Social-emotional learning (SEL) in early childhood lays the foundation for children’s later adjustment (Bornstein et al., 2010). Among existing SEL programs, OpenMind (OM) is a mindfulness-based kindergarten curriculum that has demonstrated effectiveness in the United States and Korea (Jackman et al., 2019; Kim et al., 2020). To enhance children’s SEL in Hong Kong, this study adapted and implemented OM activities over a one-month period. Initial efficacy on children’s SEL was examined, alongside teachers’ attitudes toward OM. Fifty-two Chinese children in K1-2 (3-5-year-old; nintervention=27; nwaitlist control=24) and four trained kindergarten teachers participated in daily meditation practices. They also completed pretest, immediate posttest, and a four-week follow-up posttest. Results suggest that teachers find OM activities useful, particularly during disruptive incidents. Children also had greater improvements in emotional control and shifting than did children in the waitlist control group. Through these practices, we hope to build a stronger foundation for children’s social-emotional competence. Copyright © 2021 HKERA-APERA International Conference.

Hong Kong has faced the suspension of primary, secondary, and post-secondary schools due to COVID-19, which has put over one million students out of the classroom. Educators were abruptly forced to shift to online and virtual classes without sufficient time and resources to prepare for such an enormous transition. While shifting from traditional face-to-face format to modern e-learning ensures that students can be educated outside of the classroom, its impact on the quality of learning and teaching can be mixed because professionals cannot solely rely on conventional teaching approaches. This project aims to address the knowledge gap in the traditional teacher-training by developing an online programme called “T.E.A.C.H.” to enhance pre-service teachers’ psychological competence for conducting online L&T. This programme consists of five modules, with each focusing on a specific domain of psychological competence (i.e., creativity, curiosity, love of learning, judgment, and perspective) and applied to the ‘three foci’ for online L&T (i.e., attendance and participation, engagement, and assessment). The modules consist of lecture videos, readings, practical tips and suggestions, and e-learning resources. The learning experience is consolidated and enriched by a series of interactive activities, practice exercises, critical evaluations, reflections, and short quizzes. The effectiveness of the programme for enhancing pre-service teachers’ psychological competence and online L&T outcomes are assessed through questionnaire measures, objective behavioural tasks, and knowledge checks. Pre-service teachers are expected to show more positive attitudes toward online L&T, higher self-efficacy to teach online, greater motivation to use information and communication technologies, and increased online pedagogical competence. Copyright © 2021 ICLT.

Esports have grown to become a core part of popular culture in many countries, including Hong Kong. Albeit the low participation rates in Esports in Hong Kong, it was starting to gain traction, yet the local Esports advocates were experiencing challenges in promoting and popularizing the Esport. Hence, the current study was aimed to identify and reveal the determinants of participating in Esports, as well as strengthen the work on Esports behaviors using the theory of planned behavior (TPB), a reliable and valid prominent theory in predicting human behavior across a plethora of contexts, ranging from health-related behaviors to sport consumption behaviors. In the current study, the convenience sampling method was used to recruit over 2000 students (secondary school, N = 1567 (female = 615); university students, N = 1525 (female = 255). The students were invited to participate in the survey for collecting their perception on Esports participation using TPB-based questionnaire. Results were analyzed using theoretical analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM). The results show that both secondary school and university students have positive attitudes toward Esports. The outcomes indicated that participating in Esports develops social networks, and people with professional Esports’ skills capability and being fortitude tend to be models of Esports participation. However, inadequate resources are a significant barrier to participation in the Esports business. The SEM model verified that the variables of intention in Esports participation among the students in Hong Kong with an adequate goodness of fit index. As a whole, the current study has identified the factors and determinants of Esports’ intention and behavior among Hong Kong students, which were successfully displayed in terms of the theory of planned behavior. In addition, the findings are expected to provide the Hong Kong government with a documented framework to advocate Esports-related policies on a long-term

