A hierarchy of inclusive teaching tasks by associated level of teacher efficacy is derived from a group of primary and secondary school teachers in Hong Kong using a Rasch rating scale model on 536 in-service teachers attending a professional development course. Findings show collaboration tasks represented the highest teacher efficacy in primary and secondary teachers. Managing behavior represented the lowest level of teacher efficacy but slightly more in primary than in secondary school. Hence, future training regarding inclusive practices should be specific to the school level, with a strong focus on collaborations between school, parents, and the community. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gifted education has the mission of providing a favorable learning environment and opportunities for the developmental trajectory of gifted students in quality education. In this chapter, researchers from four Asian societies share evidence on the policies, research and practices of gifted education in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan. They examine current gaps and the potential for future development of gifted education by analyzing formal policy documents, administrative and research units established by the government and the education bureau or related organizations. The researchers analyze gifted education in these countries with regards to clarity, comprehensiveness, connectedness, feasibility for implementation, research-based nature, gaps in policy, practice, and research on gifted education and provide a discussion of the implications of each. Copyright © 2018 selection and editorial matter, Kerry J. Kennedy and John Chi-Kin Lee; individual chapters, the contributors.

Objectives: The present study aimed to conduct a comprehensive study examining stigma towards mainstream students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in local pre-service teachers. The study assessed the contributory role of both illness-related predictors (knowledge of ASD and threatening illness perceptions) and personal prosocial traits (the need for closure (NFC), compassion, psychological inflexibility) in stigma formation. Research effort has also been paid to investigate how stigma affected emotional and behavioural consequences in this particular context. Methods: 133 education-majoring local students (mean age = 20.89, 81.2% female) responded to the study by completing a questionnaire, which consisted of a battery of psychological scales measuring different constructs. Results: All five predictors and three consequences were found significantly correlated to stigma. Compassion and psychological inflexibility demonstrated an extra explanatory power on stigma formation after controlling the effect of the two illness-related predictors. A partial mediating effect of negative affect was also observed between stigma and punitive intention. Conclusion: Personal traits exert an influence on stigma formation, further examination of relevant interventions and meditations deserve future research effort. The partial mediating effect of negative affect provides an insight to help understand the mechanism from stigma to teaching-related behaviours. All rights reserved.

Background Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that being stigmatized by the frontline educators. However, research targeting on the preservice teachers is scarce. Guided by the common sense model, a psychoeducation training about ASD was developed to understand pre-service teachers' attitude and to address the myths with comprehensive information.Methods A total of 233 undergraduate students studying educational programs completed a pre-test questionnaire, psychoeducation training, and a post-test regarding ASD. Among them, 216 participants completed a one-month follow-up measure. The hypotheses were tested using bivariate correlations and repeated measure t-test.Results The results of the bivariate correlations between the perceived chronicity and consequence of the course of ASD were positively associated with stigma and preferred social distance. By using the paired-sample t-test, the results suggested that participation in psychoeducation training could help to increase pre-service teachers' knowledge and reduce their stigmatizing attitudes towards individuals with ASD. A shorter preferred social distance and more acceptance level were significantly associated with improved knowledge at the post-test. The results of improved knowledge and decreased stigma were also observed one month after the psychoeducation training.Conclusion Theoretically, the present study indicates that the common sense model contributed to a deeper understanding of the attribute of the negative attitudes towards people with ASD. Practically, the effectiveness of the psychoeducation training on improving knowledge might provide some insights for the future development of knowledge-based interventions that mitigating the stigma associated with ASD. The findings could also guide the design of the teacher-training programs on special education to better prepare the pre-service teachers on their teaching professions. All rights reserved.

Teachers' self-efficacy is a critical predictor for successful inclusive physical education. However, little is known about preservice physical educators' self-efficacy toward teaching students with autism spectrum disorders in China. A sound instrument is necessary to measure their self-efficacy level. This validation study examined the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Physical Educators' Self-Efficacy Toward Including Students with Disabilities--Autism. A multisection survey form was administered to preservice physical educators in Mainland China (n = 205) and Hong Kong (n = 227). The results of confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the one-factor model of the scale in the total sample and each of the two samples. Invariance tests across the two samples supported configural and metric invariance but not scalar invariance. The scale scores showed good internal reliability and were correlated with theoretically relevant constructs (i.e., burnout and life satisfaction) in the total sample and subsamples. These findings generally support the utility of the scale for use among Chinese preservice physical educators.
[Copyright of Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly is the property of Human Kinetics, Inc..]

