The disciplinary problem of students is an obstacle to effective schooling in Hong Kong. Many schools strive for formulating effective discipline strategies for solving this problem. Some Christian schools have worked out and are practicing some strategies, which are characterized by love and acceptance. They eventually succeed in transforming some misbehaving students into mature ones. The results are heartening. The aim of this article is exploring how these strategies are effective in solving the disciplinary problem of students and motivating more sharing and exchange in the successful experiences.
香港的學校正面對學生紀律難題的困擾。為要破解這難題，不少學校都力求制訂有效能的紀律策略。有些基督教學校制訂並實行一些以愛和接納為特徵的策略，最終成功轉化一些行為偏差的學生，成果叫人鼓舞。本文重點在於探討這些策略如何有效破解學生紀律難題，以激發更多成功經驗的分享和交流。
[Copyright of New Horizons: The Journal of Education, Hong Kong Teachers' Associationl is the property of Hong Kong Teachers' Association at http://www.hkta1934.org.hk/]

本研究調查了414 名香港與廣州的大學生對創新價值和創新能力的態度。兩地大學生都甚看重創新行為的社會責任及其價值。香港大學生較廣州大學生更注重創新的個人收穫與滿足及其獨創性，廣州大學生則較香港大學生更注重創新的實用性及其對社會的貢獻。香港與廣州大學生皆十分注重有想像力、有獨創性和有觀察力對創新能力的作用而輕視有幽默感和有藝術感對創新能力的影響。香港大學生較廣州大學生更相信創新能力是少數人才有的能力。
The present study examined 414 university students in Hong Kong and Guangzhou about their values toward creativity. Students in both cities cared more the social contribution of creativity than personal gratification. Hong Kong students were more motivated than Guangzhou students for having personal gratification and innovation in creativity. Guangzhou students were more motivated than Hong Kong students for having pragmatic use and social contribution in creativity. Students in both cities cared a lot for being imaginative, original and observant in creativity but cared little for being artistic and humorous in creativity. Hong Kong students believed more than Guangzhou students that creativity was only gifted to a few people.
[Copyright of New Horizons: The Journal of Education, Hong Kong Teachers' Associationl is the property of Hong Kong Teachers' Association at http://www.hkta1934.org.hk/]

Hong Kong classrooms are populated by a significant number of culturally diverse students, most predominantly newly arrived students (NAS) from Mainland China. These NAS come to school with the same hopes and aspirations as their Hong Kong counterparts and with a wide range of abilities. The huge diversity presents demands on today's Hong Kong teachers. Too often, the NAS are failed by the educational system because their perceived needs are not being addressed. This essay serves as an exploratory study on teachers' pedagogical effectiveness in response to the challenges of educating the NAS in Hong Kong schools. It draws special reference to the lessons learned from a one-year professional teacher support pilot project for the education of the NAS. Implications are drawn to provide support for the need and value of the integration of the cultural relevant elements in continuous teacher education programmes.
香港學校收納了不少文化多元的學生，他們多是內地新來港的學生。他們擁有不同的能力，然而，他們跟香港本土學生一樣對學校抱有相同的夢想與素求。他們本身的多元性為今日的香港老師帶來了不少的要求。很多時，他們的學業失敗是因為本港教育制度不能照顧他們的學習需要而致。本文是一個為期一年的探索式先導計畫，研究專注於香港老師回應新來港學生教育的挑戰的教學效能。由香港優質教育基金贊助，名為「新來港學童教育專業支援計畫」。本文總結先導計畫成果，並把所得的啟示作為支持在教師持續教育課程中加入文化適切元素的需要和價值。
[Copyright of New Horizons: The Journal of Education, Hong Kong Teachers' Associationl is the property of Hong Kong Teachers' Association at http://www.hkta1934.org.hk/]

