This paper reports on a treatment program for children with developmental dyslexia (specific reading disability) administered at the Developmental Dyslexia Clinic of the University of Hong Kong. Recent research attempts to relate poor reading abilities of dyslexics to the poor development of metalinguistic awareness (an awareness about the structure of orthography). The basic hypothesis behind this treatment program is that by fostering the flexible application of phonological regularity and consistency rules in reading, the reading performance of dyslexia children will improve. The training program is divided into three phases: the establishment of phonological regularity awareness in the first phase, the building of phonological consistency awareness in the second phase and the flexible application of regularity and consistency rules in the third phase. Results indicate that there is an overall improvement in post-treatment reading scores of the Hong Kong Graded Chinese Character Naming Test (HKGCNT). The probe results also reveal the corresponding effect of manipulating treatment materials on performance. The results suggest that the program is affecting the reading strategies used by the clients and is effective in improving reading performance. 本文報告在香港大學兒童讀寫障礙診所進行的三組療程。近期的研究指出，讀障學童的閱讀能力是由於元語言意識的發展不足所致。元語言意識是指讀者對文字結構的意識。讀者自行分析字型、語言和語義之間的關係，整理出一套形音義規則，再將規則靈活地應用在閱讀上。本療程的基本假設是︰如學童能靈活地運用中文字的語音規則性 (phonological regularity) 和語音一貫性 (phonological consistency) 規則，他們的閱讀能力會得以提升。療程分為三個階段:第一階段建立語音規則性的意識；第二階段建立語音一貫性的意識；第三階段促進語音規則和一貫性意識的靈活運用。結果顯示在治療後，學童在《香港中文單字閱讀測試》的表現有明顯的進步。在每節治療後進行的測驗則顯示，治療中所選用的字詞類別直接影響學童的元語言意識發展和閱讀策略，有提升閱讀能力的效果。
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Research in the area of student's learning approaches has been conducted by numerous educators since the late 1970's (e.g. Marton & Saljo, 1976; Ramsden & Entwistle, 1981; Biggs, 1985, 1987). Marton & Saljo (1976) have suggested two basic approaches to learning, viz. "surface" and "deep" approach. A surface approach describes the intention to reproduce information in compliance with externally imposed task demands while a deep approach involved an intention to understand. Biggs (1985, 1987, 1993) added a third one, the "achieving" approach. According to Biggs (1993), the achieving approach is based on the ego-enhancement aiming at the achievement of high grades. Similar to the surface approach, the focus is not task-centred but on the recognition gained from top performance. The strategy is to organize time, workplace, and syllabus coverage cost effectively, with much use of cue-seeking, systematic use of study skills, planning ahead, allocating time according to task importance. Biggs (1985, 1987) has developed two different versions of questionnaires in his survey study with Australian tertiary and high school students, viz. "Study Process Questionnaire" (SPQ) and "Learning Process Questionnaire" (LPQ) respectively. Many of these studies of learning approaches were conducted with university / college students in western countries to identify what kind of study approaches were adopted and to relate the chosen study approaches with other variables such as academic achievement. Judith's (1992) study of the learning processes in distance learning students concluded that deep motivation was a way to success, but to succeed in gaining credit and good grades, deep strategy, achieving motive and achieving strategy were also needed. This was in support of the meaning assigned by Biggs to achieving approach. Studies employing Biggs' instruments have also been replicated in various situations and contexts, (e.g. Biggs, 1992; Watkins & Hattie, 1981, 1985; Watkins & Ismail, 1994

Recent research in student learning has focussed on areas of individual differences such as the cognition of causal attributions and attributional styles. Studies in these areas have flourished in the last two decades and have received much attention especially within the context of academic setting. Academic causal attributions reflect the ways students perceive and explain the causes for their academic outcomes. It has been reported that causal attributions have influence on students' emotional responses, performance, and motivation depending on the locus of causality, stability and controllability. Research findings have also suggested that causal attributions are related with a number of variables including self-concept, learning approaches and achievement outcomes. This study investigates into a group of Hong Kong preservice student teachers' causal attributions and their implications for teacher educators. The participants' attributional dimensions were assessed by McAuley's Causal Dimension Scale (II) which comprised four subscales: locus of causality, personal control, stability and external control. The results showed that the internal consistency reliability estimates were of adequate value for research purposes. Construct validity was tested by confirmatory factor analysis using LISREL 8 and the goodness of fit indices supported the factor structure of the scale. Statistical results also showed that the participants scored lower in locus of causality and personal control but scored higher in stability and external control. On comparison with other local university students, these student teachers were shown to be less internal in locus of causality and have a weaker belief in personal control. They also showed higher scores in both stability and external control than their university counterparts. It is suggested that teacher educators could help facilitate the development of an adaptive attributional style which emphasizes internality and personal control

