近年香港少數族裔學童的中文學習備受各界關注。文獻顯示他們經常受到中文能力不足而限制了中小學教育以至日後進修的途徑。當少數族裔學童入讀以粵語為教學語言的主流學校之後，能否駕馭作為第二語言的粵語，成為他們學習成功的關鍵。 本文將報告三十位南亞裔學童小學三年級在一年之間的粵語口語發展與轉變。口語能力測試的重點是詞彙、語法以及敘述能力三個向度，使用了標準化測試工具「香港兒童粵語口語能力量表」中的三個分測驗 : 名詞表達、語法理解及故事重述。另外我們也調查了學童的語言背景以及在不同場所的語言運用。結果顯示，在第一次測試中，所有小三學童在三個分測驗中的表現都遠低於常模的年齡期待值，名詞表達能力與期待值的落差最大，部分學童是低於五歲半常模。在一年之後，學童的語法理解及故事重述都有顯著進步，特別是在語法方面的名詞組和複雜句理解，以及故事重述中的參照指涉標示。但是多數受試學童在名詞表達測試中沒有任何進步，許多與本地文化關係密切的詞彙，如粽、蘿蔔、茶葉等，即使在測試後允許使用英語補充，也無法正確說出名稱。在判斷涉及否定詞的語句時，也有相當困難。以上的結果呈現出南亞裔學童的粵語學習是與本地學童的第一語言發展是有明顯不同的發展軌跡。 另一方面，南亞裔學童語言運用調查的結果顯示，他們在家中是以南亞族語為主(65%)，在鄰舍以及學校教室外的互動則是使用英語 (33%-42%) 和南亞族語 (38%-34%)，粵語的角色相對的低 (29%-24%)。由此可見，粵語在南亞裔學童的日常生活中並沒有明確的功能與地位。以全美外語教學委員會 (ACTFL) 的《全球外語學習標準》來看，這些學童的粵語 / 中文學習，在貫連 (connection) 和社群 (community) 這兩個維度有明顯的不足；許多學童在離開了教室後，英語、南亞族語是他們的主要溝通工具，中文學習形同孤島。所謂沉浸式學習只是空中樓閣。有關當局必須正視少數族裔學童的獨特語言學習環境生態，以學習者為中心，建立一個真正多元多軌的中文為第二語言課程，使得少數族裔學童能夠透過中文，連結不同場所生活與學習經驗的功能，融入社群。

The purpose of this study is to explore the possible impact of short-term Mainland exchange programmes on the Hong Kong youths’ national identity. A study using both quantitative and qualitative methods was conducted in 2016/17 to investigate the students’ national identity. There were 676 secondary school students completed the survey and subsequent focus group interviews were conducted to examine whether there was any difference in their national identity after they returned from the Mainland exchange programmes. The results show that some of the participants’ cultural identity was enhanced while their national identity was not necessary strengthened. These findings were related to the structure and the objectives of the Mainland exchange programmes. The complexity of the formation of national and local identities will be discussed. This presentation will provide insights for schools to enhance meaningful Mainland exchange activities and inform policy makers ways to formulate effective strategies for promoting such activities. This study is supported by Public Policy Research (PPR) Grant.

Stemming from a long tradition of liberal education in Hong Kong universities, General Education (GE) courses and programs have been part of Hong Kong tertiary education structure for less than a decade. Together with the recently implemented compulsory 2009 New Senior Secondary Liberal Studies (NSS LS) curriculum, GE represents a continues and sustainable structure of liberal education in the city. Although thousands of young Hongkongers participate in liberal studies courses and programs through secondary and tertiary levels of education, the influence of this structure of liberal education on their mindset remains unclear. This paper features selected results of the RGC funded study, which investigated sustainability consciousness of Hong Kong first year university students, enrolled in GE programs. The analysis of ~5000 student surveys and over 1000 reflections revealed three main features of students' sustainability consciousness: intentionality to make a difference; engagement with complex questions about identity, society and nature; and eschatological perspectives, which included imaginative, future-oriented and action-oriented approaches to critical reflection, supported by the rhetoric of hope, promises and commitment for better future. This presentation aims to discuss ways for implementing these findings in the GE and NSS LS classrooms with reference to local and international practices of liberal studies education.

This study examines changing nature of school leaders’ work during education reform in complex settings. We adopted a case study of investigating how two Hong Kong principals’ work was changed in responding to the 10-year education reform and demographic changes. Multiple qualitative data were collected. The results show that the principals’ scope of work had been changing and expanding to identify new opportunities for school development. Implications for school improvement and effectiveness are discussed.

