In this case study, the author research on the current teaching phenomena of Paper 3: Creating of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination Elective Subjects: Music. The examination has been implemented after the curriculum reform of the senior secondary school since 2012 where music composition becomes one of the compulsory assessment. According to the Curriculum and Assessment Guide (Secondary 4-6) Music by the Curriculum Development Council and the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, the assessment objective is to create and arrange music using appropriate compositional devices, and explain the use of music elements in compositional devices of their compositions. Without any prior experiences in the teaching composing for public examination in the past, schools have adopted different models to teach composition which include hiring external company and tutor to teach; forming a joint-school network; and teaching the whole curriculum by the school teacher. This qualitative study contributes to the understanding of the current HKDSE learning and teaching situation with a focus on the perspectives from school music teachers and composer-instructors. Copyright © 2021 Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Australia.

The discourse around combining local, national and international languages constitutes an important issue in the global education agenda (Kirkpatrick and Chau 2008). Ideas about how trilingual education ought to be designed and implemented vary across stakeholders. This study explores (1) the beliefs which early childhood education (ECE – ECE refers to teaching of young children up to the age of six) principals, teachers and parents exhibit about trilingual preschool education in Hong Kong; (2) the challenges in the trilingual preschool implementation processes, and (3) the mechanisms employed by ECE principals for coping with these challenges. Semi-structured interviews and observations were conducted to collect data from four preschools, and these were supplemented with documentary analysis. Findings indicate that the inconsistent beliefs among stakeholders about the aims of trilingual education and language choice, curriculum design, and instruction (pedagogy and activities) in trilingual preschools are the major challenge administrators-principals encountered impacting the implementation process. Teachers who lack professional knowledge and skills in the provision of trilingual education are also problematic. Moreover, the recruitment of native-speaking teachers of the target language is difficult due to perceived heavy workloads and poor pay. Findings also make evident important implications for policymakers, principals and professional development. Copyright © 2021 Taylor & Francis Ltd.

This study sought to investigate the impact of world Englishes (WE) and English as a lingua franca (ELF) research on Hong Kong's ELT curricula and textbooks over the past four decades in three areas: (1) language standards, norms and models; (2) language and intercultural awareness; and (3) strategies for international communication. Based on qualitative and quantitative content analysis, the findings suggest that WE/ELF research has influenced Hong Kong's English language education mainly by accommodating to the changing role of English (from a colonial to international language) and the evolving language use contexts, but there has been little engagement with the pluricentric view of language varieties and variation. The paper offers suggestions to initiate changes that could better accommodate WE/ELF research in the gradual ELT development. Copyright ©Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

As a result of globalization, kindergarten curriculum frameworks in Asia have been strongly influenced by Western theories, pedagogies, and values. In this article, we argue that Singapore's Nurturing Early Learners and Hong Kong's Kindergarten Education Curriculum Guide present key notions that are inconsistent with cultural values that are deeply rooted in these two societies. To overcome the challenges these inconsistencies trigger for teachers, principals, teacher educators, and parents, we advocate for the design of 'glocal' (global/local, explicitly hybrid) curriculum frameworks, based on principles that are culturally appropriate and socially situated. Drawing on recent research studies, we analyze current curriculum/practice gaps in relation to the notions of Child-Centeredness, Quality Interactions, Creativity and Self-Expression, and Play. In seeking the global/local balance that is needed in Singapore and Hong Kong, four alternative glocal notions are proposed: Child-Appropriateness, Pedagogical Quality, Arts Engagement, and Child-Led Activities. We conclude there is an urgent need for generating a solid corpus of local research in both jurisdictions, which should guide subsequent curriculum reforms and teacher preparation models. Our final aim is to contribute to early childhood education policy discussions in Asia, against the background of internationalization. Copyright © 2020 The Author(s).

要進一步完善課程與教學改革，我們必需加強理論與實踐的對話。本文第一部分探討課程與教學理論與實踐之間的關係，以及兩者出現差距的原因；第二部分探討實踐者研究（或教師研究）作為強化理論與實踐的對話之一個取向，並根據有關文獻探究，將實踐者研究的目的、與學術研究的關聯、溝通方式組成一個初步架構，亦會討論香港一些實踐者研究（如行動研究）的例子；第三部分探討課程與教學理論工作者的研究取向如何在實踐層面有助於課程與教學改革，並對學術的理解，以及大學與學校建立夥伴關係的定位作一審視。To further improve curriculum and instructional reforms, we need to strengthen the dialogue between theory and practice. This article is divided into three parts. The first part explores the relationship between curriculum and instructional theories and practices as well as reasons behind the discrepancy between theory and practice. The second part discusses the practitioner research (or teacher research) as one of the approaches for reinforcing the dialogue between theory and practice. This part refers to Zeichner and Noffke’s literature review and formulates an initial framework based on the components of purposes, relevance with academic research, and modes of communication. Examples of practitioner research (e.g., action research) in Hong Kong will be discussed. The third part highlights how the research approach of experts on curriculum and instructional theories (scholars) enhances curriculum and instructional reforms as well as examines the understanding of scholarship (e.g., Boyer’s scholarships of discovery, integration, application and teaching) and the orientations of university and school partnerships. Copyright © 2004 北京大學.

