Learning Study, in the form of an action research, has been proved to be an effective platform for school-based teacher professional development in Hong Kong. It is grounded in the Variation Theory developed by Ference Marton. In each Learning Study, teachers of a certain subject in a school work collaboratively with staffs from the Hong Kong Institute of Education to plan and teach a lesson targeting to achieve some important goals and/or to solve some learning difficulties in the curriculum of that subject. This presentation is about a Learning Study of a junior secondary school science topic "Eyes and Vision". In this Learning Study, drawing of ray diagram was identified to be a critical learning difficulty of the students. Activities were then designed based on the Variation Theory. Students were expected to develop the ability to use ray diagrams to describe, explain and predict phenomena about seeing sharp and blurred images through these activities. They could investigate light propagation and the formation of image through one phenomenon without involving advanced knowledge in either reflection or refraction. The whole process of conducting the Learning Study will be reported. It includes the identification of learning difficulties, the planning and the teaching of the lesson and the evaluation of the learning outcomes.

The science-technology-society agenda has evolved over time to meet emerging educational aims in the light of changes in society and the environment. There is increasing emphasis on students' decision-making on socio-scientific issues (SSIs) not only to highlight the intricate relationships between science, technology, society, and the environment, but also to allow students to incorporate multiple viewpoints into the development of critical reasoning and responsible citizenship. Most research emphases have been on the rationality of reasoning rather than on the internal psychological context that underpins reasoning. This paper explores how these various aspects of reasoning interact in decision-making on SSIs in health contexts through case studies of recent issues in this field. The case studies reveal the negotiation of multiple influences in addressing SSIs in health contexts and the potential interactions between the psychological processes of individuals, science, and sociocultural perspectives. A tentative model to address these interactions emerges from this explorative study and has implications for the use of health-related issues in promoting SSI education.
[Copyright of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2011.613417]

This study investigated the mental representations of metallic bonding and the malleability of metals held by three male students aged 14-15 (Year 10) who were attending a Hong Kong school. One student was selected by their chemistry teacher as representing each of the highest, the medium, and the lowest level of attainment in chemistry in a school that admitted students of average general attainment. The students were interviewed and their understandings probed through their provision of drawings and their interpretation of the diagrams that had been previously used by their teacher. Dual coding theory was used to interpret the relative significance of visual and verbal input and the interaction between the two for their understanding. There was evidence that students relied on verbal recall in providing their initial understandings and showed an appreciation of the nature of the structural components of the electron-sea model of metallic bonding. However, they varied in terms of their appreciation of the electrostatic force which was responsible for the malleability of metals. The study suggests that a clearer understanding of the electrostatic force involved can be attained when students experience visual and verbal representations simultaneously, a conclusion supported by dual coding theory. Principles for good practice in using diagrams in teaching are discussed.
[Copyright of International Journal of Science Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2013.867089]

This study investigated parent general value of science operationalized in the 2006 questionnaire of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), as a determinant of adolescents' scientific literacy performance. The transmission of academic values literature is small. To the best of our knowledge, no previous studies to date have examined the transmission of valuing of science. Study data were drawn from PISA 2006, which focused on science. The study sample comprised 4645 15-year-old adolescents in Hong Kong. Results from the conceptual structural model indicated that parental academic values (general value of science): (a) positively and directly affected adolescents' valuing of science and in turn further influenced adolescents' science performance, (b) positively and directly affected adolescents' science performance, and (c) stimulated adolescents' motivation to study science and in turn further influenced their science performance. Implications for school-level policy and practice include: (a) promoting parental valuing of science via parent involvement and (b) producing culturally and contextually grounded evidence on strategies for enhancing the transmission of academic values using research methodologies such as action research.
[Copyright of Educational Studies is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2013.866889]

This study utilized data from the 2006 Programme for International Student Assessment Hong Kong sample to investigate the factors that impact the science achievement of 15-year-old students. A multilevel model was used to examine the factors from both student and school perspectives. At the student level, the results indicated that male students, students from high socioeconomic status (SES) families, students with higher motivation and higher self-efficacy, and students whose parents highly value science are more likely to demonstrate achievement in science. At the school level, the results showed school science achievement differences can be explained by school enrolment size, school SES composition, and instruction time per week. Contrary to the negative influence of school size that was reported in previous studies, our findings suggested a positive relationship between school enrolment size and science achievement. This finding leads to an international discussion of school size.
[Copyright of International Journal of Science Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2012.708063]

新高中通識科與社會科學有著相似的特質，可培養學生社會科學的想像力和透視力，及應讓學生在學習社會科學中發展多角度和批判思考的能力。同時，本文也指出新高中通識科在培養學生的思考能力時可能遇到的挑戰，並提出相關的建議。
Liberal Studies in New Senior Secondary Curriculum and the disciplines of social sciences share similar attributes. Therefore, fostering students’ social scientific imagination and perspective, and teaching students the knowledge and theories of social sciences will contribute to develop students’ multi-dimensional and critical thinking. Furthermore, this article also offers suggestions to overcome the challenges of developing students’ multi-dimensional and critical thinking.
[Copyright of Journal of Youth Studies is the property of The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups at http://yrc.hkfyg.org.hk/]