A survey study was conducted to examine the relationship among achievement goal orientations, study strategies and achievement of a sample of teacher education students in Hong Kong. Multivariate data analyses showed there was no significant difference in achievement goal orientations across discipline and programme groups but there was a significant difference in achievement goals between male and female students. The difference was found in performance goal. Analysis of the study strategies showed no significant difference across gender, discipline and programme groups. Correlational and path analysis shown learning goal was significantly and positively related to deep strategy but negatively and significantly related to surface strategy. Performance goal was significantly related to both surface and deep strategies. However, academic achievement was not significantly related to learning and performance goals or surface and deep strategies. The results were discussed in terms of socio-cultural factors and implications were drawn for teaching and learning as well as future directions of research.
[Copyright © 2005 De La Salle University, Philippines.]

Survey study by means of a questionnaire on achievement goal orientations was conducted with four hundred and seventy-three pre-service student teachers of the Hong Kong Institute of Education. Two contrasting goals were identified, namely: learning goals and performance goals. Psychometric properties of the questionnaire gave support to its applicability in the local context. Statistical analyses indicated there was no significant difference in achievement goal orientations with courses and electives but sex. Female students were found to be more performance goal oriented than male students. Explanation of the differences in achievement goal orientations within sex group was sought in terms of socio-cultural factors. Implications were drawn for teacher educators to consider in the future planning and development of teacher education programmes.
[Copyright of Hong Kong Teachers' Centre Journal is the property of Hong Kong Teachers' Centre at http://www.edb.org.hk/hktc]

Pintrich et al. (1993) had developed the MSLQ (Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire), which was a self-report, Likert-scaled instrument designed to assess motivation and use of learning strategies by College students. The motivation part of this instrument was used to tap into 3 broad domains, viz. (1) value (intrinsic and extrinsic goal orientation, and task value); (2) expectancy (control beliefs about learning, self-efficacy); and (3) affect (test anxiety). The learning strategies part was composed of nine scales that can be recognized as cognitive, metacognitive, and resource management strategies. The instrument had demonstrated robust scale reliabilities, and confirmatory factor analyses revealed good factor structure. The questionnaire was adopted and translated into Chinese and a bilingual formatted questionnaire was administered to the pre-service teacher education students in Hong Kong. The objectives of this study was threefold. The first one was to identify the motivated learning strategies prevailing in the Hong Kong teacher education students. The second one was to examine if there was any significant differences in the learning strategies between gender and the third one was to investigate whether there were any significant electives difference in the learning behaviours of the student teachers. The findings certainly would give meaningful implications on the planning and development of teacher education program in views of the motivated learning strategies adopted by student teachers as related to different gender and electives.
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This study examined the interrelationship among achievement goals, study strategies and achievement of 473 students in a Hong Kong tertiary institution by means of questionnaire survey. Correlational analyses showed that performance goal was significantly and positively related to both surface and deep strategies while learning goal was significantly and positively related to deep strategy but negatively related to surface strategy. However there was no significant relation between achievement and goals or achievement and study strategies held by the sample. The results validated the applicability of an adapted instrument developed in western countries to measure achievement goal orientations in the Hong Kong context. It also gave support to the western findings that students who hold learning goals usually adopt a deep approach of study while students who are performance goal orientated tend to be shallow in study approach. Nevertheless, it was interesting to find that achievement was not significantly related to either the goals or study strategies held by students in the sample. The results were in contrast to the usual assumption that students who are performance goal oriented and adopt shallow approach in study would score low in academic achievement. Further investigation would be necessary to verify the effects of these variables on achievement of students.
[Copyright of Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) at http://www.aare.edu.au]