This paper poses a modified Rogers (1995) model for the Innovation-Decision Process for designing in-service programmes for educational innovation. The proposal emerges from a study of eight in-service teachers struggling to implement an innovation - the process approach to teaching English writing in Hong Kong secondary schools over the course of a year. The findings appear to (1) substantiate the five stages described in the Rogers Model - Knowledge, Persuasion, Decision, Implementation and Confirmation - and (2) reveal complexities in an Implementation Stage when it is applied in the educational context which were not defined in the Rogers Model. The Implementation Stage is classified into four phases - Experiment, Adjustment, Mastery and Personalisation. Each phase is characterised by its own emerging phenomena and copying strategies. These findings provide a theoretical framework and principles for designing in-service programmes to address a process for change which would deepen teaching skills as will as the successful implementation of innovation.
[Copyright of Evaluation & Research in Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09500799908666947]

In higher education, student evaluation of teaching is widely used as a measure of an academic's teaching performance despite considerable disagreement as to its value. This paper begins by examining the merit of teaching evaluations with reference to the factors influencing the accuracy of the teaching evaluation process. One of the central assumptions on which student evaluation of teaching is based is that there is a relationship between student achievement and student rating of teachers. However, the findings of the majority of studies do not support this assumption. The absence of a strong link between student achievement and teaching evaluations suggests that there is scope for examining other approaches to measuring effective classroom dynamics. This paper presents such an approach based on the notion of transformational classroom leadership.
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The present paper attempts to assess the link between economic factors and the private demand for higher education through an investigation of the findings of relevant studies. After an examination of the various methodologies adopted by different authors in the estimation of the perceived rate of return to higher education, the main findings of available studies conducted in several countries (UK, the Philippines, Egypt, Hong Kong, and Cyprus) are discussed and compared. The main conclusions drawn from this comparison are the following: First, the perceived rates of return to higher education are, for the most part, very realistic, indicating an accurate perception of the economic benefits of higher education on the part of students. Second, non-economic factors, such as gender, ability and socio-economic background, appear to constitute strong influences on the private demand for higher education, which educational policy makers should take into account, along with the economic variables. Finally, it is suggested that the methodology discussed in the present paper can be used in the future to estimate the perceived profitability of higher studies at different institutions and countries offering higher education.
[Copyright of Compare: A Journal of Comparative Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0305792980280306]

This article provides two 'portraits' of headteachers in primary schools in England and Hong Kong, derived from semi-structured interviews with these individuals. Contrary to some claims that such a small sample is worthless, this article argues that what is most meaningful is sometimes derived from the singular and unique; that generalisations in education are as likely to be useful if they are 'fuzzy' generalisations as if they are from scientific or statistical generalisations; and that the individual case can strip away the clutter of large contexts and allow recognition of a common shared humanity. What these portraits also show is that responses to larger contexts are heavily dependent on personality and local context, and that if policy implementation and professional development are to have impact, then an attention to the personal and the local are going to be critical factors in any success in these areas
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This article reports on a project which involved enabling teachers in Hong Kong primary schools to use an online integrated learning environment (ILE) to design lesson plans to cater for students with different learning abilities. Teachers explored ways of using technology to enhance student learning. A case-study approach was used to collect data on individual teacher developments and document evolving classroom teaching strategies. The findings revealed that when using the ILE teachers were able to: 1. effectively design and create lessons which catered for different ability groups within the class; 2. employ varied teaching strategies to cater for different learning needs of students in the class; 3. shift from more traditional pedagogical approaches to embracing learner-centred principles which achieve a higher degree of classroom interaction; and 4. collaborate with others, discuss their feelings more honestly, evaluate and reflect on their own practice.
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The study compared preferred homework styles of Chinese students-who were characterized by (a) high vs low self-perceived homework achievement and attitude; (b) high vs low teacher-rated homework completion and quality; and (c) high vs low academic achievement in mathematics-and examined gender differences of homework styles in these students. The participants were 329 5th graders (172 boys and 157 girls) and 244 7th graders (130 boys and 114 girls). More distinguishing homework style elements were found with the self-perceived homework achievement and attitude levels than in the teacher-rated achievement levels. Neither gender differences nor gender-achievement interaction effects were indicated. As expected, the motivational elements distinguished the high/low levels of all types of achievement and attitude towards homework. While high teacher-rated achievement was more closely associated with high scores of the teacher-motivated element, the self-perception of work accomplishment at home was more positive in those students who were highly motivated by parents as well as teachers. A number of environmental and organisational elements also distinguished the high from low achievers. The importance of the teacher and parent role in student achievement was discussed.
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This paper critically analyses how the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region has tackled the issue of preschool quality over the past 30 years. Although early childhood education is not part of the publicly funded education system, there is almost universal preschool attendance among three to six year olds. The government regulates, monitors and evaluates early childhood services, and has taken numerous steps to improve the quality of early childhood provision. However, a paradox lurks within government policy. On one hand, the facility-focused and provider-focused regulatory standards for the operation of preschools have been faulted for being too lax; but, on the other hand, policies and incentives have clearly improved the quality of preschool education. These include measures to support the upgrading of serving kindergarten teachers and an emphasis on quality assurance. The implementation of enabling policies is essential to ensure that all children have access to high-quality early education and care.
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Using data from Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), this study examines the social disparity of family involvement. A total of 4,405 students from 140 Hong Kong secondary schools participated in the first cycle of PISA study identifying four types of family involvement: cultural communication, social communication, homework supervision, and cultural activity. Multi-level analysis was used to examine the major family factors related to these types of family involvement. Consistent with previous research, working-class, immigrant, and single-parent families tend to have lower levels of parental involvement. The effect of these structural factors decreased after family resources, family network, and family norms entered into the multi-level regression model. It can be argued that the social disparity of family involvement is mediated by the deprivation of useful resources, lack of network, and low educational aspiration of the disadvantaged families. The results also suggested that it is not only cooperation between home and school, but also connection between parents and their children's peers that provides the necessary chemistry for success. Educators, parents, and policymakers should be aware that family networking should be extended to include the peers of the teenagers if they want to enhance family involvement in education.
[Copyright of School Community Journal is the property of American Association of School Librarians.
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Working within the framework of a confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) model, this study adds another dimension to construct validation of both the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II; Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996) and a Chinese version of the BDI-II (C-BDI-II; Chinese Behavioral Sciences Society, 2000). Specifically, we tested for measurement equivalence of the C-BDI-II with the original BDI-II across Hong Kong (N = 1771) and American (N = 501) adolescents, respectively. Provided with evidence of measurement equivalence, we then tested for differences in the latent factor means (i.e., subscale levels) of three first-order factors of negative attitude, performance difficulty, and somatic elements and one second-order factor of general depression. All procedures were based on analyses of mean and covariance structures (MACS) that took into account both the incompleteness and non-normality of the data. Findings revealed sound evidence of measurement equivalence of the C-BDI-II and BDI-II factorial structures, and latent factor means that pointed to higher levels of depressive symptoms for Hong Kong adolescents than for their American counterparts.
[Copyright of International Journal of Testing is the property of Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Full article may be available at the publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15305050701438058 ]