Education in colonial Hong Kong was basically apolitical in nature. Civic education was introduced as a social control mechanism to reflect colonial heritage, and emphasizes the passive, obedient and law-abiding role of citizens, and prevents the development of nationalism and indigenous cultural identity. However, in response to the Joint Declaration, there was a pressure for the Government to prepare pupils to become competent citizens of the Special Administrative Region (SAR). However, various research findings reflect that young people are apathetic in political and community affairs, weak in basic civic knowledge and social awareness. In response to the re-definition of the national identity status of Hong Kong citizens, there is an urgent need to cultivate the sense of belonging of the younger generation toward the SAR as well as the PRC as a whole. The author believes that even after reunification, civic education should not be overlooked as an important educational element in tertiary education. This element should compliment the academic subjects offered by various departments and be integrated in the themes of personal development programs offered by the student affairs office in tertiary education settings. Civic education programs, either co-curricular or extra-curricular in nature, should focus on both nationalistic and democratic themes through the adoption of a participatory-oriented approach, so that students could be provided with ample opportunities to participate in the decision-making process on issues directly affecting their well-being. Arguments for and against this standpoint are presented in the context of the Hong Kong educational system.
[Copyright of Educational Studies is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03055699997918]

This paper describes the moves towards greater inclusion in the Hong Kong education system and the problems that have arisen from those moves. It then describes the introduction of an adapted version of the Index for Inclusion, called the Indicators for Inclusion in Hong Kong, in order to stimulate greater progress. As the adapted Hong Kong Indicators for Inclusion are developed in a unique education culture and based on a particular notion of inclusion, it may be of interest to international readers to see the impact of culture differences in shaping the Indicators. Further, the Hong Kong Indicators for Inclusion are connected with school self‐evaluation and performance standards. The interaction between inclusion and school evaluation will be explored. The paper questions the use of the indicator system to drive inclusion in Hong Kong and the assumptions regarding the capacity of schools for self‐review.
[Copyright of International Journal of Inclusive Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13603110500430674]

This article examines the differences between the formally stated aims of education and the implementation of the school curriculum in order to show the divergence between what is initiated and what emerges as school practice. This implementation problem is examined from the policy-makers' and teachers' perspectives, with specific reference to physical education as a school subject in Hong Kong. First, it examines the existence and intention of educational policy towards curriculum as established by policy-makers. Second, the implementation process is evaluated from the teachers' perspective by employing a framework adopted by Cuban (1998) that utilized effectiveness, popularity, fidelity, adaptability and longevity. The data are derived from a case-study of a physical education programme that included document analysis, and interviews with teachers, parents and students. The case-study provided a subjective perspective of teachers and their work, while the framework assisted in demonstrating the absence of cohesion between the various government agencies. The resulting fragmentation of ideas leading to confusion and frustration for teachers also indicates that longevity and adaptability are likely to be the most constructive criteria for the assessment of curriculum change.
[Copyright of Curriculum Journal is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0958517022000014718]

This study assessed the three components of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and reduced personal accomplishment), perceived self-efficacy, and the three triarchic abilities (analytical, synthetic, and practical) of successful intelligence in a sample of 267 Chinese prospective and in-service teachers in Hong Kong. The aim was to explore and examine the contribution of the blending or integration of the triarchic abilities to the three components of teacher burnout and perceived self-efficacy. While there were subtle gender and teaching-experience differences, the general findings suggested that the triarchic abilities, especially practical abilities, could independently contribute to teachers' sense of personal accomplishment as well as perceived self-efficacy. The interactive combination of the triarchic abilities could be most important in contributing negatively to emotional exhaustion. The implications of these findings for interventions to combat teacher burnout and enhance job engagement are discussed.
[Copyright of Educational Psychology is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01443410601061397]