This study investigates Hong Kong primary science teachers' understandings of inquiry learning, perceived difficulties in implementing inquiry learning, as well as their current practices of and resistance to using online resources, in order to identify their needs and propose suggestions to address these needs. An online survey has been used to collect data from the primary science teachers taking part in a professional development course. Simple descriptive analyses of the data show that although the teachers' conceptions of inquiry learning seem to match well with the idea of inquiry learning in general, their misconceptions and high level of perceived difficulties in implementing inquiry learning warrant our attention. As for teachers' use of online resources, it is found that traditional Web 1.0 resources are more commonly used, and when these online resources are used, teachers take the more dominant role in using them to support lecturing and explaining. Moreover, some associations between inquiry practices and use of online resources are observed. Accordingly, ways to overcome challenges in implementing inquiry learning and using online resources for the teaching and learning of science are discussed.
[Copyright of Education 3-13 is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2012.710640]

Learning takes place across different social contexts, and understanding how learners perceive and traverse different learning contexts enables educators to gain a more comprehensive view of their learning processes and to support their learning better. This study examined how undergraduate foreign language learners perceived their learning experiences inside and outside language classrooms, and how they bridged their learning experiences in the two contexts. Individual interviews with 11 undergraduate foreign language learners in Hong Kong showed that the learners perceived in-class and out-of-class language learning contexts as affording different functions, and they acted on the affordances of the two contexts to create complementary and synergetic learning experiences across the two. The study further revealed a list of resource features and learner factors that shaped how the learners perceived and acted on the resources. The findings suggest that educational structures should be set up to reinforce the integration of learning experiences across in-class and out-of-class contexts.
[Copyright of Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2014.918982]

This paper examines the factors shaping teacher-student power relations, based on observations, interviews and document analysis from a Hong Kong study. It identifies and examines six factors: China's traditional culture of respect, examination-oriented teaching and religious culture were found to encourage imbalanced teacher-student power relations, whereas curriculum reform, values education and some school cultures facilitated relatively balanced teacher-student power relations. The paper depicts teacher-student power relations in Hong Kong as a reflection of multileveled intertwined interactions, and as affected by the interplay of various factors. It provides empirical evidence to supplement existing understandings of the nature of teacher-student power relations, especially in a non-western context with varied socio-cultural, educational, school and classroom levels.
[Copyright of British Journal of Sociology of Education is the property of Routledge . Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2014.916600]

The study presents a comparison between the learning approaches of first and final year students, supplemented with the teachers’ perspective at a university in Hong Kong. The study examines the learning approaches of Confucian heritage culture students and the teachers’ perspective in the context of outcome-based curricula. The results indicate that a higher proportion of final year students pursue surface learning goals than first year students. Nevertheless, the vast majority of first and final year students embrace a deep approach to learning. This is in stark contrast to the teachers’ perspective because they believe that the students generally adopt a surface approach to learning. Steps to an interactive and positive learning environment to effectively respond to outcome-based learning are provided.
[Copyright of Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.2753/CED1061-1932470103]