Assistive technology (AT) professionals are in pressing need with nowadays growing aged/disabled population, so as well-designed higher education programs in this field. This study designed and implemented a case-based active learning approach within an undergraduate course related to AT in Hong Kong, and assessed its impact on enhancing student engagement over two academic years. A total of twelve multimedia patient case dossiers on six major physical disabilities were created. Two cohorts of students enrolled in course “Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology” were instructed to utilize the case dossiers to facilitate their learning, understanding, and application of ATs for aged/disabled individuals. The Revised Two-Factor Study Process Questionnaire was employed to evaluate the student feedback on their learning experience, engagement, and learning approaches (i.e., Deep Approach, DA; and Surface Approach, SA) before and after the course. Upon completing the course, students’ DA scores significantly increased from 29.4 ± 6.9 to 31.4 ± 8.9 (p = 0.013). Additionally, significantly moderate positive correlations were found between the DA-SA value and students’ individual written report grades (p = 0.004) and overall grades (p = 0.048). In contrast, a significantly moderate negative correlation was identified between students’ individual report grades and SA scores (p = 0.019). These findings support the feasibility and effectiveness of implementing case-based active learning in higher education within the field of AT, supporting future large-scale implementation and optimization of such case-based active learning and teaching strategy in the AT field. Copyright © 2025 Informa UK limited, trading as Taylor & Francis group.

Empowerment enables students to be psychologically and affectively ready to leverage the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI). However, a theory-driven scale to extend empowerment into the use of AI for problem-solving is lacking. This study developed and validated an 11-item scale of empowerment in using AI for problem-solving (EUAIPS) based on a proposed conceptual framework that synthesises empowerment and AI-related literature. The EUAIPS scale encompasses impact, self-efficacy, and meaningfulness in using AI for problem-solving. We collected data from a diverse sample of Hong Kong senior secondary and university students before (N = 477) and after the course (N = 409). Results demonstrated that the EUAIPS scale with a three-factor structure had good reliability and validity. Students also felt significantly more empowered to use AI for problem-solving after a 14-h course using AI for problem-solving. These findings empirically support the affective dimension of AI literacy and show that psychological control/competence is particularly important for students to harness AI to solve problems at the affective level. This study presents a valid instrument for researchers and practitioners to measure empowerment in using AI for problem-solving and informs AI literacy curriculum designers about including learning activities to help students realise its impact, self-efficacy, and meaningfulness. Copyright © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

As the caregivers and educators of young children, kindergarten teachers often have to make spontaneous decisions and deal with challenging situations on a daily basis. The well-being of kindergarten teachers is of interest to parents, teacher trainers, and policymakers, as whether kindergarten teachers do well physically, psychologically, and occupationally has important implications for young children—the future pillars of society. Therefore, it is important to examine factors that may contribute to our understanding of the well-being of kindergarten teachers. This cross-sectional study examined whether mindfulness was linked to Chinese kindergarten teachers’ physical, psychological, and occupational well-being and tested self-compassion as a mediator. Online questionnaire data were collected from 336 kindergarten teachers working in Hong Kong, China (mean age = 31.6 years; 86% of them were women). Kindergarten teachers rated their physical well-being (indicated by physical health and voice disorder symptoms), psychological well-being (indicated by life satisfaction and depressive symptoms), and occupational well-being (indicated by job satisfaction and turnover intentions) as well as their mindfulness and self-compassion. Structural equational modeling revealed that mindfulness was associated with all three aspects of well-being and self-compassion mediated such associations. Theoretically, findings highlighted the multidimensional nature of kindergarten teachers’ well-being and the roles of intrapersonal factors—such as mindfulness and self-compassion—in understanding it. Practically, findings pointed to the potential utility of supporting kindergarten teachers’ well-being by targeting their mindfulness and self-compassion. Copyright © 2024 The Author(s).

