Educational reforms and curriculum changes are no strangers to the educational sector of Hong Kong. Every time, changes are accompanied by new aspirations. The abandonment of the old and taking up the new ideals are not always smooth and effective. There is usually a shift of emphasis on the aims of education as in the case of the primary music curriculum in Hong Kong in the last few decades. The two earliest official music syllabi issued by the Education Department in 1968 and 1976 reveal both the changes and continuity in the concept of the music curriculum. In this chapter, the author critically analyze these two syllabi to find out the principles of music education expressed explicitly and implicitly in them in the light of influential factors, such as the historical development and contemporary thoughts about music education. Basing the findings, recommendations are drawn for the music educators and researchers for their future practice. All future educational reforms should take care to fill the gap between the intended and implemented curriculum, so that the avenue leading us to our intended ideals can be clear and through.
[Copyright © 2000 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

As a major reflection on the content of the curriculum, textbooks are the main resource of teachers. The aim of this study was to analyze the content of selected series of primary music textbooks in Hong Kong. An analysis framework was designed. Data obtained from the analysis were subjected to basic descriptive statistics. Demographics including frequency and percentage distributions of the listed features were studied. The analysis was done on the micro level as well as the macro level. The intra- and inter-relationships of the content of the textbooks series were revealed. The study analyzes the proportion of music elements, music knowledge, and the types of activities presented in the textbook series. Main findings reveal that the performing of music in various forms is a dominant classroom activity while the proportion of creating music is minimal and that on the listening to music is comparatively low. Other significant results include that the number of songs of foreign origins outnumbers that of Chinese and local origins, though the language used is mostly Cantonese. Regarding music content and music activities, a comprehensive intended primary music curriculum is recommended. It is hoped that this study would furnish a basis for better refining the music curriculum and would provide insight for its future development.
[Copyright © 2000 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

This chapter describes and evaluates the extent to which the aims of the English language curriculum (1975 to 1999) in Hong Kong secondary schools have changed in response to social changes. Hong Kong society has changed from a manufacturing-based society to a financial and commercial based society. Consequently, the English curriculum has moved in three identifiable stages, from an emphasis on minimal English literacy for all (up to the age of 15) to an emphasis on communication in specific social domains and eventually to an emphasis on individuals' competence in a wide range of personally appropriate domains. In evaluating the extent to which curriculum change matches social change, the chapter assesses the extent to which the three syllabi have been/are context-compatible, and then discusses some implications for curriculum planning and teacher education in light of the assessed context-compatibility.
[Copyright © 2000 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

The establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has brought about enormous structural, social, economical, political and cultural changes to society. The government, the public, and other parties concerned find the need to cope with the multi-faceted changes by reviewing the existing systems and policies as to provide information for improvement or reform, wherever necessary. Education is undoubtedly on the reform agenda. Art education, which forms part of the core curriculum of general education and plays a role for developing an all-round being, deserves due attention. This study intends to obtain a thorough picture on the changes of the philosophy and rationale of art education in the past forty years by a descriptive study on the aims of art education in the official art syllabi of junior secondary schools. The study finds that there is a paradigm shift in art education in Hong Kong: from emotional personal experience to the cognitive and affective learning; from a single dimension of educational aims to multi-dimensional; from mere personal development to personal development, socialization, economic productivity, and further learning.
[Copyright © 2000 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

Before the return of sovereignty of Hong Kong to China in 1997, Hong Kong had always been described as "a borrowed place, a borrowed time." The society was highly depoliticized that little attention was paid to civic education before 1980s. But in response to the social, political, and constitutional changes caused by the return of sovereignty, the Hong Kong Education Department had published two Guidelines on Civic Education in Schools in 1985 and 1996. The intention was to equip the youth of Hong Kong to face the challenges ahead. This chapter compares the two Guidelines with reference to aims and objectives, ideologies, conceptual framework, and focus of the content. It can be concluded that at least at the curriculum document level, civic education in Hong Kong has made a big step forward, in responding to the social and political challenges. But a lot has to been done on implementation so as to make the practice in schools successful.
[Copyright © 2000 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

In Hong Kong, except for Art and Craft and Physical Education, official approved school textbooks for pupils and handbooks for teachers are widely used in primary schools. When Art and craft primary teachers in Hong Kong plan for their lessons, they can only follow the official curriculum prepared by the Curriculum Development Council of the Education Department of Hong Kong. Thus, the official curriculum plays a very important role in guiding the primary Art and Craft teachers in planning their taught curriculum. In the first part of this chapter, a brief historical account on the introduction of art education in Hong Kong is given. Then, the chapter examines the developmental trend of the aims of the planned Hong Kong Primary Schools Art and Craft Curriculum from the 1950s to the 1990s. Finally, it discusses both the external and internal factors that influence the art education in Hong Kong.
[Copyright © 2000 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

Social education in the primary education arena of Hong Kong has taken many forms. This chapter traces the development of Social Studies in the formal curriculum of local primary schools from the 1960s to the 1990s. It critically analyzes the foci of change as stated in the curriculum documents. Based on these official documents, the relationship between the curriculum intent and pedagogy advocated is discussed with reference to the current literature. Learning activities suggested in the syllabi of various decades are compared on a continuum of teaching-learning strategies and evaluated against stated learning targets. Their implications on teaching styles are discussed. Criteria for selecting activities are recommended for readers' reference. This chapter ends with recommendations for further investigation. It is hopeful that the chapter will become a useful reference for investigations on social education in primary schools in terms of curriculum and pedagogy advocated for effective learning.
[Copyright © 2000 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

Comprehensive studies on the Hong Kong primary science curriculum are rare. This study is to fill the knowledge gap by examining the science curricula for all primary grade levels from the 1960s to 1990s in Hong Kong. Critical features related to the most important aspects of the intended curriculum are identified and compared, thereby identifying the trends of primary science curriculum development in local context. It is found that the area of learning related to science and technology will become indispensable in the new educational innovation.
[Copyright © 2000 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]