自2009年開始香港教育當局推行新的中學學制，學校課程的核心科目和內容，以及相應的升學考試都發生了改變。在十年的發展歷程中，伴隨著數位學習、STEM教育等議題在學校大力推行，香港的數學教育出現了不少的新變化，同時也面對世界其他地區推行素養為本的教育改革影響。本文透過回顧新學制推行以來香港數學教育的發展變化，評析數學課程實施中出現的問題和挑戰。本文發現香港數學新課程面對的問題是新舊並存，主要體現在照顧學習差異、延伸數學課程的學習、數學與STEM教育、中小學課程銜接、新式教學方法和策略、共通能力和數學素養的關係等方面。更新的課程內容已成既定事實，教師和教師教育者更需要以學養教師的心態反思經驗，發展自身的專業性，為下一輪課程改革做好準備。Since 2009, the Hong Kong Education Bureau has introduced a new academic structure for secondary education. The core subjects and contents in the school curriculum have been changed, and so did the public entrance examination. Within this decade, with the promotion of hot topics such as e-Learning and STEM education, the mathematics education in Hong Kong has undergone many changes, and in the meanwhile facing the influence of competency-based education reforms around the world. This paper aims to review the recent development of mathematics curriculum since the implementation of the new academic system in Hong Kong. The review finds that the old and new problems coexisted in the implementation of the new mathematics curriculum, which are mainly reflected in individual learning differences, the extended mathematics courses, the role of mathematics in STEM education, the transition from primary to secondary curriculum, the emerging teaching methods/strategies, and the relationship between generic skills and mathematical competency. The updated curriculum has become a fact. These require teachers and teacher educators to reflect on the past experiences, and with the attitude of a scholar-teacher, to develop their professionalism and prepare for the next round of curriculum reform. Copyright © 2021 高等教育文化事業有限公司.

This research conducted diagnostic assessment of problems in first-year undergraduates’ English academic papers and tracked potential sources of the problems to the writing process and strategy use. Data collected include 339 term papers and interviews with 17 students. The samples were manually error tagged and marked against a detailed diagnostic checklist. The resultant textual features were then compared between two subgroups of Chinese students in the sample, namely, those graduating from local schools in Hong Kong (LS) and those coming from the mainland and sojourning in Hong Kong (MS). The analyses found both groups had the poorest performance in source integration and vocabulary use. LS used simpler words and made more grammatical errors, whereas MS attempted sophisticated vocabulary more successfully and used a wider variety of words and sentence structures. The difficulties they experienced, however, were rather similar, residing mainly at the researching, planning and formulating stages. Action control theory was introduced to interpret the self-regulatory strategies they adopted to cope with perceived difficulties during the writing process. Strategies to control goals, control resources, and control cognitive load were found to be the most typical. While these strategies could reduce their difficulties, only some seemed also to help with performance. A conceptual framework is proposed at the end to link writing products, process and self-regulatory control strategies as evidenced in the study. Four diagnoses are drawn with suggestions for practice and further research.本項研究對大學一年級本科生英語學術論文寫作中存在的問題進行了診斷性評估，並通過審視寫作過程和策略使用，追蹤了問題的可能來源。收集的資料包括339篇學期論文和十七次學生訪談。研究人員對所有文本進行了詳細的錯誤標記，然後系統地比較了來自香港本地學校 (LS) 和來自大陸並在香港求學的中國學生 (MS) 這兩個組別的文本。比較發現，兩組學生都在文獻整合和詞彙使用方面表現最差。 LS的文本中使用了更多的簡單詞彙，語法錯誤也更多，而MS運用了較多的複雜詞彙，單詞和句子結構變化也較為多樣。就寫作過程而言，兩組學生遇到的困難很相似，主要存在於1) 對寫作內容進行研究，收集整理和消化資料，2) 制定寫作計畫，和 3) 撰寫這三個階段。研究應用了行為控制理論來分析寫作中的策略使用，結果發現策略主要用於控制目標，資源和認知負荷。這些策略雖然可以幫助學生減輕困難，但只有少數有助於提高文本品質。基於本研究的發現

Textbooks play an important part in teaching and learning mathematics. However, textbook research on spatial ability has so far received little attention. In this study, we investigated whether school mathematics textbooks provide enough opportunities for primary students to learn three-dimensional shapes and help them acquire spatial ability. Three mathematics textbook series used in Hong Kong were analysed through content analysis. Findings showed each series of textbooks contained five domains for introducing solid figures, which included real-life examples, understanding concepts, measurement, finding laws, and developing spatial ability. The development of spatial abilities was mainly shown in the production of three-dimensional graphics. What students experienced in the learning of 3-D shapes was relatively narrow. Geometric graphics were mainly limited to the conventional shapes at the early stage. Activities to explore three-dimensional graphics were insufficient. It was suggested that combining the surrounding world of children with geometry in the classroom was not just a criterion for textbooks but also the focus of classroom teaching. The flexibility of teachers’ adoptions of textbooks is also worthy of further investigation. Copyright © 2021 by the authors; licensee Modestum.

