In general, the findings of the research project have shown that the pre-service teachers at the Hong Kong Institute of Education were not very competent in the implementation of civic education as embodied in the "Guidelines on Civic Education in Schools" prepared by the Curriculum Development Council and issued by the Education Department of Hong Kong in 1996. not that they lacked the skills in teaching, but they simply did not know how to transfer the skills into civic education both inside and outside the classrooms. Even worse, a majority of them revealed that they had not read the "Guidelines on Civic Education in Schools" and that they lacked the knowledge of Hong Kong, China and world affairs which are indispensable elements in pedagogical contents. Under such conditions, it would be inconceivable that the student-teachers could develop a positive and pro-active attitude towards civic education. By utilizing the method of documentary analysis and the approach of induction, this paper aims to identify the factors that have accounted for the deficiencies in civic education at tertiary level and explore the ways through which the pre-service teachers' competence and quality in such aspect could be enhanced. It is hoped that the suggested programmes or methods could help equip the pre-service teachers better for coping with the changes that have been taking place in Hong Kong and the challenges that the future world holds in store.

On July 1 1997, the People's Republic of China resumed sovereignty over Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, in anticipation of change in the conditions of citizenship, there was a debate between a western conception of citizenship focusing on democratic citizenship evolved as a legacy of British rule and Mainland Chinese conception focusing on national identification with the motherland. This study, conducted in the qualitative paradigm and applying the Grounded Theory Method, explores the conceptions of citizenship of two groups of student teachers, one in Hong Kong and another in South China in the first three years of the reunion (1997-2000). A conceptual model for understanding conceptions of citizenship was derived. Its implication for citizenship education was discussed.

On June 30, 1997, the handover ceremony ended 155 years' of British colonial rule and marked the beginning of resumption of China's sovereignty over Hong Kong. However, did allegiance and sense of belonging of the people of Hong Kong drastically readjust to match the political transfer? What did the identity of 'citizen under "one country, two systems'" mean to the people of Hong Kong, especially the student-teachers sculptors of the mind of to-morrow? To match the political transition, Civic Education has been promoted in Hong Kong since the issuing of the First Guideline in 1986. Since that time, in the process of curriculum development in Civic Education, there has been a hot debate on whether the focus of Civic Education should be placed on democratic education or nationalistic education. This debate is bound to continue in the upcoming curriculum development and teaching in Civic Education. In this debate, what position did student-teachers take? In late 1996, it was decided that Civic Education should become an independent subject of study in Junior forms. The syllabus was compiled and drafts issued for public consultations. The finalized version is to be implemented in late 1998. To what extent were aims and objectives, and contents of the new guideline endorsed by student-teachers? This study included a survey by questionnaires of Social Sciences elective student-teachers in the Hong Kong Institute of Education. It was conducted in December, 1997. The questions in the questionnaire were developed basing on the aims, objectives and contents of the draft of the 1998 Civic Education Guideline and other policy papers related to Civic Education. It intended to find out student-teachers' conceptions of citizenship and citizenship education under "one country, two systems", focussing on the 2 key issues of democratic education and nationalistic education. It explored the extent to which the aims, objectives and contents of the 1998 Civic Education Guideline were endorsed

This paper provides an overview of the considerable turmoil that erupted in Hong Kong following attempts to impose a form of national education in schools. From mid July to September 2012, mass gatherings and street demonstrations occurred in Hong Kong in response to the decision by the government to introduce a compulsory school subject titled Moral and National Education. A teaching kit titled the 'China Model National Conditions Teaching Manuel' prompted a public outcry for its approach to embedding a particular version of national identity and citizenship in the curriculum which was considered by many citizens in Hong Kong to be extremely biased. Parents and students in Hong Kong were alarmed when they discovered that many supporting teaching materials, suggested teaching plans, and even organised visits to the Mainland were biased, aiming only at presenting a positive picture of China to the students. This approach to developing a national identity was regarded by many protestors as not representative of the freedom of opinion and association that citizens in Hong Kong regarded as essential for citizenship and as part of understanding their rights in China under 'One Country, Two Systems'. The introduction of this program led to debates about the nature and purposes of civics and citizenship education and whether efforts to secure a national approach to education are in fact a form of indoctrination. This paper outlines the context for these questions about embedding a form of national identity and citizenship in the curriculum in Hong Kong and discusses the purposes of civic education. It concludes that students should have access to effective civics and citizenship education that allows them to develop their own sense of identity and opinions about their community as 'critical patriots'.
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