Effective teaching requires teachers to have shared understanding with learners. If learners see the world in a way different from that of the teacher, the teacher may not be able to make connections with the learners, thus failing to convey the instructional content to them. Along this line, our project adopted the notion of ‘the pedagogy of learning’ and involved iterative cycles of research on children’s ways of seeing and the professional development of kindergarten teachers. In terms of research, we investigated the qualitatively different ways of seeing of children as manifested by the errors in the spoken words they used in everyday conversations in kindergartens while they learned to speak. Over the three years of the project, we had engaged a total of 254 in-service kindergarten teachers in observing children’s errors in their own kindergartens. A pool of 788 children’s errors was collected and 5 categories of errors were inductively identified: sound imitation (A), non-existent combination of characters from words (B), inappropriate use of the spoken forms of words (C), use of characters with inaccurate meanings (D), and creative exploitation of characters with relevant meanings (E). Concerning professional development of in-service kindergarten teachers, we presented the five categories of errors to the teachers in our professional development programmes to explore what they needed to know to teach children to correct each of the categories of errors and to use the appropriate spoken words. The presentation generated stimulating discussion among the teachers, inducing them to reflect upon their understanding of the Chinese language and their scientific knowledge about the world. On the whole, this project put forth the positive value of children’s errors and called attention to the potential contribution of the notion of the pedagogy of learning in improving the teaching of teachers for children to learn Chinese.有效的教學要求教師與學生有共同的理解，如果學生理解事物的方式與教師的不同，教師難以明白學生的想法

The relationship between individuals' possession of cultural capital and their musical preferences has been extensively examined in Western society; however, little attention has been given to it in contemporary Chinese contexts. Based on Bourdieu's (1973, 1986) concept of cultural capital, this study focuses on junior secondary school students' (Grades Seven to Nine) preferred musical listening styles, and their perception of how their parents' and their own cultural capital have shaped their musical preferences in contemporary Hong Kong society. Two research questions are addressed: (1) How does parental cultural capital influence students' cultural capital? (2) To what extent does students' cultural capital shape their musical preferences in contemporary Hong Kong society? A survey questionnaire was distributed to nine Hong Kong secondary schools in the summer of 2015, followed by an interview survey conducted in the spring of 2016. Based on a synthesis of the 1,614 completed questionnaires and 28 in-depth individual interviews, the quantitative and qualitative findings provide nuanced insights into students' perceptions of their musical preferences, and how one's cultural capital shapes one's musical preferences, in a Hong Kong context. This study finds that the students' music listening not only served as an aesthetic and leisure activity, but also as a means of inculcating cultural capital-proficiency of English-that is legitimate in Hong Kong and deemed an influential factor in school performance. The study also shows that through technological advancements, more specifically a readilyavailable platform for accessing comprehensive musical resource databases, a new factor has emerged that weakens the relationship between familial social status and students' musical preferences and leads to more autonomous music listening behaviour. In addition, students' musical cultural capital, which is transformed from their parents' cultural capital, may directly and explicitly

To enhance understanding of factors that may improve students’ STEM career participation, we explored Hong Kong secondary students’ self-perceptions of STEM subjects and career interests using the STEM Semantic Survey and Career Interest Survey questionnaire. Results showed that most students thought technology was more appealing than science, mathematics, and engineering subjects. Science was the only subject in which male and female students showed similar attitudes. A gender gap was found in these students’ career interests in STEM. Students held a neutral to mildly positive stance toward a career related to science, technology, and mathematics but had the least interest in a career related to engineering. Males showed more interest than females in careers related to all four subject areas. Results revealed a need to stimulate students’ interest in STEM education and search for ways to make a connection between STEM subjects and future careers through STEM teaching in the classroom. More attention should be paid to encouraging girls to engage in STEM-related activities. Copyright © 2022 Technology Education Program, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Based on Fredrickson’s (2001) broaden-and-build theory, this study investigates how Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE; consisting of teacher appreciation, personal enjoyment, and social enjoyment) mediates the relationship between Informal Digital Learning of English (IDLE) and EFL secondary students’ willingness to communicate in a second language (L2 WTC) inside and outside the classroom. We collected survey data from 308 EFL Hong Kong secondary students who lacked any international experience (ages 12–18). After controlling for demographic data, the results show that teacher appreciation, personal enjoyment, and social enjoyment all mediate the relationship between IDLE and L2 WTC inside the classroom, while personal and social enjoyment mediate the link outside the classroom. A closer look reveals that personal enjoyment, rather than social enjoyment or teacher appreciation, plays a larger role in mediating the relationship. Practically, these findings shed light on the underlying mechanisms by which IDLE and different aspects of FLE can potentially improve the L2 WTC of Asian EFL learners who primarily learn and practice English in the classroom. These findings have implications for future interventions aimed at enhancing L2 WTC by increasing L2 enjoyment in EFL learners. Copyright © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Mathematical modeling is considered a bridge to STEM education and has been incorporated into K–12 mathematics curriculums in various countries. However, it has a relatively short history in Hong Kong schools. The lack of high-quality, relevant exemplars of mathematical modeling activities is a challenge to teacher practice in this area. Hence, this study aims to establish a design framework for mathematical modeling activities suitable for teachers and students in Hong Kong. We explore the design and content of the official mathematical modeling exemplars published by the Hong Kong Education Bureau using a document analysis approach. The findings provide the basis for developing a framework to be used in the future design of mathematical modeling activities. Four exemplars were found and analyzed in terms of their structural components, level of learning experience in mathematical modeling, and design characteristics. Based on our findings, we discussed various strategies to enhance the design of a mathematical modeling activity, including setting diversified learning objectives, cross-subject collaboration when formulating the problem context and instructions, designing more activities suitable for average and underperforming students, emphasizing the evaluation of modeling outcomes, and providing relevant supporting materials. Our study thus lays the groundwork for advancing the teaching and learning of mathematical modeling in school contexts. Copyright © 2022 by the authors.

