Purpose: A new academic structure for senior secondary and higher education was introduced to Hong Kong in 2009/2010. This paper aims to: (1) compare the cohort from the old academic structure (Cohort 2010) and the cohort from the new academic structure (Cohort 2015) on the 14 categories of generic competencies; and (2) compare these attributes among students from different divisions in a tertiary institution in Hong Kong.Design/methodology/approach: Self-Assessment of All-Round Development (SAARD) questionnaires were distributed to students who took the two-year sub-degree programmes offered by the College of Professional and Continuing Education, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2010 and 2015 on a self-administered basis. A total of 4,424 students have returned the questionnaires. Data were analyzed with t-test to compare between the two cohorts.Findings: When comparing Cohort 2015 with Cohort 2010, significantly higher scores were observed on five areas such as global outlook and healthy lifestyle (p<0.05). Significantly lower scores were observed on the other five areas such as problem solving, critical thinking and leadership (p<0.05). Students from all divisions unanimously showed higher perceived rating on social and national responsibility but lower perceived rating on leadership (p<0.05).Originality/Value: The elimination of one public examination, the newly included components such as Other Learning Experiences (OLE) and the compulsory Liberal Studies were believed to contribute partially to the diverse responses of the two cohorts. The dramatic change of the curriculum has not changed the examination culture in Hong Kong which may hinder the development of generic skills among students. Copyright © 2021 Emerald Group Publishing Limited

There has been an increasing concern on teachers’ adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) in their teaching practices. However, little has been explored about English as a second language (ESL) teachers’ ICT adoption. This study synthesizes the technology acceptance model (TAM), the value-expectancy theory, and a learning perspective to propose a model -for investigating ESL teachers’ continuance intention to use ICT in teaching. In the proposed model, motivational beliefs, ICT learning behaviors, facilitating conditions, and perceptions towards ICT use were put together to see how they worked together to influence continuance intention. Participants were 156 primary school ESL teachers in Hong Kong, who attended a teacher professional development program. Structural equation modeling showed that ICT self-efficacy and facilitating conditions were positively associated with continuance intention through perceptions (i.e. perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness). ICT anxiety had a negative effect, whereas interest had a positive effect on continuance intention. Growth mindset had a positive effect on continuance intention through learning of ICT (i.e. adaptive help seeking). Implications for teachers’ professional development programs are discussed. Copyright © 2021 Taylor & Francis Ltd.

This study was to examine the individual differences in primary school students’ motivation (i.e. growth mindset, self-efficacy, and interest), self-regulated learning strategy use in English writing and the relationships between motivation, strategy use and English writing competence. Participants were 523 4th grade primary school students in Hong Kong. Although the findings showed a general pattern that the high achievers reported higher levels of motivation (i.e. growth mindset, self-efficacy, and interest) and self-regulated learning (SRL) strategy use than the average achievers, who in turn outperformed the low achievers, all the students showed quite a low level of interest in English writing. Interestingly, motivation impacted SRL strategy use very differently for students of different writing competence groups on the whole. Three-group Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) suggested that growth mindset had the strongest and most significant correlations with all students’ use of SRL strategies. However, interest and self-efficacy had different relationship patterns with SRL strategy use among the high, average and low achievers. Interest had no significant relations with the high achievers’ SRL strategy use, while self-efficacy had no significant relations with the low achievers’ SRL strategy use. Implications for English teachers to improve differentiated instruction are discussed. Copyright © 2021 Sage Publications Ltd.

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.

