The paper is based on some emerging ideas about theorising curriculum leadership within a context of school-based management. The study is situated in a changing context of Hong Kong where two major reforms, school-based curriculum development and school-based management, have been on the school agenda for several years. The inclusion of parents, teachers and students for exploring innovative practices of school program, pedagogy, assessment and evaluation with reference to the Key Learning Areas is investigated. In the study, widening curriculum conversations with some major stakeholders of education is characterised by collaborative efforts of school reculturing and restructuring. The schools reculturing and restructuring themselves as productive and innovative places for curriculum change and school renewal are those which are committed to confronting their problems and taking those problems and issues on board; factors contributing to shape initiatives of school reculturing and restructuring are then identified and elaborated.

Curriculum policy in Hong Kong is moving towards school-based curriculum development. This is reflected by the introduction of the School-based Curriculum Project Scheme by the Education Department in 1988. The aim of the Scheme is to encourage teachers to produce curriculum projects which meet the learning needs of pupils and schools. However, the Education Department selected and reproduced some of the school-based curriculum project materials for dissemination to all Hong Kong schools. This paper is a report of the study which analyses the collection and use of the disseminated projects by schools and the perceptions of the school teachers towards these projects.
[Copyright © 1998 New Horizons in Education.]

This paper attempts to discuss how teachers understand the concept and the role of play in early childhood curriculum in response to the education reform initiated by the Hong Kong Government. Collaboration action research was conducted with 18 teachers in two pre-schools for a period of two years. It was found that the project teachers have different views on work and play as the goal of educating children. To facilitate analysis of data, the researcher has classified play and work into different categories of learning activity. The research revealed that what is considered as play and work depends on the extent to which the child feels free to follow his/her own desire or the extent to which this self is subordinated to the authority of the teacher. As the boundary between play and work becomes blurred, early childhood educators should rethink the role of play and work in early childhood curriculum and pedagogy.
[Copyright © 2008 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

This paper presents a case study of a Hong Kong primary school undergoing curriculum change and the role of the principal in that process. Its justification as a case study rests on the weak existing knowledge base of such studies in Asian settings; the mix of Chinese and Western cultures which characterize Hong Kong; and the principal as an enthusiastic change agent who puts the school at the forefront of restructuring in primary education in Hong Kong. Qualitative methods involving inductive analysis of the case school were employed to address five research questions aimed at eliciting the principal's role in curriculum reform. The findings reveal that many sources of change coalesce to yield multiple innovations that are managed simultaneously; that the principal is primarily an instructional and transformational leader; and that values is placed on staff development through a collaborative culture. While the principal eagerly embraces many of the reforms, most of which emanate from Western (Anglo-American) system below the apparent surface harmony are feelings of tension among the teachers. While they feel means innovation overload, the respect for hierarchy and seniority so characteristic of Chinese culture means that they feel unable to approach the principal. The study thus explores the phenomenon of a Hong Kong Chinese principal adopting 'Western-style' reforms while implementing them in ways reflecting her Chinese culture.
[Copyright © 2001 Routledge.]

Young children learn a great deal as they move about, explore, experience and interact with the world. Movement is seen as contributing to the total development of young children in preschools. It is an integral part in early childhood curriculum. The aims of this paper are threefold. It firstly examines the constraints of developing early childhood physical education (ECPE) curriculum in Hong Kong. Secondly, it advances a new curriculum approach in ECPE for enhancing whole-child development in early childhood settings in Hong Kong. The key elements of this approach are Creativity, Integration, Fundamental Movement Skills, and Movement Education Concepts. Thirdly, it investigates the effectiveness of the effectiveness of the new approach as implemented in a Hong Kong preschool. The findings of the study have supported that the approach as implemented in a Hong Kong preschool. The findings of the study have supported that the approach is appropriate for ECPE curriculum reform in Hong Kong.
[Copyright © 2008 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

Each curriculum reflects a vision of what children 'ought to be and become' based on a view of social values and a structure that translates those values into experiences for learners. Curriculum management is the leadership and coordination of shared work in schools. The impact of child centred philosophy that encourages learning through activity and experience has been great in the field of early childhood education. However, there is an implementation gap in our curriculum in Hong Kong. Supporting interactions among teachers within and between kindergartens is the key to curriculum management.
[Copyright © 2001 Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business.]

This paper reports findings from two research projects conducted in Hong Kong. The first study (termed ‘pilot’ study) aimed to obtain baseline data regarding the extent to which the classroom environments of a small representative sample of preschools in Hong Kong are literacy rich. One of the objectives of the second study was also to evaluate the extent of literacy-rich elements in a similar sample of preschool classroom environments before and after intervention. The preschools in the second study were provided with literacy props as a form of intervention. Each preschool centre was provided with one-page sheet with suggestions on how the materials could be used to facilitate literacy elements in children’s dramatic play. Results showed that Hong Kong preschool classroom environments are fairly literacy-enriched but there is little variation in classroom environments by grade level. Implications are drawn from these studies for teachers to foster literacy-rich play environments to encourage meaningful reading and writing activities during play activities.
[Copyright © 2003 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

This study was designed to investigate the theory and practice of curriculum leadership within the tradition of school-based curriculum development. A case study methodology was used to evaluate the extent to which teacher engagement in curriculum decision making processes within a school-based structure of curriculum development had led to professional development. Evidence revealed positively that participating teachers had developed professionally through the process of planning, implementing and reflecting curriculum practice and innovation. However, the complexity of the structures and processes that were established for the implementation of the concept of teacher curriculum leadership needs further empirical and theoretical work. This article reports on the activities and preliminary findings in the first action cycle of the project, which focused on developing teacher leadership in curriculum theory and practice in the period September to December 2004.
[Copyright © 2006 James Nicholas Publishers.]