The purpose of this paper is to document the experiences of program implementers of the Project P.A.T.H.S. in Hong Kong. Thirteen program implementers from three schools were invited to participate in three focus groups to discuss their views on the Tier 1 Program (Secondary Three Level) of the project. All program implementers regarded the program as beneficial to the program participants in different psychosocial domains, particularly interpersonal and personal levels. The program implementers also perceived the program positively and positive metaphors were used to represent the program. Consistent with the previous research findings, the present study provides evidence that support the effectiveness of the Tier 1 Program of the Project P.A.T.H.S. in promoting holistic development in Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong. Copyright © 2010 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin New York.

The implementation quality of the Tier 1 Program (Secondary 1 Program) of the Project P.A.T.H.S. in the third year of the Full Implementation Phase was examined in this study, with classroom observations of 233 units in 157 schools. Results demonstrated that the overall level of program adherence was generally high with an average of 72.96%. A total of 13 aspects regarding program delivery were significantly correlated. Multiple regression analyses indicated that overall implementation quality was significantly predicted by student participation and involvement, classroom control, use of positive and supportive feedback, degree of achievement of the objectives, and time management. Student participation and involvement, classroom control, degree of achievement of the objectives, and time management were significant predictors of success of implementation. Copyright © 2011 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston.

This study examined the implementation quality of the Tier 1 Program (Secondary 1 Curriculum) delivered in the second year of the Full Implementation Phase of the Project P.A.T.H.S. (Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programmes). Under the "Co-Walker Scheme", systematic observation of curriculum units was conducted in 138 schools. Results indicated that the overall level of program adherence was high, with an average of 82.9%. The mean ratings of the program implementation quality were also high. Despite limitations, the findings of this study suggest that the implementation of the Secondary 1 Program (Tier 1 Program) of the Full Implementation Phase was of very high quality. The present findings also provide strong evidence to account for the successful and encouraging outcomes of a major positive youth development program in Hong Kong. Copyright © 2009 with author. Published by TheScientificWorld.

In 1997, the two-year pioneer project on inclusive education for students with disabilities was implemented. The peer ambassador programs aiming at creating more opportunities for students with and without disabilities to interact with each other were also launched at that time. The aim of this study was to examine the experience of the peer ambassadors from an insider's perspective. A convenient sample of 23 peer ambassadors from 6 secondary and 17 primary schools participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using a constant comparative method and content analysis. The findings suggested that the roles of peer ambassadors included friend, academic tutor and Big-Brother-Big-Sister. All participants had very positive feelings in the process of helping others. Three quarters of the participants reported that they had development in the areas of personal qualities and interpersonal skills. All of them received support from the resource teachers, but their participation was affected by the attitude of peers and family. They also indicated that they needed support in handing the challenging behavior of classmates with disabilities. A mutual helping relationship was found between students with and without disabilities in the inclusive schools and the peer ambassadors also had personal development through the helping process. Strategies for program improvement are suggested to encourage students with and without disabilities to learn together.
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Global student mobility and the internationalisation of higher education is characterized by the movement of Asian students to North America, Europe and Australasia. Recently the global student mobility has featured the entry of many Asian providers including Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. This growing international presence is attributed to policy settings in each country designed to promote the notion of “education hubs”. This paper reports on qualitative structured interviews with over 60 international students studying in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. The students interviewed were from China, Italy, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Indonesian, Myanmar, Germany, Thailand and Jordan and were studying a mix of postgraduate, undergraduate and pre-university studies. The paper reports on the reasons for studying and motivations for an Asian destination and their experiences of the academic and social environments of their host countries. The paper documents the social and cultural challenges that students experience particularly in dealing in a multilingual environment where English is used as the language of instruction. The research also looks at the ambitions of the students and their future plans. The interviews also provide evidence of some of the strengths and challenges for providers in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia in securing a position as leading providers of international education. From the experience of students and interviews with some administrators, the paper also reports on the commonalities and differences associated with the development of “education hubs” in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.