Online peer assessment has been proposed as an effective strategy for cultivating critical thinkers in higher education, but there is a dearth of relevant studies in a Confucian heritage context. This study investigated the effects of online peer assessment in a General Education course on the development of critical thinking among Hong Kong undergraduates, with a design characterised by six elements (i.e. online peer assessment training, provision of guiding questions, peer feedback requirements, anonymity, student evaluation of the usefulness of peer feedback and summative use of online peer assessment). Analysis of the participants' e-journal entries revealed a significant improvement in critical thinking in the experimental groups. Individual follow-up interviews indicated that the participants acknowledged online peer assessment design with the consideration of cultural influence and at the same time made some suggestions for refinement. This study highlights the need to adopt a culturally embedded approach to design online peer assessment to cultivate students' critical thinking in non-western contexts. Copyright © 2021 Routledge.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine students' perception of mobile technology adoption for library service apps as a lens to explore the factors affecting mobile learning in higher education. Design/methodology/approach: With the data collected from university students from Hong Kong and Japan, the authors conducted a comparative study for gaining a better understanding of students' perceptions toward adopting mobile apps as learning tools and other socio-cultural factors affecting such adoption. In particular, the authors derive alternative models from our analysis (benchmarked on technology acceptance model and unified theory of acceptance and use of technology) for a better explanation of the formation of the intentions, and, more importantly, cultural factors would affect such formation, as informed by the Hofstede Cultural Dimensions. Findings: The findings are valuable for enhancing the effectiveness and adoption of mobile services for teaching and learning purposes in the context of higher education, as the focus of promotion of services should be tailored to the different student expectations in different regions, e.g. mainly performance expectancy in Japan versus in Hong Kong facilitating condition, performance expectancy and perceived usefulness altogether. Originality/value: Defined as contributing to the development of learning assistance, mobile technology for library use and information access have become a significant issue raised in many higher educational institutions over the world, as the characteristics of mobile technology, such as portability and mobility, strengthen its possible use in education. However, scant research has been done in understanding the perception of mobile library use and factors affecting the behavioral intentions through the use of mobile technologies in Hong Kong and most Asian countries have not been sufficiently studied. Copyright © 2021 Emerald .

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has severely affected many territories and industries since January 2020. Despite studies on COVID-19 from different perspectives, research on the impact of COVID-19 on hospitality and tourism education remains scant. In view of this research gap, the current study reviews the COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on hospitality and tourism education, particularly in online educational delivery. A local case in Hong Kong was selected to investigate the response of hospitality and tourism educators. Implications for curriculum design, workforce arrangement, and basic actions for educators are provided. More importantly, this study aims to appeal significant attention on hospitality and tourism education during similar crises. Copyright © 2021 Routledge.

Objective: Educational expansion as a policy is believed to address the issue of the youth's blocked social mobility. But, the argument that the transition to university is emotionally straining in a deindustrialized neoliberal context suggests an emotive aspect of neoliberalism in higher education. This article seeks to offer an illustration of such an emotive operation of neoliberalism through examining the emotional struggles of community-college students in Hong Kong. Method: This study draws on two qualitative analyses based on data collected from 83 community-college students in Hong Kong pursuing a bachelor's degree through a newly available transfer function of an associate degree. Results: Given an emphasis of neoliberalism on individualism and competition, the respondents showed the following negative emotions: perverse feelings of inferiority about the new option, stress about the competitiveness of this pursuit and strategic/calculating in organizing their learning and dealing with their classmates, and anxiety of being seen as inadequate despite their successful transferals. Contributions: The emotional struggles of the respondents suggest that in view of a lack of well-paid prestigious professional or managerial jobs in a deindustrialized capitalist context, educational expansion as a policy—expanding the sector of community college in particular—wrapped up in a neoliberal discourse is not merely giving the youth a false hope but inflicting on them unnecessarily strained emotions. This suggestion urges policy makers to rethink the effectiveness of adopting an educational policy with a neoliberal approach to address an economic issue. Copyright © 2021 SAGE Publications.

In Hong Kong, the principle of 'one curriculum framework for all' applies to all students, including students with special educational needs (SEN) (EDB 2020. "Special Education Needs." https://www.edb.gov.hk/en/curriculum-development/major-level-of-edu/special-educational-needs/index.html). Students with intellectual disabilities (ID) are expected to achieve the same learning targets as their counterparts in mainstream schools. Within this common curriculum framework, students (age 6-14) study Music with one of its overall aims 'to develop creativity' (CDC 2003. "Music Curriculum Guide" ("Primary 1 - Secondary 3"). Hong Kong: CDC, 11). This qualitative multiple case study reports a sample of nine music teachers fostering the musical creativity of students with ID. A discussion of the findings reveals that in this sampling: (1) instructional strategies focus on the process not product of musical creativity, (2) creative fostering strategies embody gamification and (3) these music teachers re-frame creativity as being innate and commonly held by their students with ID. Copyright © 2021 Routledge.

This article describes the evolution of inclusive education in Hong Kong, moving from segregation via integration to inclusion. The outside influence of education policies and trends from Britain, Australia, and the United States are identified, and the current situation is described. In particular, obstacles that are encountered on the route to inclusion are compared with those found in other countries. These obstacles include large class size, teachers’ often negative attitudes, parents’ expectations, teachers’ lack of expertise for adapting the curriculum and for providing differentiated teaching, and ongoing conflicts between the notion of ‘inclusive schooling for all’ and the ‘academic standards agenda’. Copyright © 2021 Cambridge University Press.