This paper reports on a qualitative study that investigated the lived experiences of a group of pre-service English language teachers during a teaching practicum in Hong Kong. Multiple, in-depth interviews with student teachers were conducted during a 6-week practicum to understand the students' experiences of becoming teachers. A contribution of this study is to use the analytic lens of teacher identity to understand the challenges, one group of pre-service teachers confronted as they positioned themselves, and were positioned by others, as particular types of teachers during their practicum. The results of this study suggest that a critical perspective, grounded in an identity-theoretic understanding of pre-service teachers' practicum experiences, is needed to reveal and then overcome antagonistic relations that might threaten the identity work of trainee teachers. Endorsing calls to rethink the practicum, the types of support that might be offered to pre-service teachers are critically examined and suggestions for the ways in which stakeholders, such as teacher educators and school-based supporting teachers, can best facilitate the identity work of pre-service teachers undertaking a teaching practicum are offered. Implications for future research are also discussed.
[Copyright of Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2013.838621]

This article reports on the results of a qualitative case study that addresses recent calls for greater attention to clinical aspects of practice and experiment in teacher education programmes. Grounded in the notion of approximations of practice, this study uses the analytic lens of teacher identity to understand how one group of preservice teachers in Hong Kong negotiated boundaries between opportunities for practising teaching within their university classroom and the classrooms of their practicum placement schools. Through in-depth interviews and classroom observations, this paper explores relations between opportunities to practice instructional routines and teacher identity construction within and beyond the university classroom. The data suggest that preservice teachers can face considerable challenges in constructing identities as they move between opportunities for practice available in coursework and engagement in the practices and activities of teaching within schools. These challenges include negotiating competency and gaining legitimate and legitimising access to practice as they confront relations of power within schools and teacher education programmes. Implications for the organisation of teacher education programmes that promote teacher agency and for future research are discussed.
[Copyright of Research Papers in Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2012.710246]

Background: The Physical Education (PE) curriculum has already been reformed in most countries across the world. Problem solving, lifelong learning, and health issues have become major concerns of PE curricula. With the innovation of PE curricula, a variety of teaching approaches based on the constructivism learning theory have been designed and tested. Bunker and Thorpe, in an attempt to shift from the teacher-centred and skill-based learning to a student-centred approach, initially developed teaching games for understanding (TGfU), which links tactics and skills within a game context. This approach has attracted increasing attention from researchers and PE teachers, with a large body of literature examining the attitude of PE teachers and their implementation of TGfU. However, the differences in the perspective of TGfU among pre-service teachers, cooperating teachers, and university supervisors remain unexplored.
Purpose: The present study aimed to examine the views, learning experiences, and understandings of pre-service PE teachers, cooperating teachers, and university supervisors of TGfU in Hong Kong.
Context: Comprehensive PE curriculum reformation programmes were conducted in Hong Kong in 2002 and 2007 to promote student generic skills. The new PE curriculum has challenged teachers to introduce new strategies that promote students' generic skills, such as TGfU. Participants and settings: Ten pre-service teachers and their mentors, including nine cooperating teachers and three university supervisors were involved in the present study, which was conducted during the teaching practicum of pre-service teachers. Data collection: A semi-structured interview was conducted with each participant.
Data analysis: Interview data were analysed through deductive content analysis to identify meaningful pieces of information comprising the comprehensive text segment.
Findings: Three groups of teachers have positive views on TGfU although the reason behind

This study investigates the challenges sixteen non-native preservice English as a second language (ESL) teachers in a Bachelor of Education (English Language) (BEdEL) program from Hong Kong experienced in an eight-week teaching practicum. Qualitative data from semi-structured interviews and reflective journals were collected from all 16 participants to obtain a detailed description of the participants' perceptions of their field-based practicum experiences. Results indicate that the preservice teachers' practicum was characterised by a reality shock due to difficulties in experimenting with pedagogical practices they were taught in the BEdEL program, and a lack of sense of control in class. This reality shock could destabilise the already anxious student teachers and have adverse effects well beyond the eight-week teaching practicum. Inadequacy in English language competence also appeared to affect not only these student teachers' teaching performance but also how they established and maintained their teacher role and relationship with their students. Implications of the results for strengthening current ESL teacher preparation programs in non-native English speaking contexts are discussed.
[Copyright of Australian Journal of Teacher Education is the property of School of Education, Edith Cowan University. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2013v38n3.3/]

