teaching Liberal Studies. Each teacher individually attended the interview for about one hour. The researcher audio-recorded the conversation and transcribed word by word. Second, in order to follow up with interviews, teachers were invited to provide supporting materials such as teaching plan for further analysis. The study showed that a positive side in this reform. Teachers with strong perceptions for nurturing critical thinking skills of pupils were empathetic in teaching Liberal Studies. Teachers had initiated various methods to provide students opportunities to reflect on thinking and learning, which were drastically differed from traditional culture of Hong Kong. This study also showed that teachers’ perception of critical thinking skills in Liberal Studies also influences their practices in teaching the discipline. However, with the traditional pedagogical culture and examination bounded system, shifting from transmission of knowledge to nurturing critical thinking

In major curriculum reforms, there are inevitably gaps between design and implementation issues, taking the introduction of liberal studies (LS) into the senior secondary curriculum in Hong Kong as a classic example. The current paper illustrates how the implementation of LS as a compulsory core subject has impacted noticeably on Hong Kong senior secondary education. The LS curriculum setup is somewhat different from traditional subjects due to both the interdisciplinary nature of its design and the conceptions of learning, teaching, and assessment. The current study therefore attempts to portray the delicate balance that exists between the desirability ans feasibility of LS curriculum reform through interviewing members of the working group on the review of the academic structure for senior secondary education and interface with higher education. The study reports that, while LS policy makers considered both desirability and feasibility angles of the LS curriculum in their initial planning, the implementation of the LS public examination and teacher training to support the radical curriculum innovation fell short of expectations. Findings in the study clearly indicate that much more should be taken into account in respect of the dominance of an examination culture as well as teachers’ professional development when making major curriculum design changes.
[Copyright © 2016 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.]

Conceptions of 'soft' and 'hard' policy are now commonly discussed in the policy literature concerned with multi-level systems of governance (Abbott et al., 2000; Torenvlied et al., 2004; Cini, 2001; Hertin et al., 2003; Koulaimah-Gabriel et al., 1997). Such conceptions have been useful ways of delineating different incentives, pressures and motivations for policy implementation. On the one hand implementation can be directed by legislation and regulatory monitoring with the possibility of sanctions for non-compliance ('hard' policy) or it can come in the form of recommendations, education campaigns and strong advocacy ('soft' policy). The application of these conceptions to education policy making is relatively new (Fok, Kennedy and Chan, 2005; Chan, Kennedy and Fok, 2005). It is clear from this work that the concepts of 'hard' and 'soft' policy are useful in understanding aspects of education policy implementation by focusing on the nature of policy and its potential to influence subsequent implementation outcomes. It is equally clear that some adaptation needs to be made to the original meanings underlying these constructs if the full potential of the ideas are to be exploited. The purpose of this paper is to reinterpret the meanings of 'hard' and 'soft' policy with reference to particular case studies of curriculum reform and in particular to focus on the Hong Kong context that provides a unique set of influences governing both curriculum policy and its implementation.

Hong Kong is famous for its examination-dominated culture, which heavily relies on the public examinations. So ingrained has it become that the whole society is sensitive to any change in such an assessment mechanism. In recent years, the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority has used both external and school-based assessment as part of high stakes end of schooling assessment. Recent reforms have increased this reliance on school based assessment. The objectivity of external assessment is easily accepted by the society and the addition of school-based assessment components is often supported by tertiary institutions. Yet the practice of including school-based assessment results in addition to public examinations has been challenged by practitioners such as teachers in secondary schools as well as by the public. This paper focuses on understanding the views of teachers concerning school based assessment since such views are likely to add pressure to its implementation. In particular it will examine why teachers and the public appear to have more faith in external assessment rather than the professional judgment of teachers.

This paper will report the initial results of a pilot study which will investigate to what extent the use of portfolio assessment is implemented by teachers in public schools in Hong Kong. Levels of acceptance, successful and not successful methodologies and attitudes will be identified. School subject teachers' and principals' perception will be assessed with respect to the implementation process of portfolio assessment strengths, weaknesses, limitations; and how these perceptions have changed over the years since the use of portfolio assessment was first implemented. Constraints and problems identified with the use of portfolio assessment in the schools and classrooms will be investigated. The Project is seen to be important to both Hong Kong and HKIEd as Hong Kong schools move toward reforming the assessment system which will include the use of portfolios. Currently portfolio assessment is underutilized in Hong Kong even though recent policy and reform documents have called for this type of alternate student assessment. The recent call by the HK Examination Authority to review the public examination system also speaks to forms of alternative assessment, including portfolio assessment. However, few education officials thoroughly understand the impact for such an assessment strategy and have done little to prepare teachers and administrators. It is therefore felt that this study can significantly direct the work of educators in a leadership role with a strategy for implementing alternative assessment strategies such as portfolio assessment for education across Hong Kong.

Large-scale curriculum reform initiated 2001 in Hong Kong has set the stage for change in the school curriculum as well as assessment. In the past, Hong Kong education was characterized by its elitist system with highly selective examinations at different levels of learning. The selective examination oriented policy had its influential impact on the schooling of Hong Kong where teaching and learning were inclined towards examinations. Since 1990, there have been changes in the assessment policy in the school curriculum with more emphasis on formative assessment, e.g. Target Oriented Curriculum. The new forms of assessment have therefore posed a different teaching and learning environment for the schools, teachers and students. By looking at the previous experiences regarding implementation in the local context, this paper will analyze various aspects of implementation of assessment policies adopted by the schools in Hong Kong. Implications will also be drawn to address the possibilities of implementation for the current policy.

This study is the second phase of a long term evaluation exercise namely: An Evaluation of the 9-year Compulsory Education of Hong Kong. This research is planned to focus on the following areas to delineate the causes of students' learning problems which have not been addressed thoroughly and deeply enough during the first phase: A. the nature (selective vs. universal education) of the formal and instructional curriculum; B. teachers' knowledge and belief learned from teacher education institutions; C. classroom climate and students' cognitive and effective learning process.

Stress is an inseparable part of teacher development (Fimian and Blanton, 1986; Kelly and Berthelsen, 1995). The present study tries to look at late entrants' stress experiences when undertaking teacher training programme in the Hong Kong Institute of Education. The research focuses on the strategies adopted by late entrants to cope with stress during teaching practice. The subjects of the study were formerly professionals in industries but were attracted to enroll in teaching training course. It is a small scale empirical study using stress log (Gmelch, 1993), recordings of group sharing meetings and interviews to investigate into the ways student teachers deal with stress. Qualitative research procedures were employed for data analysis. Various strategies were adopted by the student teachers. It is found that these subjects used both generic and idiosyncratic strategies to cope with stress. They also showed some interesting perception on handling difficult situations in the classroom. Useful implications are found for assisting student teachers in coping with stress.