Introduction This study explores the motivators to use learning management systems (LMS) adopted and used in eLearning by Hong Kong universities among Mainland Chinese postgraduate students amid COVID-19 pandemic.Methods An adapted and extended UTUAT2 model was first proposed and tested using the structural equation modeling approach. Through self-report online questionnaire, data were collected in 2022 from 352 Mainland Chinese postgraduate students of nine universities in Hong Kong. The reliability and validity of the data were tested using the confirmatory factor analysis, followed by path analysis to test the hypotheses in the proposed model.Results The study revealed nine motivators which explained 50% of the variance in LMS use intention. Trust (0.204), instructor characteristics (0.202), performance expectancy (0.181), and facilitating conditions (0.181) were identified as strong motivators of behavioral intention. Other factors such as effort expectancy (0.148), learning value (0.118) and social influence (0.115) also had significant positive effects on LMS use intention. Habit (0.014) and hedonic motivation (-0.016) had no significant direct effect on it.Discussion These findings provide inspirations for educational stakeholders to promote the acceptance of LMS platforms among distance and online learners who adopt the cyberspace as the only means of learning. They also offer insights about instructor recruitment and evaluation methods. Copyright © 2024 Frontiers Media SA.

This study investigated the feasibility and effectiveness of using a flipped classroom (FC) approach to combine self-regulated learning (SRL) instruction and out-of-class eLearning activities in a two-year reading intervention program to facilitate students' learning of classical Chinese reading. A total of 352 junior secondary students from three Hong Kong secondary schools participated in the study voluntarily. Using a quasi-experimental design, students from each school were assigned to one of the following conditions: SRL instruction plus out-of-class eLearning (EG-I+E), SRL instruction only (EG-I), and control (CG). Both quantitative methods, including reading tests and student questionnaires, and qualitative methods, including teacher and student interviews, were adopted to collect data for the program evaluation. Findings indicate that after implementing the intervention program, EG students perceived significant changes in their classical Chinese lessons to be more SRL-oriented. While all treatment groups significantly improved their performance in the reading post-tests, only EG students significantly improved their strategy use, self-efficacy, and intrinsic motivation. Although both EG groups had similar improvements in all outcome measures, teachers and students of EG-I+E opined that the eLearning component of FC facilitated teachers' implementation of the intervention and students' strategy learning and motivation. Findings are discussed to shed light on applying SRL instruction and FC in a school subject long dominated by teacher-centered instruction. Copyright © 2024 Springer .

This article presents the results of a study conducted in collaboration with two universities - one in Lapland (Finland) and the other in Hong Kong (China) - during the development of an international university course on global media education. The objective of the study was to examine international students' changing conceptual understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) literacy as part of the course. The need for this study arose from the recent rapid spread of AI across industries, which has connected human learning to machine learning. This requires competence in AI to contribute to future society. Five hours of online lectures on AI literacy were delivered during two workshops to students (N = 29) from 13 countries with no or limited prior knowledge of the subject in 2021 and 2022. The participants filled out pre- and post-workshop quantitative questionnaires and wrote diaries about their learning process, the development of their understanding of AI-literacy concepts, and their thoughts on the pedagogical approaches used. The quantitative data were analysed using a paired-samples t-test, while the qualitative data were examined using thematic-content analysis. The findings show that the students' knowledge of AI and their awareness of the importance of AI literacy and media education increased significantly. Further research is needed so that a more appropriate curriculum can be designed for them. We outline some key activities that offer interactive and participatory ways to learn AI in order to assist educators in planning and delivering AI-literacy courses as part of cross-cultural media education. Copyright © 2024 Elsevier.

In the post-pandemic period, an increasing number of students have been using online learning environments, as students find them more convenient and feel less academic pressure. However, some students are comparatively disadvantaged due to their lack of access to a fast network or a powerful computer to attend online classes. Consequently, students may feel isolated due to their lack of internet connectivity. Based on conservation of resources theory, we aim to provide empirical evidence that various forms of student interaction in online learning classes mitigate negative psychological outcomes, such as distress and anxiety problems. A single-stage cluster sampling design was used for data collection. An online survey of 422 university students in Hong Kong was conducted in 2022; the students participated in online learning classes during the year. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used for data analysis. The results showed that student-teacher, student-student and student-content interactions can reduce students' psychological distress by reducing their performance and technology anxieties in online learning environments. Practical performance and technology anxieties served as partial mediators of the association between online class interactions and psychological distress. Interaction did not have a direct effect on psychological distress. When using blended or online teaching and learning modes, more interaction should be promoted. For example, group exercises can be introduced by teachers during tutorials to enhance student-student interaction, teachers can use polling exercises to encourage student-teacher interaction and virtual reality environments can be introduced during classes to enhance student-content interaction. Copyright © 2024 Springer.

With more and more non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students learning in Hong Kong mainstream classrooms, differentiated instruction has been called for application in Chinese language education to consider the diverse learning needs of all students. However, factors influencing Chinese language teachers' use of differentiated instruction remain unclear. This study aimed to examine the influence of teacher-student relationships and teachers' work motivation on differentiated instruction, as well as the mediating role of work motivation in the relationships between teacher-student relationships and differentiated instruction. Two hundred and ninety Chinese language teachers from Hong Kong primary schools participated in the survey. The results showed that after controlling for demographic factors (i.e., gender, length of service, years of teaching NCS students, and in-service training), both dimensions of the teacher-student relationships (i.e., closeness and conflict) positively predicted differentiated instruction. Autonomous motivation positively predicted differentiated instruction, while controlled motivation did not significantly predict differentiated instruction. Furthermore, autonomous motivation partially mediated the positive effect of closeness on differentiated instruction. Contributions, implications, and limitations are discussed. Copyright © 2024 Springer.