This paper examines teachers' experiences of autonomy as they undertook Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in the form of Teacher Learning Communities (TLCs) to develop Assessment for Learning (AfL). Participant teacher interview data were used from two parallel TLC projects, one in Hong Kong and one in London, UK. Autonomy was defined in terms of taking initiatives, acting independently and making critical inquiries. Links between autonomy and effective CPD were argued and the findings indicated that some teachers in both the projects experienced limited autonomy in terms of taking initiatives and being critical, although several described a new sense of professional independence as they attended TLCs. Their limited autonomy looked likely to inhibit the long-lasting impact of the projects, although one TLC in London seemed likely to shape teachers' AfL principles and practices more profoundly because attendance was voluntary and egalitarian.
[Copyright of Teacher Development is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2012.748686]

This article reports on an exploratory qualitative investigation of an initiative to use an electronic teaching portfolio at a teacher education institution in Hong Kong. Using in-depth interviews, this initiative is examined from the perspective of preservice teachers themselves. Interviews sought to gain an understanding of how the construction of participants' identities as teachers was shaped by their engagement with an electronic teaching portfolio throughout an eight-week teaching practicum. The study highlights the identity struggles that participants confronted in using an e-portfolio to negotiate their own and others' professional identities within their teaching practicum placement schools. Implications for preservice teachers, teacher educators, and school authorities are discussed and suggestions for future research considered.
[Copyright of Technology, Pedagogy and Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1475939X.2012.720416]

This study extends the ownership of learning model by using e-portfolios in a field experience placement to examine student-teachers' attitudes towards learning in relationship to personal value, feeling in control and taking responsibility. The field experience e-portfolio pilot commenced in spring 2011, involving a cohort of 77 year 3 field experience student-teachers enrolled in the Bachelor of Education English Language Programme at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, and approximately 20 supervisors. A research model is presented based on research into ownership of learning. The student e-portfolio ownership of learning questionnaire (SEOLQ) was developed. Seventy-seven participants completed the survey measuring their responses to ownership of learning components of attitudes towards learning (ATL), personal value (PV), feeling in control (FIC), and taking responsibility (TR). Data were used to test the hypotheses postulating the main effects of ATL using e-portfolio on the constructs PV, FIC, and TR. The results of the study indicated that ATL had a significant influence on PV, FIC and TR. The results suggest the student-teachers valued the integration of the e-portfolio into the field experience and developed a sense of control of their learning. Responsibility-related findings suggest that participants were sensitive to both the means of manipulating the e-portfolio and the results of their efforts doing so. By providing student-teachers with the opportunity to reflect critically upon their work as educators, e-portfolios can serve as an invaluable resource for promoting effective ownership of learning.
[Copyright of Australasian Journal of Educational Technology is the property of ASCILITE. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet.html]

Preschoolers with autism face a number of challenges in integrating into different community activities owing to behavioural, communication and emotional concerns. Since the year 2009, the Hong Kong Heep Hong Society has developed a training programme for enhancing community participation among individuals with autism. The current project reports findings of a qualitative study of special education teachers' perceptions concerning a range of issues with regard to the programme. Semi-structured one-to-one interviews were conducted to gather information from eight teachers who used the community participation programme. The results indicated that teachers perceived the programme as a useful tool for promoting community participation among preschoolers with autism. However, participants pointed out a number of barriers to implementing the programme effectively. The participants suggested ways to improve the quality of community participation programmes. Implications for teachers and other professionals are discussed.
[Copyright of Emotional & Behavioural Difficulties is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13632752.2012.695535]