This study examined the relationships between principals’ leadership practices (LP), professional learning community (PLC), teachers’ perceptions of self-efficacy (TE) and whole-child development (WCD) in the context of kindergarten education. A total of 2120 Hong Kong kindergarten teachers participated in the study. Results showed that LP had positive effects on five components of PLC; LP facilitated teachers’ perceived WCD directly and indirectly through the mediation of three PLC components, namely shared sense of purpose, collaborative activity and a collective focus on child learning. Moreover, three PLC components (i.e., a collective focus on child learning, deprivatized practice and reflective dialogue) had positive effects on teachers’ perceived WCD via self-efficacy. The implications for enhancing PLCs in kindergartens are discussed. Copyright © 2019 All Academic, Inc.

Past studies have supported the view that parent background and family socioeconomic status determine the post-secondary educational expectations of adolescents. They build on Pierre Bourdieu’s social reproduction theory, but do not fully explain why some adolescents aspire to post-secondary education and some do not. The capability approach adopted by Amartya Sen, uses the concept of agency to address such individual differences and ‘capability to aspire’ may explain educational transitions. The data for this study is drawn from PISA 2012 and its longitudinal extension study of adolescents in Hong Kong. Results of logistic regression analyses suggest that the reproduction effects through school socioeconomic composition and habitus pertaining to parental expectation are major factors shaping adolescents’ expectations of pursuing a bachelor degree. However, agency factors, that is adolescents’ own capabilities, after taking into account their differing family socioeconomic backgrounds, can strengthen their aspirations to pursue a bachelor degree. This combined approach and its implications for theory and practice, as well as the limitations of the study, are discussed. Copyright © 2020 HKSAC.

A major cluster of economic engines that have changed Asian higher education, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan have all developed high-income societies as well as world-class universities which linked local “knowledge economies” to global science and created hubs for international collaborations and mobility. However, there has been limited analysis of interdependencies between the rise of world-class universities and changes in the flows of international talent. This paper elaborates on the concept of higher education internationalization that aims at enhancing geopolitical equity in global mobility and re-positioning local students for improved access to the world-class excellence. The paper compares key themes and patterns that define the Tiger societies’ unique positions in the field of global higher education. Copyright © 2021 The Author(s).

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a tremendous impact on the pedagogy and learning experience of students in sub-degree education sector of Hong Kong. Online learning has become the “sole” solution to deal with student learning challenges during this chaotic period. In this study, we explore online learning for sub-degree students by using a community of inquiry (CoI). As such, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted on survey data gathered from 287 sub-degree students from the business and engineering disciplines. Results indicated that the network speed for online education determines the perceived cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence of students, whereas gender and academic disciplines of students are not moderating factors that create a significant difference in perceived cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence of students. Our study findings for creating and sustaining a purposeful online learning community are highlighted. Copyright © 2021 Lau, Tang, Chau, Vyas, Sandoval-Hernandez and Wong.

In two studies, we investigated how Hong Kong university students reacted to descriptions of China as multicultural vs. assimilatory, examining effects on emotions, prejudice toward Mainland Chinese, attitudes toward Hong Kong/China culture mixing, and cultural identities. Study 1 compared a multicultural priming condition to a control condition and found that the multiculturalism prime significantly reduced desire to socially distance from Mainland Chinese. Study 2 compared multiculturalism, assimilation, or control primes’ effects, and found that the multiculturalism prime, through increased positive emotions, indirectly reduced social distancing from Mainland Chinese and disgust toward culture mixing, and increased Chinese ethnic identity and multicultural identity styles; the assimilation prime had the opposite indirect effects through increasing negative emotions. Results show new evidence of the importance of emotion in how non-immigrant regional groups, who are both minority and majority culture members, react to different diversity models. Multicultural frames increased positive emotions, with downstream positive effects on both intergroup attitudes and integrated identities. Copyright © 2021 Ye and Buchtel.