In the previous literature on gifted education in Hong Kong, there has been little mention of special schools for gifted and/or talented students in Hong Kong except for GT College, Hong Kong's first college for the gifted. Some notable researchers in gifted education in Hong Kong have described the college briefly with regard to its admission policy but have not discussed its programmes. The present article aims to provide a more extended introduction about how GT College successfully nurtures its gifted and/or talented students to become future leaders in Hong Kong. The present article comprises a systematic overview of the historical developments of gifted education in Hong Kong. This is followed by a historical review of GT College. Then, GT College's learning and teaching philosophy is addressed followed by its innovative curriculum for gifted and/or talented students--Talent Development Programmes and Youth Development Programmes.
[Copyright of Gifted Education International is the property of Sage Publications Ltd..]

Students with special educational needs (SEN) are at an elevated risk of psychological and behavioural dysfunctions. In this study, we conducted a survey of parents of students with SEN in Hong Kong to examine the impact of two school practices – learning support and school climate – on the psychological and behavioural functioning (PBF) of students with SEN. We also examined the mediating effects of social participation and academic engagement. Questionnaires were distributed to 586 parents in 139 primary schools. The results of structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis show that perceived school climate has a direct effect on perceived PBF, while perceived learning support does not. Perceived learning support has two indirect effects on perceived PBF, with perceived academic engagement or social participation as a mediator. The findings have implications for the effective use of educational resources to support the inclusive education of students with SEN.
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Gifted students usually require much less time spent in practising and revising basic skills; instead, they benefit greatly from opportunities to work through the curriculum at a faster pace (acceleration). Teachers currently working with mixed-ability classes do not always find it easy to differentiate their teaching approach in this way, so there is a need to facilitate in-service professional development to provide teachers with practical strategies for implementing effective differentiation for gifted learners. In response, a project for primary school teachers was organized by a university in Hong Kong. The purposes of the project were (a) to "enhance the confidence of teachers" in planning and delivering differentiated lessons in specific key learning areas (KLAs) with particular reference to gifted students; (b) to "empower teachers with knowledge and strategies" necessary for designing and implementing a differentiated curriculum in KLA domains and (c) to establish a "professional development practice" that connects local academics with schools and teachers. The project was implemented by inviting curriculum leaders, panel chairpersons and subject teachers from primary schools to attend a 3-hour lecture and a 6-hour workshop in which differentiation practices were explored. The project was later evaluated based on feedback from participants and university consultants. Overall, the feedback was positive, but suggestions are provided here for enhancing future projects of a similar nature.
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This small-scale exploratory study identified strategies used by three intellectually very able university students with specific learning difficulties for maintaining motivation on their path to achievement. All three participants were located in Hong Kong. The research questions were: (a) What coping strategies are used by intellectually very able university students with specific learning difficulties? (b) What are the critical influences driving and supporting their motivation to achieve? A narrative inquiry method was used to obtain and analyze data. Two gifted university graduates and one undergraduate, all with specific learning difficulties, were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire and open discussion. Data indicated that they developed strategies to cope largely in response to adverse learning environments. The support of significant persons, such as parents and teachers, were also seen to be essential for sustaining their motivation to achieve. Implications for supporting university students with specific learning difficulties are briefly discussed.
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This study examines the development of education and the curriculum for children with mental handicap in Hong Kong, the influence of the Target Oriented Curriculum (TOC) reform on the development of the curriculum for these children and its implementation in a special school over a period of two years. Three research strategies were used: historiography, naturalistic evaluation and a case study. Data was gathered by means of document collection, interviewing and observation, and analysed by the method of constant comparison. The findings are considered in the light of political, technological and cultural factors in the developments of education and curriculum for children with mental handicap, in the introduction of the TOC to these children, and in the school personnel's interpretation and views towards its implementation. The extent of implementation of the TOC in the case study school was examined with regards to changing practices in materials, teaching approaches and teachers' beliefs. Five key themes emerged from the study: the extent of TOC implementation at school and classroom levels, the Education Department's commitment towards the education of children with mental handicap, whether curriculum reform was truly considered necessary, the ethos of teaching and the culture of special education/schools. It was concluded that the implementation of the TOC for children with mental handicap was a poor example of effective change, given the problematic nature of the reform, in particular the inadequate management of the change process. It was also evident that this reform repeated many past failures, making long term success of the TOC in special schools somewhat doubtful.