This report describes a failed attempt at gender-bias reform among two groups of teacher-trainees of EFL and other subjects in Hong Kong Government schools. The groups are investigated in terms of their demographic background, perceptions of gender-bias in their education, and response to observing gendered classroom interactions. Their classroom observations indicate that urban Asian classroom interactions are gender-biased and that females appear to be both the object and the main perpetrators of such bias. A failed initiative to reform gender-bias reveals such bias to be dynamic, not passive.
[Copyright © 1997 CUHK English Lanuage Teaching Unit.]

This paper is concerned with a qualitative study of how 15 pre-service PE teachers, who are taking the two-year full-time teacher training course, develop professionally in their second field experience. With the interpretive research paradigm as conceptual framework, data were collected through interviewing and writing of reflective journals. Groups of pre-service PE teachers were found possessing different professional learning experiences concerning their conceptions and socializing strategies. Their professional conceptions included "educating pupils to learn", "seeing PE as catharsis, discipline and having fun". Their socializing strategies composed of finding means to improve teaching, and adopt social tactics for managing pupils and defensive attitude for handling crisis. The study provides an understanding of pre-service PE teachers in the Hong Kong Institute of Education and their learning-to-teach processes. The findings serve as the backdrop for recommending possible pedagogical changes for facilitating desirable professional development of pre-service PE teachers.
[Copyright © 2007 Department of Physical Education, Hong Kong Baptist University.]

The purpose of the study was to describe the teaching behaviours of Hong Kong physical education student teachers. Thirty-two local pre-service and in-service student teachers were videotaped teaching two lessons in their own schools or in the allocated school during their final practicum. Each videotaped lesson was coded using the Physical Education Teacher Assessment Instrument (PETAI). Data generated by the PETAI were entered into a SPSS programme to produce further statistical analysis. The results were comprehensive described and comparison were made between the in-service and pre-service student teachers' behaviour categories by employing the independent t-test. Results indicated that the in-service student teachers had significantly higher percentages of the response presentation and the total teacher instructional time than the pre-service group. Whilst the pre-service student teachers spent significantly more time in planned presentation, equipment management, organization, behaviour management and overall management time than the in-service group. It is likely the different experience in physical education lesson teaching in school environment of the groups give account for the differences of their teaching behaviours. Findings of the present study implied that there were different teaching behaviour patterns and needs of pre-service and in-service student teachers during their practicum.
[Copyright © 2000 Department of Physical Education, Hong Kong Baptist University.]

Following the education reform in 2001, the Education Bureau (EDB) in Hong Kong initiated a review of early childhood education (ECE) in 2006. The main focus of this review is the quality assurance mechanism for ECE, including the training of teachers, teaching quality, the potential pressures on teachers to upgrade their qualifications etc. This review is supported by the Chief Executive’s Policy Address (2006), which outlines concrete ways to achieve the targeted goals. This paper compares the provision of music training at four major ECE professional teacher-training institutions and examines the perspectives of in-service teachers, principals and early childhood education lecturers on the music training of ECE teachers. Using focus group interviews and survey, in-service ECE teachers expressed their general satisfaction with their pre-service training in music teaching. However, they did not feel prepared and confident enough to teach music in their schools compared to other subjects. They suggested aspects of pre-service training which would have better prepared teachers to teach music and identified three areas of professional development needs of ECE teachers in music teaching. A practical framework of professional development is also presented.
[Copyright © 2007 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

This paper provides an analysis of recent educational reforms in Hong Kong that aim to transform the ideological basis of the curriculum, teaching and learning. While the reforms appear compatible with current international developments in higher education and school curriculum—movements, for example, towards standards-based accountability, the development of technological expertise and meeting the needs of diverse learners—major aspects of the reforms appear to contradict one another. The implications of current reforms for teacher education, in particular, are discussed together with issues related to the politicisa-tion of reforms and teacher education pedagogy. The discussion highlights the need for an alternative approach to educating and preparing both new and in-service teachers in Hong Kong to cope with the current and future educational reforms.
[Copyright © Nanyang Technological University & National Institute of Education.]

This study aimed at examining the instructional practice of Hong Kong primary physical education student teachers. Twenty student teachers were videotaped teaching two lessons during their practicum. They were coded using the Physical Education Teacher Assessment instrument. Data generated were comprehensively described. Three randomly selected student teachers participated in the second phase of the study. They were observed teaching two lessons and attended two pre-lesson and post-lesson interviews. Results indicated that the student teachers spent 73.18% of their time in instructional behaviours and 26.82% of their time in managerial behaviours. They held common features in instructional practice during teaching.
[Copyright © 2008 The International Council for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Sport and Dance.]

學生對科學課的感受是什麼樣的，他們如何評價科學課中的教與學？這種感受與評價不是憑空臆想，而是源于學生在學習過程中的經驗和體悟。學生在上科學課的過程中會經歷無數的情境，不斷地影響他們的感受和學習。如果教師能知道學生的感受和想法，無疑會對學與教有更深入的瞭解，而最終得益者必定是學生。本研究是參考范梅南（Van Manen, 1990, 1991）在研究教學機智（pedagogical tact）時所用的方法，通過運用現象學探究（phenomenological inquiry）及其解釋學探究（hermeneutic inquiry）來研究學生在科學課中的體驗。本研究首先搜集學生的生活體驗，將其最難忘的科學課情境以軼事的方式呈現出來，最後以焦點小組（focus group）的形式讓科學教師針對學生的生活體驗進行討論及反思，由此達到促進教師專業發展的目的。是次報告會先解釋這項研究的理念及方法，並以數位香港中六學生提供的軼事作為示例，介紹在焦點小組討論中，科學教師作出哪些思考。

A survey was conducted with 604 pre-service teacher education students in Hong Kong to examine their epistemological beliefs, conceptions about teaching and learning, and the relationships between these beliefs and conceptions. For epistemological beliefs, the students tended to conceive knowledge as tentative, attained by effort rather than given by authority or limited by ability. They endorsed the constructivist conception more than the traditional conception about teaching and learning. Structural equation modeling and path analysis showed that epistemological beliefs predict students’ conceptions about teaching and learning. Helping teachers understand their epistemological beliefs would subsequently facilitate them to adopt appropriate instructional approach.