COVID-19 and the shift to online teaching necessitated a change in approach for English for Academic Purposes (EAP) teachers in preparing their students for university studies. This study explored how EAP instructors coped with and adapted their provision for emergency remote teaching. The study was conducted at an English-medium university in Hong Kong and a qualitative case study approach was adopted. The results revealed two overarching themes of opportunity and challenge. While the sudden shift to online teaching forced innovation and fostered collaborative learning and feedback, teachers experienced difficulties in communicating with students and monitoring their learning. The study voices teacher perspectives in delivering EAP courses online and highlights important implications for the successful delivery of future online EAP provisions. Copyright © 2021 by the authors.

This paper intends to study the beginning stages oftechnology adoption during distance learning in early childhood education (ECE) and focus on digital tools and equipment used during this period. We circulated a questionnaire to a representative group of teachers, seeking to find out more about teacher and school preparedness, strategies to provide distance education, and teachers' experiences while making this transition. Findings from survey results and interviews from forty-three teachers indicate that technological factors are strongly linked to school readiness. Teachers do not have pedagogical techniques for the current distance education learning environment. The pedagogical implications of these specialised tools were discussed. Four different pedagogical practices are central for distance education in a crisis and several difficulties encountered during the process. Although being prepared to ensure the continuity of education was challenging, schools and teachers found ways to overcome the obstacles. Results build on previously reported findings regarding school closure during virus outbreaks, and they may serve as guidance for teachers and school leaders as they move into technology adoption in ECE education. This research can also help create emergency response educational plans for kindergartens and provide an excellent historical record. Copyright © 2021 The 16th International Conference on Computer Science and Education.

Literature offers a theoretical framework exemplifying the inherent tensions between “becoming Chinese” and “remaining global” in the evolution of the international status of Hong Kong. Adopting this framework, this paper examines the global position of Hong Kong’s higher education through an investigation of universities’ participation in China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Greater Bay Area development plan. Specifically, drawing on data from interviews about universities’ engagement with the two Chinese grand strategies, the paper discusses university leaders and academics’ experience and perception of Hong Kong’s global status against a policy context that foregrounds a deeper integration with the Chinese national development. This discussion offers a theoretical dialogue that reveals different but overlapping scenarios for the future of Hong Kong’s higher education and sheds light on the link between the changing geopolitical contexts and international higher education. Copyright © 2021 The Author(s).

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to widespread change in people's lives across the world. Indeed, such change is especially evident in the education sector, where this global phenomenon has arguably triggered some of history's most significant advancements. In this study, we explore how the early childhood education sector in Hong Kong has coped with schooling during this period. Furthermore, we investigate the extent to which players in Hong Kong's early childhood education scene had to adjust in light of dynamically changing local government guidelines and why that has led to long-term improvements. To derive meaningful conclusions from this study, we use a mixed-methods approach that relies on data collected from surveys, interviews, and case studies relevant to the topic at hand. This data is then analysed, and themes are formed through coding. We also explore teachers' feelings, technology adoption, and examples from practice to determine how schools have supported young children's education. The research demonstrates how early childhood education and care centres innovatively provide education during a crisis. Traces of success in making teaching and learning possible and meaningful are visible, even with children of a young age. Consequently, this research yields key lessons about ECE learning and teaching during crises. Copyright © 2021 The International Academic Forum.

Since the first class suspension, announced in Feb 2020 due to the prevalence of Covid-19, many schools, including all kindergartens, primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions, have redirected their face-to-face learning to online learning to strive for 'suspending classes without suspending learning'. The physical closure has switched face-to-face learning to learning at home, which has given rise to a new role for parents and guardians in children's learning. As a significant stakeholder in the education process, parent-child experiences are among the most influential driving factors contributing to the success of any educational reform, and hence should be analysed to inform future decisions. This research sought to examine parental issues experienced by the parents of children engaged in distance learning. Parents agreed with the policy to keep the learning going, but they also highlighted the challenges they faced while supporting their children's home learning. Parents explained that they were experiencing difficulties balancing their responsibilities, learner involvement, accessibility, and learning outcomes. Some notable implications and recommendations for future implementation of distance learning or blended learning were discovered as a result of the study. Parental views towards the Hong Kong kindergartens' readiness to adopt technology in emergency distance learning adoption were also discussed. Copyright © 2021 The International Academic Forum (IAFOR).