Hong Kong's policy of academic banding, whereby students are placed in secondary schools according to factors such as test scores and available places, often influences the type of education a student receives. In the area of technology education, with subjects such as Design & Technology (D&T), the programs vary, depending on the band of student in the program. This study examined pupils' attitudes toward technology and what effect the characteristics of banding and subjects such as D&T had on attitudes. Using a 58-item instrument to gauge Pupils' Attitudes Toward Technology, over 3,000 students were surveyed from 17 schools. Of these schools, seven were from upper band (1&2), while ten were from lower band schools (4&5). Basic characteristics of the students' were obtained on such areas as mother's and father's occupation, computers at home, and whether or not they have taken "technology" subjects such as D&T in school. Attitudes were grouped in categories of "Interest", "Role Patterns", "Technology is Difficulty", Consequences of Technology", "School Curriculum", and "Career Aspirations". The results indicated interactions with three of the six attitude categories. The results suggested a review of the approach to teaching technology and student access to such courses is required.

As a subject in Hong Kong secondary schools, Design & Technology (D&T) is influenced by four factors. First, for many years, the subject of Design & Technology was offered almost exclusively to boys, with girls only being allowed to take Home Economics. Recently however, girls are now having the opportunity to take D&T as a required subject in schools. Second, although some schools have allowed girls to take D&T for several years, some have only just started this practice. As a result, some girls have studied D&T from secondary one to three, while others may only be having their initial experience as a secondary three student. Third, the content and teaching of D&T varies from school to school, and depends on the type of syllabus followed and facilities available. Fourth, not all secondary schools in Hong Kong offer D&T, meaning a large number of both boys and girls have never experienced the subject.
To examine Hong Kong pupils' attitudes toward technology, a Pupils' Attitudes Toward Technology (PATT2-HK) study was conducted with over 2,800 students in 22 secondary schools. This study duplicated the first PATTHK research conducted earlier (Volk & Yip, 1999), and the findings were compared. More specifically, given the immense changes that occurred in just a few short years relating to D&T program availability, facilities, and subject content, this study was undertaken to determine whether or not the proactive measures to ensure that all students have the opportunity to participate in D&T were in fact having a positive impact on pupils' attitudes toward technology. From this PATT2-HK study and examination made of current factors, recommendations as to the impact and future direction of D&T in Hong Kong are made.
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