Request is a prominent daily life speech act which a speaker manipulates appropriate linguistic forms to make a hearer perform an action to fulfill the speaker’s needs. Variations in the use of request forms will normally reflect a speaker’s pragmatic competence; i.e. language and culture. Research findings by Rose (2000 & 2009), Achiba (2003), Dewart and Summers (1995) and Ellis (1992) have pointed out that request forms used by young children provide a lot of important information about the pragmatic development of young children in their L1 and/or L2 learning. Previous research on pragmatics has concentrated on the learning of English or other European languages as a second language by adult learners. Not much has been known about pragmatic development among young children learning a second language. As a result of internationalization and global mobility of people, it is getting common that some children start learning a second language in early years for schooling adaptation in the host country. In recent years in Hong Kong, the lack of research evidence in inter-language pragmatics, with special regard to child language (i.e. Cantonese as L2) development, has made it difficult for policy-makers and educators to make decision on the Chinese language (as L2) education instruction and intervention for education equity of ethnic minority children studying in mainstream schools. This paper aims at examining (i) the relationship between L2 Cantonese pragmatic knowledge (language proficiency and cultural knowledge) and Pakistani preschoolers’ expression of Cantonese request strategies; (ii) the relationship between Pakistani parents’ Cantonese proficiency and their children’s Cantonese request strategies; (iii) the difference in the ability of using Cantonese request strategies by Pakistani preschoolers at different grade levels in kindergarten; i.e. K1, K2 and K3. All discussions in the paper are based on findings from an on-going research project which is

在漢語教學的國際熱潮中，香港的情況比較特殊。除了通過普通話教學外，更多香港非華語人士需要學習本地通用的廣州話（粵語），從而認識中文，解決生活的需要。粵語是現代漢語中較強勢的方言，有自成體系的語音系統、方言詞彙和語法特色。非華語人士如要通過粵語學習中文，面對粵語口語和現代漢語書面語之間的差距，往往會較諸通過普通話學習中文更遠。 以粵語作為中文教學媒介語在香港由來已久，無論是中文母語或二語教學，如何能指導學生兼顧口語與書面語表達之間的差異──能以粵語口語有效表達，同時又能避免 讓粵語方言干擾現代漢語書面語，素來都是中文教師的重大考驗。為此，本文將以一次支援「多元文化教學助理先修課程」的中文教學實踐為例，報告如何活用粵語拼音，裝備非華語中學業生掌握基本的中文幼兒教學用語，並認識與本地幼兒教師溝通所需的粵語。 上述教學試驗為特定對象而設，含前測與學業評估（口語及書面語）共 30 教時。本文擬檢視學生的前測與學業評估表現，對照教學實驗重點、學習內容及學生反饋意見等資料，評鑑粵語拼音在教授香港非華語學生中文的意義，為同類課程的未來發展提供實證的參考資源。

The Basic Law, a law of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China, plays a fundamental role in the life of Hong Kong people, As Gittings (2013) recently explained: As the highest law with practical effect in Hong Kong, it sets the framework for Hong Kong’s system of government, how its courts operate, and the rights and freedoms enjoyed by its residents, to name just a few examples. Yet the school curriculum does not deal with these major civic issues in any great depth. As Chinese citizens, the city’s youth need to be aware of what defines their citizenship in legal terms, how they can take on their responsibilities as citizens and how they can make a productive contribution to Hong Kong and the nation. This paper will draw on the Basic Law Education Project that has been funded by The Education University of Hong Kong. It will describe the five domains of study that have been identified (Rule of Law, Rule by Law, Historical Contexts of the Basic Law, How the Basic Law was Made, Changing the Basic Law), compare and contrast these to other law education projects both in Hong Kong and internationally and indicate pedagogies that can be used to enliven Basic Law Education in Hong Kong classrooms.

In response to the Hong Kong government’s call for renewing and enriching “the curricula and learning activities of Science, Technology and Mathematics, and enhance the training of teachers, thereby allowing primary and secondary students to fully unleash their potential in innovation”, the author collaborated with a team of science teacher educators and scientists to develop a new dual major science teacher education programme called Bachelor of Education in Science (BEd(Science)) which prepares competent graduates for teaching two senior secondary science subjects (physics, chemistry or biology) as well as the junior secondary science. Compared with the conventional Bachelor of Science (BSc) programme offered by many other universities, our BEd(Science) has the special programme features of not only offering three kinds of dual majors (physics + chemistry/chemistry + biology/biology + physics) but also deliberately integrating subject knowledge with pedagogical content knowledge in many science courses, practising pedagogy in field experience (to be conducted in school environment) and delivering the programme by a teaching team composed of both scientists and science educators. Apart from five foundation courses in science and science education, there are nine advanced science subject courses plus a subject-specific pedagogy course in each chosen major. Besides, our design of the curriculum content of the BEd(Science) programme is based on a detailed examination of the local school science curricula so that it is ensured to cover all the subject knowledge necessary for the effective teaching of the corresponding school science subject. Hence, those advanced science courses or topics such as advanced quantum mechanics, which are usually required for specific scientific research but are not relevant nor required for the teaching of secondary science, will be replaced by other educational courses or topics which could effectively help school pupils remove their common