The Methodist Church of Hong Kong has promoted a life education programme since 2004, and has progressively applied it in all affiliated schools. This article analyses the characteristics of the latest primary school life education curriculum compiled by this Christian school sponsoring body. There are three significant findings: 1) religious elements remain rich in the four strands of life education the Universe, oneself, other people, and environment; 2) biblical stories have been removed, but Christian beliefs are integrated into the curriculum materials and summaries in terms of Christian role models and the Holy Scriptures, in order to develop students' relevant values, good character and positive attitudes towards life; and 3) the importance of prayer as a religious practise for action. The intended curriculum demonstrates how religious elements like Christian beliefs can be applied in secular education to build students' sense of meaning and purpose in life.
[Copyright of Journal of Beliefs & Values-Studies in Religion & Education is the property of Routledge.]

This paper explores how notions of race, ethnicity, and blood are mobilized in educational texts in Hong Kong. It elaborates how civic identity is racialized as part of a nationalist education operating beneath the surface of expressed commitments to global citizenship, human rights, etc., in curriculum and textbooks. Many have commented on how cultural and ethnic ties are prioritized over political principles as bases for civic education in Asian societies. These cultural/ethnic bases should be critically examined, however, as they imply racial/ethnic exclusions. Examining how race, ethnicity, and blood are used to justify cultural framings of civic identity leads to questions about how education can be used to unify some, while alienating others from a sense of belonging and community. I argue that racialization of Hong Kong civic identity is not a happy solution for all members of society, and for more inclusive visions of identity in education.
[Copyright of Discourse-Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education is the property of Routledge.]

Service-Learning has become a prominent term in Higher Education settings.Because of its nature,other similar key terms;for instance,Community learning,Internship,Practicum,and Volunteer work are often used in comparison.Nonetheless,they could be differentiated based on their ultimate goals.All the above works are done in communities,for,and with communities but Service-learning has two dimensions which are to Serve and to Learn.In certain circumstances,learning might not occur while serving;hence,reflection activities should take place in order to bridge community service to content-learning(Bringle,Phillips,& Hudson,2004).Service-learning is defined as as an educational approach that allow students to apply their knowledge from classroom when participating in community activities(Bringle,Reeb,Brown,& Ruiz,2016).Not only an approach,it could be also an undergraduate course,a program,or a project depending on each university.Sometimes it is taking place as a partnership work between two universities locally or other times as an international collaboration.This qualitative research study with 14 participants seeks to investigate a Servicelearning partnership project between a university in Cambodia,Royal University of Phnom Penh(RUPP)and Hong Kong Polytechnic University(PolyU).RUPP students and their facilitators were interviewed after they returned from Service-learning project trip entitled “Healthy Lifestyle Challenges in Developing Communities”.The objectives of the study were to examine how Service-learning was integrated to the curriculum of RUPP,what challenges,experiences,and success that students and facilitators faced during the project implementation.The findings indicated that Service-learning has not been officially integrated to the curriculum of RUPP yet.It was only introduced as part of a summer project which RUPP students could apply for volunteer to work in partners with PolyU students in order to assist them accomplishing their Service-learning course

The present study evaluated the implementation and impact of the "general university requirements" (GUR) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative methods included a four-year longitudinal online survey, Collegiate Learning Assessment Plus (CLA+), and secondary analyses of student feedback data in different years. Qualitative methods included focus groups and qualitative evaluation forms involving students and teachers as well as a longitudinal case study. Results showed that students displayed positive development based on different developmental indicators of the five desired graduate attributes of PolyU in their study of the four-year program. Both students and teachers also generally showed positive perceptions of the GUR, with reference to its subject content, teaching and learning, and benefits. Several major concerns regarding the GUR were also identified.
[Copyright of International Journal of Child & Adolescent Health is the property of Nova Science Publishers, Inc.]

The relationship between history education and political education in Asian societies is an underexplored topic. Politics have deeply shaped the development of history education in Hong Kong, as in many other societies around the world. Hong Kong history education reforms have been criticized for providing a new form of national political education. This study examines how politic education can be found in the Hong Kong history curriculum as 'latent content'. To do so, it provides a qualitative content analysis of all textual data used in 'Chinese history' and 'history' textbooks in secondary schools in Hong Kong which discuss or portray political content, focusing particularly on the themes of identity shaping and assimilation. Before focusing on the Hong Kong situation, this paper first explores how history education is a political topic in general. Then Hong Kong's complicated political legacy is described in relation to one of the unique features of history education there: the concurrence of two subjects, 'history' and 'Chinese history'. Current debates about the reform of history education in Hong Kong and the limitations of current history education in Hong Kong are examined in the next part, using data from textbooks. Our analysis shows that 1) national identity is prioritized over local identity in the textbooks, and 2) the textbooks mainly reflect a Mainland-based majority perspective and justify assimilation in history, resulting in a lack of recognition of the many different minority groups of Mainland China, of which Hong Kong people may see themselves as part. Based on the analysis, we argue that history education in Hong Kong provides a narrow political education that can impede some crucial education goals in Hong Kong.
[Copyright of Educational Studies in Japan: International Yearbook is the property of Japanese Educational Research Association.]