Integrated writing is increasingly used in language assessment programmes. As a hybrid task, it requires students to coordinate different language skills, i.e. listening, reading and writing, to retrieve information from multiple sources, and compose an essay for a specific purpose. Tapping into the varied skills that contribute to successful integrated writing is especially beneficial for low proficiency students. However, the mechanisms underlying the impact of these skills on integrated writing performance have yet to be thoroughly studied. This study sampled 103 first-year undergraduate students in Hong Kong who showed relatively low proficiency in Chinese language. They completed three independent tasks measuring their listening, reading, and writing skills; an integrated listening-reading-writing task; and an integrated writing strategy use questionnaire. The results indicated that together, the independent skills accounted for 29.5% of the variance in integrated writing performance, suggesting that integrated writing is a skill that goes far beyond the simple combination of listening, reading, and writing. Independent writing showed the strongest correlation with integrated writing, while both independent listening and independent writing exerted direct and indirect effects on integrated writing performance. However, the effect of reading on integrated writing performance was insignificant, even though the two were significantly correlated. These results offer insights into the complex relationships between the skills. The findings enrich our understanding of the construct of integrated writing, as well as suggest strategies for teaching less proficient learners. Copyright © 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.

This study evaluates the impact of applying a flipped classroom model to an advanced psychology course at The Education University of Hong Kong. The study implemented mixed-method design, including pre-post surveys and focus group interviews. Overall findings indicated that students were satisfied with the flipped classroom approach but yielded no statistically significant differences in students’ learning preferences and capabilities. The authors recommend that instructors or course redesign teams be aware of the need to align learning and teaching activities as well as levels of assessment when implementing a flipped course format. Copyright © 2020 Miami University.

This multiple-case study investigated the experience of three preservice teachers who attempted formative assessment (FA) strategies in their English as a second language writing class during their teaching practicum in a secondary school in Hong Kong. Based on data from 17 lesson observations and 24 interviews, the study examined the three teachers’ implementation of FA strategies during cycles of pre-, while- and post-writing stages. Also analyzed are the teachers’ reflections on and their mentors’ and students’ evaluation of their FA implementation. The study found the teachers could translate their understanding of FA principles into teaching and assessment strategies appropriately, but the school’s accountability culture worked against their innovation. School mentors’ open-mindedness and support to their FA attempts were found to be crucial. The findings are discussed centering on key issues in the relational, developmental and contextual dimensions of the teaching practicum and their impact on preservice teachers’ practice and attitude. Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made online and distance learning the new normal at all levels of education. Music as a school subject that relies heavily on multimodal sensory and auditory-motor interactions has been dramatically affected. Music teachers may not be coping mentally or psychologically with these drastic changes. This study examined the psychological impact of COVID-19 on music teachers’ (N = 120) mental health and well-being through a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews (n = 10). The Fear of Coronavirus-19 Scale, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale and a shortened version of the Chinese Teacher Stress Questionnaire were used to measure Hong Kong music teachers’ experiences of psychological pressure and problem behaviours linked to the outbreak of the infectious disease. The findings revealed that music teachers are experiencing stress, fear, and anxiety in response to the pandemic. They are concerned about the effectiveness of online music teaching, parental expectations, students’ adaptability to online learning, technological integration and maintaining transformative teaching professionalism. Copyright © 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

In Hong Kong, the revitalization of vocational education and training (VET) was best marked by the advocacy of vocational and professional education and training (VPET) starting from 2015. VPET hence is a key element in the vocationalization of secondary curriculum, which provide students with a diversified post-secondary articulation and to enhance the school-to-work transition for better employability in the future. In 2018, the Education Bureau (EDB) also launched the Vocational English Programme (VEP) Grant (EDB, 2018) at the senior secondary level to support English learning of students who might opt for a VPET development pathway, in addition to the NSS English language curriculum. Under this background, there are two main research focuses in this paper. Firstly, this paper will explore the relationship between VEP and the NSS English language curriculum and discuss the potential impact to students. Secondly, this paper will also survey other related available initiatives similar to VEP, such as the Workplace English Campaign (WEC) under the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR), to better illustrate the landscape of vocationalization of English learning in Hong Kong throughout the years. In the current body of literature, more attention has been dedicated to the use of English and the specialized genre in the professional settings from the English for specific purposes (ESP) perspective, with relatively less focus on a vocational context. Therefore, we consider it is essential to fulfill this gap considering the continuous development of VPET. This paper will report findings from interviews and focus groups with key stakeholders (e.g. teachers and students) to generate a more holistic understanding to the research focuses. We hope that the conclusion and suggestion in this paper could provide inspirations to map out the future development directions of English learning in the (pre-)vocational context. Copyright © 2019 Inaugural Conference

This paper presents a Learning Study case on the topic of weight in the subject of Mathematics in a Hong Kong school of students with mild intellectual disabilities. The research team, composed of teachers from four Special Education schools, academic staff from a University and officials from the Education Bureau. The three parties worked as a learning community to design and implement a research lesson on the concept of weight.In Special Education Schools, the most common tool for teaching the topic of weight is a set of balance scale to compare the weight of two different objects. Through the demonstration of comparing two different objects, the lower side of the balance scale indicates the heavier weight. The findings of the pre-lesson student interviews show that the students only memorized the visual image of the lower or higher level of the balance scale without understanding what makes the difference in the height level of the balance scale. After identifying the learning difficulties of the students, the teachers realized that the conceptual understanding of weight is far more important than utterance of the observable phenomenon of the balance scale.The lesson adopted a communicative approach using the Variation Theory as a pedagogical tool and integrating the STEM elements in designing the learning activities to help students discern the critical features of the object of learning, as well as explore the concept of weight comprehensively through observation and inquiry. Students were encouraged to use their innate ability to estimate the weight of some objects in their daily life even without a balance scale in hand.This Learning Study case reports the implementation process with the support of video clips of student interviews and the research lesson. It is hoped that this presentation will open up the discussion about teaching the topic of weight in the field of special education. Copyright © 2018 WALS.