Although the relationship between the classroom learning environment and academic achievement has been explored in subject-free and disciplinary subject contexts, research into this relationship is still lacking in the context of interdisciplinary subjects. This study investigated the relationship between the classroom learning environment and student achievement in an interdisciplinary subject (i.e. liberal studies) in Hong Kong secondary schools. The mediating role of critical thinking was also explored. The participants were 410 Hong Kong secondary school graduates. The structural equation modelling analyses indicated that (1) the Content aspect of the classroom learning environment had an effect on the achievement in liberal studies, and this effect was not mediated by critical thinking; (2) the Pedagogy aspect predicted critical thinking skills, which in turn predicted the achievement in liberal studies; (3) the Relation aspect had no significant effects on critical thinking skills and student achievement in liberal studies. Suggestions on enhancing students' high-order thinking skills and achievement in interdisciplinary subjects were provided.
[Copyright of Educational Studies is the property of Routledge.]

This article reports on a case study of a Hong Kong undergraduate student's lived experiences of second language (L2) investments and identities across different contexts, including inside and outside the classroom on the university campus, in the professional workplace, and during study abroad. Findings indicate that the student's differential L2 investments across contexts appear to be closely intertwined with the different identities constructed in specific circumstances and mediated by the perceived likelihood of yielding a good return on the investments. His selective L2 investments were also found to be driven by a desire for membership in an imagined international community and an imagined identity associated with a cosmopolitan lifestyle in the projected future. The article argues for the importance of a holistic understanding of individuals' L2 learning experiences both inside and outside the classroom in order to appreciate the complexities of their variable L2 investments and identities across contexts.
[Copyright of Journal of Language, Identity, and Education is the property of Routledge.]

Out-of-class exposure to and use of the target language mediated by technological resources are essential to language learning, as foreign language learners very often encounter difficulty in accessing and processing target language in the immediate physical environments. Understanding how foreign language learners' out-of-class self-directed technology-enhanced language learning experience interacts with their learning beliefs helps inform educators of how these learners could be supported to take advantage of technological resources to enrich language learning. Interview responses from 20 undergraduate foreign language learners at a university in Hong Kong were elicited to shed light on the issue. It was found that learners' language learning beliefs and technological behaviors had a two-way cyclical interaction, and the interaction was manifested in both the nature of technological resources these learners used and the way they interacted with the resources. Furthermore, the interaction between the two was context-dependent and subject to the influence of the characteristics of self-directed out-of-class technology-enhanced language learning and associated self-concept and affective factors. The study calls for a contextualized and systemic approach towards supporting foreign language learners' autonomous technology-enhanced language learning beyond the classroom.
[Copyright of Language Awareness is the property of Routledge.]

Hong Kong kindergarten teachers, like their counterparts in many other parts of the world, face the challenges of implementing educational reforms and adopting new teaching approaches. This is especially challenging in the absence of detailed, concrete and explicit guidance on implementing new teaching approaches in daily classroom activities. The present study employed a qualitative collective case study methodology to investigate four kindergarten teachers’ perspectives and pedagogical practices in relation to the adoption and implementation of project and thematic approaches in four Hong Kong kindergarten classrooms. Three data collection methods were used, including semi-structured interviews, non-participant observations using an observation guide, and field notes. A range of strategies, including data triangulation, enhanced the credibility and dependability of the study. Key themes from the findings were identified through thematic analysis. The findings reveal that teachers were primarily focused on pedagogical practices associated with establishing and maintaining classroom discipline and rules, and ensuring children’s learning of academic skills. In the area of curriculum and pedagogical practices, the data indicated that teachers put extensive amounts of time and effort into enhancing children’s academic skills. Findings also showed that few children had free-play time. In most cases, children needed to finish their homework before they engaged in play. Such practice may affect other aspects of children’s development such as creative and critical thinking, and problem solving. With regard to discipline and rules, all teachers were concerned about children’s self-help skills and expected children to follow the classroom rules strictly. The teachers in this study frequently used demonstration and direct instructions to children to maintain classroom discipline and rules. The study found that there is resistance in Confucian-heritage cultures to children

This study reconceptualizes and operationalizes peer status in elementary school classrooms by considering both teachers’ and peers’ preferences. Within this framework, a sample of 1411 students (Grades 1-6) in Hong Kong were classified into four types based on combinations of their peers’ and teachers’ preference scores: (1) popular stars—those liked by both peers and teachers; (2) teachers’ pets—those liked by teachers but not by peers; (3) students’ heroes—those liked by peers but not by teachers; and (4) rejected—those disliked by both peers and teachers. Results of MANOVA tests revealed significant differences among the four status groups in their leadership, aggression, social withdrawal, and academic performance. Path analyses showed both similarities and differences among the four status groups in terms of students’ attributes and how they predicted teachers’ and peers’ preferences.
[Copyright © 2015 Canadian Center of Science and Education.]

The study presents a comparison between the learning approaches of first and final year students, supplemented with the teachers’ perspective at a university in Hong Kong. The study examines the learning approaches of Confucian heritage culture students and the teachers’ perspective in the context of outcome-based curricula. The results indicate that a higher proportion of final year students pursue surface learning goals than first year students. Nevertheless, the vast majority of first and final year students embrace a deep approach to learning. This is in stark contrast to the teachers’ perspective because they believe that the students generally adopt a surface approach to learning. Steps to an interactive and positive learning environment to effectively respond to outcome-based learning are provided.
[Copyright of Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.2753/CED1061-1932470103]