Given the demands on instructors created by the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers have been compelled to integrate active learning pedagogies supported by mobile technologies to sustain students' interactive engagement. This study describes the implementation of a novel active pedagogy - the collaborative problem-based learning and peer assessment (Co-PBLa-PA) method, implemented through interactive online whiteboards (IOWBs) in junior secondary mathematics classes in Hong Kong. Data were collected from 87 Form 1 students and analysed to test three hypotheses postulating the main effects of the Co-PBLa-PA method on students' learning approaches using IOWBs. A pre-survey (SPQ) on students' learning approaches and a post-survey (SPQ) on students' learning approaches and their perceptions of technology-enabled active learning (TEAL) were administrated. Results showed the Co-PBLa-PA method, using IOWBs, increased students' learning performance and promoted significant deep learning. A significant positive correlation also emerged between deep learning approaches and students' perceptions of TEAL using IOWBs. Finally, limitations and directions for future research are discussed. Copyright © 2023 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

The purpose of this study was to investigate Hong Kong preschool teachers’ music-specific professional development (PD) preferences and analyze the potential differences among teachers with varying levels of teaching experience (beginning, experienced, and advanced). A survey was developed to assess four music-specific PD preferences: content, facilitators, types, and activities/resources. We found that respondents (N = 1,019) preferred PD that was centered on musical creativity and curriculum integration; facilitated by experts in pedagogy and music performance; conducted as short workshops and mentoring sessions; and focused on observation, skill acquisition, and practice. The data also revealed significant differences between beginning, experienced, and advanced teachers and their PD preferences. Beginning teachers showed a higher preference for graduate studies and blended PD. Beginning and experienced teachers were more interested in playing instruments and in learning by observing other teachers. Advanced teachers showed preference for PD focusing on dance and music appreciation. The study shows that teaching experience is a crucial factor for determining preschool teachers’ music-specific PD preferences. Implications include considering teachers’ interests, motivations, and needs while planning and designing PD for preschool teachers. Further research should explore what teachers with different profiles require in specific educational settings. Copyright © 2023 The Author(s).

Narrative writing task is the foundation of learning how to write, and it is also frequently used in the writing assessment. This study is intended to map Primary 3 and Primary 6 students “writing performance features” reviewed in Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA) Chinese writing assessment in Hong Kong. By analysing students’ writing performance as reviewed in the TSA Chinese writing assessment, we can get a glimpse of the language features and linguistic characteristics of the students and their development. The result of the analysis tries to enrich and improve Chinese language teaching and learning of Chinese writing in Hong Kong. The research findings showed and proved the hypothesis that a “Good Performance” Chinese narrative writing in TSA has a more complete narrative schematic structure than that of a student who is “Reaching Basic Competency” in TSA. Texts written by Primary 6 students and students with Good Performance contain a larger number of and diversity in transitivity terms indicating not only material processes but also mental processes and reflect good context cohesion. Copyright © 2019 selection and editorial matter, Mark Shiu-kee Shum and Peter Mickan; individual chapters, the contributors.

STEM education has taken on high importance in Hong Kong K-12 education landscape. Despite policy advocacy and curriculum endeavour, the quality of STEM education varies significantly between schools. Research literature indicates that high-quality STEM education requires teachers’ rigorous delivery of topics and appropriate pedagogies, and one approach to improve such practices is teacher professional development (TPD). However, because current research on TPD has not given explicit consideration to the complex nature of STEM education, there remains a lack of a clear blueprint of how TPD should be conducted to build teachers’ capacity for STEM education effectively. This paper presents a case study that explores the necessary attributes and identifies the missing links of STEM education TPD by understanding how various TPD models supported a Hong Kong K-12 school embracing STEM education. Qualitative data collection methods, including semi-structured interviews and classroom observations, were employed to draw a picture of TPD implementations in the selected school. The findings suggest that, at the macro-level, effective STEM TPD should not stop at employing mixed use of TPD models; the models have to be integrated organically with respect to a school-based STEM curriculum implementation approach. A collaborative culture between teachers must be cultivated for effective inter-disciplinary integration. Collaborative action research should also be promoted to develop collective wisdom of STEM pedagogies. At the micro-level, TPACK and cross-disciplinary integration skills need to be focusing areas of STEM TPD. With these guiding principles, some possible strategies for effective STEM education TPD are suggested. Copyright © 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

通識教育科是培養學生理性思考能力、提高國家認同以及落實“愛國者治港”原則的重要課程。其在開展過程中存在知識基礎的聯通與融合欠佳、基於證據的思維方式訓練不夠以及正向價值觀的引導不足等問題，根源涉及港英當局教育政策與實踐的歷史遺留和慣性、境外勢力的炒作與干預、香港地區內部未形成共識等內外部因素。為了革除弊病，香港通識教育科開展了以下改革：改稱“公民與社會發展科”，更好體現課程本質；整合與刪減課程內容，強化課程體系性；重視正向價值觀教育，增強學生的積極態度和國民身份認同。由於通識教育科的問題積習已久，要達成改革目的，還需要進一步調整內容，以文化歷史為基石脈絡，完善課程結構；提升教師自識意識與價值觀培育能力，引領學生發展；增強教材審查和教學督導，保障課程科學實施。這些措施是保障通識教育科成為塑造理性、向上、愛國好公民的重要途徑。 Copyright © 2022 重慶社會主義學院.

Background Despite the focus of many global education systems on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, research on teachers' concerns about this relatively new educational phenomenon remains scarce. Purpose This study used the concerns-based adoption model as the theoretical framework to examine the primary concerns expressed by teachers about STEM education and identified a typology of teachers based on the response patterns of their concerns. Sample A regionally representative sample of 331 primary and secondary school teachers of STEM-related subjects in Hong Kong participated in this study. Design and methods Data were collected from the teachers through an online, self-reported survey. Latent class analysis was used to profile teachers' concerns about STEM education in this study, and multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed to regress the latent class outcome variable on the covariates. Results The majority of the teachers reported high levels of concern at all five stages of STEM education implementation, namely evaluation, information, management, consequence, and refocusing. Latent class analysis revealed three classes of teachers who were extremely concerned (49.1%), considerably concerned (43.5%), or moderately concerned (7.4%) about STEM education. Multinomial logistic regression analysis indicated that the teaching sector (primary or secondary) and participation in STEM education training significantly contributed to the prediction of the latent class outcome variable. Conclusion Given that 96% of the teachers in this study were trained in STEM education through workshops, seminars, courses, and trips, these findings highlight the necessity of designing personalized professional learning experiences for teachers and provide empirically supported evidence to indicate teachers' preparedness and readiness to adopt STEM education as an educational innovation and directions for future research in related areas. This