Synchronous online teaching through video-conferencing software (VCS) has become a common mode of instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. This mode brings unique challenges for teachers that require specific professional digital competences. One such challenge is conducting formative assessment. Through the use of in-depth interviews with nine Hong Kong university teachers who had taught synchronously online for one semester, this exploratory study explored the challenges of conducting formative assessment during synchronous online lessons and the strategies teachers deploy to conduct formative assessment. The findings indicate that the key difficulties include gathering information on students’ needs, checking students’ understanding, giving individual feedback, and building relationships with students. To address these challenges, the teachers suggested four pedagogical strategies: (1) Combine synchronous with asynchronous approaches; (2) Utilise breakout rooms; (3) Utilise poll functions of the VCS and combine it with other online platforms; and (4) Provide time before or after lessons for informal conversations. The findings suggest that teachers need to develop specific pedagogical strategies to conduct formative assessment. This provides an initial conceptualisation of one important dimension of Professional Digital Competence, teaching using digital technologies, and one aspect of that dimension, how teachers use digital tools and strategies to conduct formative assessment. Copyright © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Collaborative lesson planning (CLP) is a key component of teachers’ professional development that responds to students’ ever-increasing learning needs. This study aimed to develop and validate an instrument to evaluate teachers’ CLP practices. Guided by the SECI (socialisation, externalisation, combination, and internalisation) knowledge-creation model of Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995), items assessing CLP practices were developed. To validate the CLP scale, we analysed data from 540 primary and secondary school teachers in Hong Kong. Exploratory factor analysis on a random half of the sample suggests a four-factor solution that supports the SECI model. A confirmatory factor analysis and multidimensional Rasch analysis on the remaining half of the sample confirmed the four-factor structure. Both analyses support the dimensionality of the four-factor model, rating scale effectiveness, and item fit statistics. The final version of the CLPS has 21 items that assess teachers’ CLP practices under the four SECI processes. This instrument has practical value in assessing, monitoring, and promoting collaborative teaching practices in school. The study's limitations and implications are discussed. Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Under the sudden outbreak of COVID-19 worldwide, students were forced to switch from face-to-face to online learning. This study reports the experience of Hong Kong students in higher education concerning the challenges they faced, the strategies they used and the support they needed in their online learning during the period. An online questionnaire was used to invite students to answer open-ended questions about these three aspects. 145 students from two higher education institutions completed the questionnaire and their comments were coded using thematic analysis. The study has discovered that socio-economic factors may have presented difficulties to students' online learning concerning their study environment and access to equipment. Students were emotionally distressed by online learning, particularly by the quality of feedback and clarity of course arrangement, so support for these aspects should be given. Self-regulated learning strategies were found to have been deployed by students to facilitate their learning, in which the use of time management apps and lecture videos highlights the increasing importance of technology to self study. These socio-economic, technological and emotional factors will be further discussed and corresponding suggestions will be made to help teachers and university policy makers examine the conditions that can help improve and promote online learning for higher education students under COVID-19. Copyright ©2021 Springer.

Field station research locations offer scientists isolation and immersion for more precise statistical analysis of climate change and environmental damage. As more art/science initiatives develop in academia, art students are gaining access to difficult scientific research sites and using the experience to fuel creative strategies. The methodology for offering a course that taps these into possibilities for the teaching of creativity remains little explored. Through a case study at the School of Creative Media in Hong Kong, this article examines how student expeditions that work adjacent to environmental scientists in extreme environments can be used for the teaching of creativity and artistic process as well as informing a larger public on climate issues. The structure of the program with detailed descriptions of sequenced proficiencies is presented. Both pedagogical philosophy and logistic issues will be discussed through the set-up and organizational structure of the course, the variety of teaching materials, assignments, dissemination and finally the exhibition and impact of the students' work. Using scientific resources with the goal of artistic interpretation, the pedagogy is designed to respond to the emerging potential of digital technologies in creative media. The results, both for the students and the public, demonstrate multimodal approaches that offer broader possibilities for learning and outreach that are both scalable and transferable. Copyright ©2021 SAGE Publications.