Introduction This research project examines student perspectives on independent learning in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. Independent learning describes learning undertaken by students outside of standard institutional learning environments. Prior research has suggested that motivations to undertake independent learning and the strategies involved may differ across cultural contexts, institutions, and individual learners.Methods This research employs primary qualitative research consisting of interviews with 16 students in Business Studies (eight British and eight Chinese). The study takes a social constructionist approach to better establish the ways in which culture may serve as a mediator for motivation to learn independently and the strategies pursued to this end.Results The study's findings note key differences in the motivations to complete independent learning across either cohort, as well as distinct conceptualizations of what strategies and practices facilitate effective independent learning.Discussion This research highlights significant cultural differences in the motivations, strategies, and skills related to independent learning between students in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. It also notes the potential for socioeconomic factors, institutional structures, and assessment methods, alongside culture, to contribute to these differences. Copyright © 2024 Frontiers Media SA.

This study addresses the convergence between technology and education, exploring the impact of paradigms such as computational intelligence, educational robotics, and artificial intelligence in educational research. The methodology was defined in three stages. In the first stage, the Web of Science database was chosen, and a search string was developed. The second stage involved the selection of studies through inclusion/exclusion criteria and the use of PRISMA. The third stage included the extraction and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, using bibliometric software, content analysis, and tools such as R Studio, Bibliometrix, VOSViewer, and Python. An annual growth of 56.51% between 2019 and 2023, with 208 works, is revealed. Sustainability leads the journals with 39 articles, indicating concentration in highly productive journals. The analysis of keyword co-occurrence reveals frequents thematic areas, highlighting artificial intelligence, education, technology, machine learning, and Big data.The lead institution is the Chinese University of Hong Kong, while China stands out with 61 papers at the country level. It emphasizes the importance of considering quality and quantity in scientific production and identifies five key topics in research summaries, suggesting areas of research focused on the integration of technology and educational innovation. Copyright © 2024 Universidad Pablo de Olavide.

Drawing on self-determination theory, this study investigated the impact of different teaching styles (i.e., autonomous and controlled motivation) to motivate students to complete the pre-class activities in a flipped classroom context on their academic performance, especially in the cognitive domain of Bloom's taxonomy. Utilizing ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis and a two-sample t-test, a quasi-experimental design comprising of 95 students from a higher education institution in Hong Kong was employed. The results found that among students in the class with controlled motivation from the instructors, there was a negative relationship between watching pre-recorded videos and performance on questions related to the knowledge and comprehension levels in the final examination. This negative relationship highlights the core aspect of cognitive overload, suggesting that over-engagement with video content may hinder rather than help learning. However, neither the pre-recorded videos nor the online exercises correlated with performance on questions at the application level. This outcome emphasizes the need to tailor the design of flipped classroom materials to accommodate cultural learning styles and cognitive development goals, particularly in diverse educational environments. The present study contributes to the flipped classroom literature by enhancing understanding of its impact on academic performance across the knowledge, comprehension, and application levels under Bloom's taxonomy, and suggests practical guidelines for the use of pre-recorded videos in the flipped classroom. It also highlights the intricate balance required between student engagement strategies, the cognitive demands of learning materials, and the cultural context of learners. Copyright © 2024 Springer.

Although research has always related e-portfolios to self-regulated learning, recently agency, which includes individual, relational, and contextual domains, has also been highlighted. Likewise, agency has been explored in technological environments that support collaborative and co-design learning processes. This study, investigating the enactment of student agency within e-portfolio learning co-design with 68 secondary students in Hong Kong, focuses on how students perceive their agency within a co-design e-portfolio learning framework, which was coined as the Co-PIRS model in previous stages of research. With descriptive aims, a mixed research methodology was designed using quantitative and qualitative data collection instruments. Among the findings, it is argued that students report a greater awareness of agency, characterized by competence beliefs (individual domain) in the showcase phase of e-portfolios, peer learning (relational domain), and the opportunities to make choices (contextual domain) in the implementation phase. The study also reveals students' positive attitudes towards reflection, which suggests the suitability of structuring collaboration in the co-design approach. These insights serve as a foundation for implementing e-portfolio co-design frameworks to empower students' agency and provide educators with guidance in Secondary Education and beyond. Copyright © 2024 University of Barcelona.

This study investigated 48 Hong Kong English as a second language (ESL) learners' engagement in three types of interactive tasks conducted via video chat or text chat. The learners, paired with their university friends, completed a descriptive task, a narrative task, and a decision-making task. They were randomly assigned to either the video-chat or text-chat group and were interviewed about their emotional engagement in each task immediately after task performance. The findings revealed that both groups of learners were behaviourally the least engaged but cognitively the most engaged in the decision-making task. They experienced positive emotions during the descriptive task, but fewer reported positive emotions in the other two tasks. The text-chat group was the most socially engaged in the decision-making task. Furthermore, the video-chat group was behaviourally and emotionally more engaged than the text-chat group. These findings have implications for task design and selection in computer-mediated communication. Copyright © 2024 De Gruyter .