Over the years numerous studies have been conducted in an attempt to determine the effect of homework on students’ learning (Thomas, 1992). In practice, there are much problems and misconceptions with the implementation of homework. In Hong Kong, this issue worsens existing educational problems (Education Department, & Home School Cooperation Committee, 1994). With the launching of curriculum reform in 2001, the education bureau in Hong Kong recommends that there be a change in homework policy and practices(Curriculum Development Committee, 2001). Schools should put more emphasis on "meaningful homework" as an integral part of the school curriculum. In the past, curriculum changes in Hong Kong often encounter unsuccessful experiences because of poor policy dissemination and implementation and mismatching teachers’ conceptions, etc (Yeung, 2004). Studies alike demonstrate that any educational change needs an authentic "paradigm shift" in perspectives, philosophy and pedagogy (Kuhn, 1970). The paper intends to look into the underpinning theory and thereafter the underlying agenda embedded with this homework policy. The researcher has adopted research method including documentary analysis and simple survey. The researcher conducts and compares content analysis of two kinds of documents -- Official homework guideline as well as various samples of school homework. A simple survey of teachers’ conception about the new homework policy has been used as kinds of triangulation. The researcher wishes that findings from the study may have empirical and practical significance to future development of homework practices and policy in schools.

Objective: This study aims at exploring university students' attitudes towards the application of genomic science and technology (GST) and the rationales behind their judgments.
Background: With the rapid advances in GST, its wide application will become common in the near future. Since understanding the ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) of GST is important for its sustained development, understanding public attitude towards GST application is critical for its acceptance in Hong Kong society.
Participants: Cantonese speaking undergraduate and postgraduate students of the University of Hong Kong (HKU-students).
Methods: The study consisted of two parts. Part 1 was a survey of 400 HKU-students recruited at the library entrance and the written questionnaires were completed immediately. Part 2 comprised semi-structured interviews of 65 of the 400 HKU-students surveyed in Part 1 and each was interviewed individually.
Conclusions: In Part 1, HKU-students had neutral responses for most themes, and Part 2 showed that the neutrality was primarily caused by opposing opinions of proponents and opponents in each theme. HKU-students had a negative attitude towards human genetic enhancement and were worried about GM food, genetic discrimination, and misuses of genetic information. The study did not support the deficit model but confirmed the particularistic view that endorsement of a GST application is determined by specific contextual factors.
[Copyright of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14636778.2012.662040]

With reference to three secondary schools in Beijing, this study investigates students' perceptions of multiple identities at four levels - self, local, national, and global - and the ways in which students form multiple identities. The study uses a mixed methodology of questionnaires and interview surveys to collect data, and identifies four patterns of Beijing students' multiple identities: a high value on self-identity, a strong affective orientation toward local and national identity, minimal distinction between local and national identities, and an imagined global identity. This study provides empirical data that both supplements and challenges the existing literature on citizenship and citizenship education in the context of globalization.
[Copyright of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13621025.2011.549730]

While a number of previous studies have examined citizens' attitudes towards police response to domestic violence, very few have approached the topic from an international, comparative perspective. Using survey data collected from more than 600 students in a Hong Kong university and an American university, this study empirically assesses students' attitudes towards proactive and reactive police responses to domestic violence incidents, controlling for students' demographic characteristics, personal and vicarious experiences with crime including domestic violence and perceptions of gender roles and violence. The results showed that Chinese students were less likely to support proactive police response and more likely to favour reactive police response, compared with their US counterparts. Chinese students' attitudes towards police response were shaped mainly by their attitudes towards gender equality, whereas American students' attitudes were influenced chiefly by their background characteristics and attitudes towards violence. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.
[Copyright of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2011.556731]

How students understand, feel about and respond to assessment might contribute significantly to learning behaviour and academic achievement. This paper reviews studies that have used a relatively new self-reported survey questionnaire (Students' Conceptions of Assessment - SCoA) about student perceptions and understandings of assessment. Confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modelling results have shown, consistent with self-regulation theory, that the SCoA inventory has meaningful relations with academic performance among New Zealand high school students. Further, German, Hong Kong, American, and New Zealand studies have shown that the SCoA has relations to motivational constructs (e. g. effort, learning strategies, interest, self-efficacy and anxiety) that are also consistent with self-regulation. The SCoA inventory extends our understanding of how student conceptions of assessment are an integral part of self-regulation and provide a warrant for use in research studies investigating test-taker responses to assessment practices and innovations at both university and high school levels.
[Copyright of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2011.599836]