Triarchic model of grit (TMG) has conceptualized grit as individuals’ tendency to demonstrate perseverance of effort, consistency of interests, and adaptability to situations. Past studies demonstrated that TMG dimensions predict positive outcomes such as well-being and academic success. However, there is limited research demonstrating the role of social factors in TMG. The current study explored the associations of parenting styles and perceived filial piety with dimensions of grit in Hong Kong undergraduate students. Results showed that only authoritative parenting style positively predicted adaptability to situations. This study underscores the role that parenting plays in sustained motivation to accomplish long-term goals. Copyright © 2022 Informa UK Limited.

Students’ social identity is considered to have profound effects on their learning and academic performance, but there was a lack of research on whether students’ social identity would also influence their aspirations to pursue STEM careers. This research studied the associations between the social identity of students and their aspirations to engage in STEM careers. Nearly 4,000 Hong Kong students from three key learning stages participated in a survey related to their STEM aspirations. Data analysis using multiple regression and structural equation modelling showed that local and national identity were predictive of STEM career aspirations. Moreover, students’ sense of contribution to the nation and local society, as well as the perceived value of STEM professionals were mediators of the impact of their social identity on their STEM career aspirations. The implications provide insights for policymakers and educators to formulate appropriate curricula benefiting students’ social identity development as well as their STEM aspirations. Copyright © 2022 National Institute of Education, Singapore.

The influence of social factors on individuals' musical preferences has been extensively examined in Western society; however, little attention has been given to social influences on students' musical preferences in the Chinese context. With reference to Hong Kong, China, this study focuses on junior secondary school students' (Grades Seven to Nine) preferred musical listening styles, and how different social factors have shaped their musical preferences in contemporary Hong Kong society. Given its British colonial history, Hong Kong is renowned for its blend of Eastern and Western cultures, and its historical and cultural backgrounds may be reflected in its students' musical preferences. Two research questions are addressed in this chapter: (1) How do students perceive their musical preferences in their daily lives? (2) What are the social factors influencing students' musical preferences in Hong Kong society? A survey questionnaire was distributed to nine Hong Kong secondary schools in the summer of 2015. Based on a synthesis of the 1,614 completed questionnaires, the quantitative findings provide nuanced insights into students' perceptions of their musical preferences, and how social influences have shaped their musical preferences, in the Hong Kong context. The study found that social factors - language proficiency, family socialization, and technological advancement - significantly shaped students' musical preferences, which, to some extent, reflected the social values in contemporary Hong Kong. Moreover, this study showed that music listening not only served as an aesthetic and leisure activity, but also as a means of socialization, while advanced technology influenced students' music listening behavior by providing a readily-available platform for accessing huge musical resources. Copyright © 2018 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

As with the rest of the world, schools in Hong Kong have undergone a series of educational reforms to raise accountability and quality assurance of education. Schools need to enhance their capability of problem-solving and decision-making for meeting this standard for sustainable development. Intellectual Capital (IC), as an intangible knowledge asset of school organisations, has excellent potential to promote sustainable school improvement. School leaders, teachers, and other staff members ought to realise the value of their knowledge and manage these intangible resources for effective production and application of IC since knowledge management (KM) is the critical strategy for schools to create knowledge assets for the development of IC. This chapter reports a case study of two Hong Kong secondary schools to reveal how school principals can practice KM to generate and apply IC to improve educational performance. Copyright © 2023 selection and editorial matter, Eric C. K. Cheng; individual chapters, the contributors.