Emotional Intelligence has been a hot topic for both parents and educators in Hong Kong in recent years. Conceptually, emotional intelligence should be related to students' life satisfaction, positive attitudes towards life, and the attainment of various education goals. However, despite its growing popularity, there is relatively little empirical evidence showing these relationships. The purpose of the present study is to provide some empirical evidence to examine these effects in Hong Kong. A group of 30 university students helped generate emotional intelligence items and 20 of these items were selected empirically from the responses of another 100 university students. Then a sample of 225 six formers completed a questionnaire which measured their perceived emotional intelligence, life satisfaction, and powerlessness in their lives. Their form masters evaluated their performance in moral and social development. Attainment in intellectual education of these students was estimated by their HKCEE results. As expected, results indicated that emotional intelligence is positively related to life satisfaction, and performance in moral, social and intellectual development. It is also negatively related to powerlessness in life. Limitations for this study and implications for future emotional intelligence research are discussed.
近年情緒智商成為香港的家長和教育工作者的熱門話題，理論上，學生的情緒智商應與其生活滿足感、正面的生活態度及不同的教育目標有關，但有關的實微証據則不多，本研究的目的是在香港探索這幾個概念的關係，我們先以三十名大學生提供情緒智商的測量項目，然後以一百名大學生的資料選取其中最佳的二十項，接著我們請225 名預科生回答問卷，而他們的班主任則評估他們在德育和群育的表現，智育表現則以他們中學會考成績為指標，結果証明情緒智商與生活滿足感、生活態度、德、群和智育有關。最後，我們討論了本研究的限制及未來研究的方向。
[Copyright of New Horizons: The Journal of Education, Hong Kong Teachers' Associationl is the property of Hong Kong Teachers' Association at http://www.hkta1934.org.hk/]

本研究的主要目的是調查香港新界西北區中學生學習的「愉快狀態」。研究有兩部份：第一部份是開放式問卷，共有184 位學生參與，第二部份問卷主要是根據第一部份的問卷結果設計，這部份共有435 位學生參與。第一部份的研究發現，成績好以及與同學、老師和朋輩的關係良好是學生感到最愉快的事；相反，成績不理想、考試壓力大、功課太多以及與同學和朋輩的關係不好是學生感到最不愉快的事情。第二部份的研究發現學校的環境、個人的關係、學習的進度、個人的問題以及研究對象與家庭和老師之間的關係最容易影響他們的愉快狀態。研究結果可以作為學校行政人員及教育決策者改善學生愉快學習環境的參考。
The present study aims at investigating the "states of pleasurable learning" of secondary school students in the North West Districts of the New Territories in Hong Kong. The study consists of two parts. The first part consists of open-ended questions. 184 students answered the questions. The second part is a questionnaire. Another sample of 435 students was involved. The construct of the questionnaire was based on the data collected from the first part of the study. The results of part one indicated that good school result, good relationship between classmates, good teachers; and many good friends were the elements, which made students, feel happy. Bad school result, great pressure from examinations, too much homework, and poor relationship between classmates would make students feel unhappy. In the second part of the research, it is found that school environment, personal relationship, learning progress, personal problems, relationship between the subjects and their family, and teacher-student relationship were the most influential elements of the states of pleasurable learning. This study can inform principles to make improvement in schools and help students to have a pleasurable learning environment.
[Copyright of New Horizons: The Journal of Education, Hong Kong Teachers' Associationl is the property of Hong Kong Teachers' Association at http://www.hkta1934.org.hk/]

透過聚焦訪談，研究發現政治社教化為個人在不同領域中與社教化仲介互動、協商，以建構自己的政治現實的過程。研究中的社會及政治活躍學生對公民身份的理解是多元的，從較保守的「克守本份」的公民理念到較激進的參與遊行及抗議不合理法律的公民實踐等。研究並發現，促成活躍民主公民身份形成的三個重要政治社教化因素包括：議題為本教學法、體驗式學習和有信譽的老師。以上的發現，對師資培訓具重要的影響。
Evidence obtained from focus group interviews supports a conception of political socialization as an active process where individuals interact and negotiate with socialization agents in different contexts to construct their political realities. The citizenship understandings of socially or politically active students in this study were basically eclectic, including conservative views about doing the best in their diverse roles as well as more radical orientations, such as participating in demonstrations and protests in opposition to unreasonable laws. Issues based teaching, experiential learning, and teachers with credibility have been identified as significant political socializing factors for active democratic citizenship. Such a finding has significant implications for teacher education.
[Copyright of Hong Kong Teachers' Centre Journal is the property of Hong Kong Teachers' Centre at http://www.edb.org.hk/hktc]

Most teachers believe that providing students with effective feedback on their writing is vital as it helps students to correct their own mistakes and be more independent writers, which will in turn train them to become better writers. However, some research studies on the effectiveness of teacher feedback on ESL students' writing report a grim picture (Hendrickson, 1980; Semke, 1984; Robb et. al, 1986; Truscott, 1996) as teachers' feedback does not seem helpful for students to improve their writing. This paper presents the results of a classroom research study that examines factors that affect the effectiveness of teacher feedback by analyzing students' preferences for and responses to teacher feedback on their writing. It is suggested that the ineffectiveness of teacher feedback may not lie in the feedback itself, but in the way how feedback is delivered to students. The study also provides several implications for teachers when giving effective feedback to students.
[Copyright of Hong Kong Teachers' Centre Journal is the property of Hong Kong Teachers' Centre at http://www.edb.org.hk/hktc]