This study examines the interplay among language proficiency, use and attitudes of Shenzhen-Hong Kong cross-border students (CBS), a unique group of Hong Kong students who reside in Shenzhen and attend school in Hong Kong. A questionnaire survey of over 500 CBS reveals that Putonghua is their dominant language, followed by Cantonese, while their hometown dialect and English play peripheral roles. CBS show strong preferences for Putonghua, both instrumentally and integratively. Statistical analyses indicate significant correlations between CBS’ proficiency in the four languages and their attitudes towards them. The study identifies pairwise associations among CBS’ use of Cantonese at school, their proficiency in the language, and their attitudes towards it, forming a reinforcing cycle. However, no such patterns were found for Putonghua or English. The study concludes that improving CBS’ Cantonese proficiency and emotional connection to the language is essential for their integration into Hong Kong society, addressing identity challenges, and fostering a cohesive sense of belonging. Copyright © 2024 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Early childhood educators' (ECEs) well-being is important for many outcomes. Drawing on the job demands-resources model, many variable-centered studies have found that job demands, job resources, and personal resources are linked to ECEs' well-being. Yet, little is known about the heterogeneity of these demands and resources and their implications for well-being, especially considering school-level effects and the adoption of a holistic view of well-being. This study used multilevel latent profile analysis to examine these issues. Participants included 1198 Chinese ECEs from 50 kindergartens who reported their job demands (i.e., quantitative, cognitive, and emotional demands), job resources (i.e., influence at work, quality of leadership, support from supervisors and colleagues, and sense of community at work), and personal resources (i.e., self-control and resilience). At the teacher-level, four profiles emerged: (a) at risk, (b) undemanded, (c) safeguarded, and (d) vulnerable learners. ECEs with lower salaries, higher educational levels, and larger class sizes were more likely assigned to the at-risk profile. Teachers in the at-risk and the safeguarded profiles reported the worst and the best well-being, respectively. Demands (in particular quantitative and emotional demands) appeared more critical than resources in distinguishing well-being. At the school-level, two profiles emerged: (a) high demand climate and (b) mixed climate. Kindergartens in Hong Kong were more likely assigned to the high demand climate profile and kindergartens with a high demand climate showed poorer school average well-being. This study reveals the complex configuration of job demands, job resources, and personal resources in ECEs and its implications for well-being at both teacher- and school-levels. The findings also inform strategies to enhance ECEs' well-being. Copyright © 2024 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those

Some previous studies have found that teachers are sensitive to traditional prescriptions such as the use of whom rather than who in object function, and between you and me rather than between you and I. This paper aims to examine whether Australian teachers as native speakers of English and Hong Kong teachers as non-native English speakers still display such conservative attitudes towards disputable usages these days. Data were collected via two elicitation tests. In the first survey, 34 Australian teachers and 37 Hong Kong teachers were invited to participate in a judgement test. Their responses were compared with those of students. In the second survey, 73 Australian teachers, 70 Hong Kong teachers, 207 Australian students and 188 Hong Kong students were presented with a proofreading test. The findings showed significant differences between teachers and students towards disputable usages. Both Australian teachers and Hong Kong teachers had a higher tendency to reject and replace items such as different to, less + plural noun and final prepositions. This suggests that tolerance diminishes with involvement in teaching and familiarity with prescriptive rules. Pedagogical implications of these findings are also discussed. Copyright © 2001 SAGE Publications.

In order to create a linguistically inclusive environment for multilingual learners’ meaning making of nature of science (NOS), it is important to allow students to freely mobilise different linguistic and modal resources for meaning making. In this single case study of a Hong Kong seventh-grade linguistically diverse classroom, we characterise two types of translanguaging spaces for meaning making of NOS: NOS-negotiation space and NOS-inscription space. Furthermore, we articulate how linguistically diverse learners navigate within and across these two translanguaging spaces. Our findings indicate that the teacher and students discussed a network of NOS ideas using gestures, different named languages as well as visual resources within the NOS-negotiation space. Students co-learnt metalanguages of NOS and created a multimodal ensemble of NOS within the NOS-inscription space. We also identified factors that facilitate or impede students’ connection of NOS ideas across two translanguaging spaces. Research reported in the paper calls for science educators to explicitly design translanguaging spaces to foster an inclusive environment for linguistically diverse learners’ meaning making of NOS. Copyright © 2024 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

We investigated the provision of musical activities in Hong Kong kindergartens and analysed potential differences among teachers with different levels of teaching experience. Using a self-designed survey, we asked 1,019 teachers how often they conducted 18 specific musical activities. Overall, we found that participants provided considerable music exposure to children. Advanced teachers (more than 15 years' experience) reported conducting more musical activities for children than Beginning teachers (less than 5 years). Principal component analysis revealed the existence of four components: Singing and Transitions (the most frequent); Movement, Technology and Thematic Activities; Sound Production; and Creativity and Self-expression (the least frequent). Teachers with varying teaching experience tend to focus on different musical activities in the classroom. Specifically, Beginning teachers reported to conduct significantly fewer musical creativity activities than Advanced teachers. We conclude that teaching experience is a crucial factor that affects the provision and types of musical activities conducted by kindergarten teachers. Findings May guide subsequent professional development efforts to better prepare kindergarten teachers with different profiles to achieve the learning objectives established in the curriculum framework. Copyright © 2024 Australian Society for Music Education.

Gratitude is usually conceptualised psychologically and approached through interventions largely detached from pedagogy and the wider context of school. However, its roles in learning and socialisation differ across cultures, and may impact teachers’ perceptions and practices. We interviewed teachers in Hong Kong. International school teachers emphasised the importance of gratitude in developing interpersonal relationships and saw performative acts of gratitude as lacking genuineness. Local (public) school teachers valued explicit gratitude, which they saw as essential for maintaining social harmony. These differences suggest that gratitude serves different functions in the two school systems. We discuss implications for gratitude education. Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd.