This paper reports an exploratory study of questions about English grammar sent in by a group of Hong Kong ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers to a teacher support computer network, TeleNex. The study examines the questions Hong Kong ESL teachers ask about the English language. Arising from the questions posed, the paper then delineates the kinds of language support that ESL teachers may need. Grammar questions sent in by teachers to the network constituted the data source. The questions were analysed in terms of the frequency of the contentwords used, linguistic categories, and teacher knowledge. The principal findings are that the teachers' grammar-related questions typically arose outof their everyday pedagogical needs and these needs seem to be shaped by their implicit models of grammar as a set of rules for 'correct' language use. Such information on 'correct' use does not seem to be easily available from major reference books. These findings confirm the value of a computer network where teachers can obtain continuous informational support and participate in collaborative discussions, which can develop an awareness of grammar as a meaning-making tool.
[Copyright of Language and Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09500789808666744]

This paper examines linguistic features of text-based computer-mediated communication (CMC) in Hong Kong. The study is based on a 70,000-word corpus of electronic mail (email) and ICQ instant messaging texts, which was mainly collected from a group of youngsters in Hong Kong. A questionnaire survey was also carried out to complement the textual findings. Some language-specific features are identified, which include Cantonese-based shortenings, common grammatical 'errors' such as inappropriate verb forms and lexical choice, subject omission, code-mixing, and creative orthographic representations of Cantonese. In addition, significant differences are found between email and ICQ texts in terms of the distribution of linguistic features. It is shown that these features are employed more frequently in synchronous communication via ICQ. The study suggests that these linguistic features may be seen as new 'literacy practices' i.e. how people use and think about texts in different contexts, within the theoretical framework of New Literacy Studies (NLS). The study further reveals that CMC texts should be analyzed in different CMC systems, as well as in different linguistic and cultural settings. It is concluded that language and literacy researchers and practitioners should recognize the novelty and the linguistic specificity of CMC texts.
The prevalence of text-based computer-mediated communication (CMC) has enormous impact on the growing amount of research into the distinctive features of the text-based CMC (e.g. Baron 1984, 1998, 2001, Herring 1996, Davis and Brewer 1997, Snyder 1998, Paolillo 1999, Crystal 2001). This paper focuses on the linguistic features in electronic mail (email) and ICQ (I-Seek-You) messaging which are specific to the Hong Kong context. The research seeks to examine the underlying relationship between language and literacy in the context of text-based computer-mediated communication (CMC) in Hong Kong.
[Copyright of Reading Matrix: An International

Using geographic information system (GIS) in teaching and learning geography is an important direction in the secondary geography curriculum in Hong Kong. In the present study, interviews were conducted individually with 28 geography teachers from different secondary schools in Hong Kong, with a view to finding their views on the inclusion of GIS in the secondary geography curriculum and the current state of GIS implementation in their schools. The study reveals that the level of use of GIS in geography teaching in Hong Kong was low, despite the fact that teachers generally found GIS to be an important geographical skill. In addition, teachers' understanding of how GIS could be used in teaching to enhance student learning in geography was limited. There is evidence that basic conditions, in terms of hardware and software, for using GIS in geography teaching were present in schools, and that teacher commitment was a critical factor determining whether or not GIS would be used. Teacher commitment was found related to teachers' sense of preparedness to implement GIS, the perceived practicality of its use in teaching and whether GIS use was mandated in the curriculum.
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Computer-based learning materials differ from classroom practice in that they seldom explicitly offer opportunities for collaboration. Despite this, students do collaborate, helping one another through the content and affordances of computer materials. But, in doing so, students meet with challenges. Paradoxically, these challenges can either inspire or discourage learning and second-language acquisition. This paper, based on research with twenty Hong Kong university students in a controlled experiment, evaluates challenges to collaboration at the computer as evidenced by discourse. The students were videotaped and their discourse transcribed and evaluated both qualitatively and quantitatively, according to a set of discourse markers created to describe collaborative, non-collaborative and ambiguous strategies. The paper begins by exploring the differences between collaboration and similar terms such as teamwork and cooperative learning then goes on to define collaboration in the context of computer-assisted learning. It ends by presenting practical suggestions for software designers, teachers and students to enhance collaboration at the computer.
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This paper considers issues in customising descriptions of English grammar in the context of creating an electronic database for secondary school teachers in Hong Kong. In developing the database, we have aimed to incorporate insights from functional grammar and corpus linguistics while keeping the information accessible and relevant to teachers familiar only with traditional approaches to grammar. This has involved exploiting the advantages of hypertext, explicitly foregrounding pedagogical concerns and developing a metalanguage that will allow discussion of areas such as transitivity and theme without alienating the teacher-users. We illustrate the kinds of compromises that are necessary in order to match the linguistic information to the needs and existing knowledge of the teacher-users.
[Copyright of Language Awareness is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09658410008667134]

Academics are increasingly expected to be research productive. An impressive research output requires the ability to communicate in sophisticated written English in order to ensure that a publication is of an acceptable standard. In response to the demands for advanced writing skills to maintain high standards in research publications, a pilot online writing network of information (OWN) has been developed to provide academics in the School of Nursing at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University with research writing support in English. In this paper the OWN database is introduced with an explanation of the theoretical foundations and the needs analysis that shaped each link. Then, with data from two questionnaires completed by the users and interview of four users, I present a user evaluation of OWN. The questionnaires suggest that users see certain links as more useful in providing individualised writing support, while the interviewees most appreciate the complete privacy in which support could be sought. Through this description and user evaluation, I argue that academics could benefit from English language support when writing for publication, and computer technology may offer both flexibility and privacy.
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Despite frequent attempts to address educational changes and the roles of information and communication technology (ICT) in effecting changes in student learning, few have conceptually examined ICT implementation within a wider context of managing change in schools. Methodologically, it has been argued that ignoring the multilevel nature of the data collected might incur significant discrepancies in the results. These research gaps direct us to develop multilevel models to explore how the relevant contextual factors contribute to effective ICT implementation, in particular the school-level factors. Results indicated that from teacher perspectives, ICT was able to act as a lever to bring about changes in student learning in the context of establishing collegiality in schools. Sociocultural setting rather than structural characteristics of the school accounted for the variation of school mean for perceived changes in student learning. Specifically, perceived changes in pedagogy modulated perceived changes in student learning among schools.
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Like many other countries, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has invested heavily in the computer facilities of schools. It is expected that by using ICT, the quality of education will be enhanced through a paradigm shift in school pedagogical practices. However, some educational innovations resulted in disappointing outcomes and some of them did make the progress expected and failed to sustain their development. This research addresses such problems by presenting a model that provides guidance on how to facilitate effective and sustainable Innovative Pedagogical Practices Using Technology (IPPUT). The model was derived from an in-depth case study of one innovative primary school in Hong Kong. The research first investigated what an innovative classroom might look like, then by using the "Layer-Two" Model Instrument (Typology of ICT Uptake) (Newhouse, Trinidad, & Clarkson, 2002) and other Matrix Construction Techniques (Miles & Huberman, 1984), various conditions and constraints on the development of IPPUT were identified, subsumed and grouped into two "issue trees." It is particularly useful for the school leaders to formulate optimum strategies for implementing IPPUT by comparing their school's realistic situations with those factors in the two "issue trees". Finally, the whole-school system model was presented suggesting that given favourable conditions including visionary school leadership, whole-hearted collaboration and participation of all school stakeholders, with a systematic managerial methodology, it is possible to have true ICT integration and sustainable pedagogically-sound environments for students' learning.
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This article presents data from a qualitative case study examining secondary ESL students' attitudes toward and perceptions of a collaborative e-mail exchange between a Form 4 (10th grade) ESL class in Hong Kong and an 11th grade English class in Iowa. The exchange was based on a researcher-designed instructional model, utilizing widely accepted theories and methods for modern second language instruction: cooperative learning, communicative language learning, process writing, project-based learning, and an integrated approach.
After exposure to the exchange, Hong Kong students were questioned about (a) changes in attitude towards computers and language learning; (b) effect of computer background on attitude, interest, and motivation; (c) perception of their acquired reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills; and (d) attitude towards cooperative learning. Data was collected primarily from pre- and post-model surveys and personal interviews.
The majority of Hong Kong participants said they enjoyed the exchange, gained general confidence in English and computer skills, and felt that they made significant progress in writing, thinking, and speaking. They were, however, ambivalent as to whether it improved standardized exam-related skills such as grammar usage and discrete language functions. As the project progressed, students with strong computer skills indicated less satisfaction than those with weak computer skills.
[Copyright of Language Learning & Technology is the property of Heinrich-Heine-University in Düsseldorf.
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