世紀之交，不少香港特別行政區的中小學校響應語文課程的改革，逐步嘗試以普通話作為中文科的教學語言。“普通話教中文”漸成趨勢，但普通話科至今仍是單科設置，獨立予中文科以外。推展“普教中”的學校要發展語文課程，都須先行解決中、普兩科的整合以及提前教學漢語拼音的問題。 教學語言轉換以後，漢語拼音變成小學生學習語文的入門工具，也是促進他們語文能力發展的利器；學生能否有效掌握拼音，將直接影響語文教學的成效。可惜教育當局遲遲未就漢語拼音教學或課程制訂明確指引，也未有提供相應的教學建議或大綱。這些年來，先導學校只能不斷嘗試與摸索，有些尋求專家學者的指導，更多是通過觀摩交流，向本地學校或到內地借鑒取經。不過，由於分科課程的制約，教師過去又多缺乏發展語文拼音課程的經驗，故先導學校在推展校本拼音教學的過程中，雖已不斷努力，在教程、教材以至教法方面多作嘗試，並持續檢討和修訂，但校本拼音課程的教學成效還是不甚理想。為提升拼音教學的效益，優化“普教中”的語文課程發展，本論文將從課程理念出發，討論教學目標的制訂、拼音系統的選取、教學序列的設定；再就實施層面，包括教材的運用、教程的規劃及教學策略的部署等，為香港小學的校本拼音教程設置，提供實際可行的建議。

Gender equality has long been an issue for gender and language research from as early as the 1970s to the contemporary era in the 2010s, and gender stereotyping in textbooks is an issue in many different countries (Davis, 1995; see also Blumberg, 2007, 2008). While secondary English Language textbooks published in Hong Kong have already been investigated by Lee and Collins (2008), primary English Language textbooks have rarely been investigated (but see Au, 1992; Au, 2004). Therefore, the present study investigates gender representation in two widely-used primary English Language textbook series, Step Up and Primary Longman Express, by examining two subgenres that can be widely found in all language textbooks: reading passages and dialogues, and visuals. In other words, textual (lexis and grammar), discourse and visual representations of gender are analysed. A combination of different methods is used in this study. First, to answer the research question of how gender is represented in the reading passages in the Step Up and Primary Longman Express series in terms of lexis and grammar (Research Question A), content, linguistic and discourse analyses are conducted. Then, pragmatics and conversation analysis are used to analyse how the discourse of males and female speakers is represented in the dialogues in the two textbook series (Research Question B). Finally, to analyse the representation of gender in the visuals in the two textbook series (Research Question C), the method of visual analysis is used. To make sure that the quantitative results obtained are significant, the chi-square test is also used and log-likelihood values are calculated. The results of this study are encouraging in that males and females are represented similarly and fairly, and show in improvement over previous textbook studies in gender representation. In textual representation of gender, at the lexical level, though males were represented more often than females in terms of having a higher frequency

This study aimed to identify clusters of primary students based on their mathematics achievement, and their perceived usefulness of and expectation of feedback from teachers, and second, to examine profiles of self-regulated learning of the students in these clusters. The sample consisted of 4,570 students at Primary 3 to Primary 5 in Hong Kong. Two-step cluster analysis identified three clusters of students in each year level, namely, low achievers with negative feedback attitudes, high achievers with moderately positive feedback attitudes, and moderate achievers with strong positive feedback attitudes. Further, the clusters of moderate and high achievers shared similar mathematics self-efficacy, but moderate achievers had higher achievement goals and stronger self-regulated learning practices than either high or low achievers. Further, low achievers had the lowest, and moderate achievers the highest, self-regulated learning in mathematics. These results were consistent across year levels.
[Copyright © 2014 National Academy for Educational Research.]

According to the Olympic Charter, "Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining into a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles". Sport is viewed as a mini society where participants experience the success and failure; the joys and tears; and the ups and downs of life. For children, the overall aims of education for the 21st Century in Hong Kong should be "To enable every person to attain all-round development in the domains of ethics, intellect, physique, social skills and aesthetics according to his/her own attributes..." (Education Commission, September 2000, p.30). In the early childhood curriculum, physical education is integral in fostering young children's total development. Early childhood educators always provide an educationally appropriate program to enhance young children's whole person development. This paper serves two purposes. First, it demonstrates how Olympic sports are highly related to Civic Education for young children. Secondly, it suggests educationally sound strategies for early childhood educators to develop a preschool physical education curriculum with emphasis on the development of young Hong Kong children's civic capacities.