In this study, the authors investigated the implementation of adopted information technology (IT) policy in representative institutes of the Vocational Training Council in Hong Kong. The article first introduces the context of the government’s 1997 IT initiative. It then reviews the literature on generally acknowledged advantages and limitations of IT in education. Next, the research methodology is briefly set out. In the study, the authors attempted to achieve a degree of triangulation by employing instruments from both the positivist and subjectivist paradigms, namely, questionnaire surveys of current staff-student IT use, and focused interviews with lecturing staff concerning personal evaluations of the project’s viability. Quantitative findings suggest some initial movement in the desired direction, but the qualitative data call for skepticism. It was concluded, therefore, that full implementation will be far from unproblematic.
[Copyright © 1999 International Vocational Education and Training Association.]

This paper reports on the design and implementation of a project for developing self-directed learning in student teachers. The study involved 20 student teachers currently enrolled at The Hong Kong Institute of Education. The study contextualized self-directed learning in the Education Projects module. Each student teacher designed and implemented a small educational research project. The Know Want Learn (KWL) method, concept map and a reflection question were used to collect data on the change in the self-directed learning capacity of student teachers. Data analysis revealed that student teachers had differential growth in selfdirected learning competence. Further, both quantitative and qualitative changes were observed in student teachers’ conceptualizations of educational research. Nevertheless, capacity remained for further improvement in their capacity for self-directed learning.
[Copyright © 2005 International Self-Directed Learning Symposium Group.]

The influence of school or family on students’ development is widely recognized as essential. Cultural factors which affect students’ use of information and communication technology (ICT) need to be further explored. This research on digital divide analyzed the interview data from principals, teachers, and students from two Hong Kong junior secondary schools. The main findings suggest that cultural divide at school and home can significantly affect the phenomenon of digital divide in education. The cultural factors in school most associated with high ICT usage were the school principals’ culture and values regarding ICT. Parental values, such as demanding but harmonious parent-child relationship, were the most influential home cultural factors. The results of the study suggest that the phenomenon of digital divide could be eased by previously overlooked gaps in school and family culture. Some suggestions and limitations were also provided in the conclusion.

This presentation will focus on usage of mobile learning analytics from the initial flipped classroom experience from teaching a college mathematics course in a pre-service teacher's training programme in Hong Kong. This new learning method will inform how flipped classroom can be further enhanced with the learning analytics. Insights and recommendation will be shared in this presentation.

This paper presents the findings of a large-scale pilot project that implemented a professional e-portfolio component to the assessment of the teaching practicum in B.Ed. programs at the Hong Kong Institute of Education. The design of the professional portfolio activities, the training of students, issues related to the eportfolio platform, and the outcomes of the pilot, which led to the Institute-wide adoption of the e-portfolio assessment approach, will be detailed.

ePortfolio is implemented in a higher education institute in Hong Kong with the objective of building the capacity of students in managing and monitoring their own learning in technology-enhanced environment, and at the same time, it is important for the institute to understand the students’ perspectives in creating the ePortfolios for the ongoing development. As a student-centered learning tool, the study aims to find out whether the ePortfolios could help students learn to document their learning process, showcase their learning outcomes and perform self-reflection on their own learning. Moreover, the purpose of this study was to gain insights from students’ perceptions of the usefulness of ePortfolios for further implementation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on seven students selected from different programs to understand their perceptions of learning and how they perceive the benefits of ePortfolio creation to learning. It is found that not all students could perceive the objectives of ePortfolio creation which would help them to organize, manage, and reflect on learning and that it is still a long way for freshmen to perceive the benefits of student-centered learning by creating ePortfolios. It is crucial for the institute to consider how to develop the awareness of students to become active learners with the creation of ePortfolios and with the guidance of teachers.
[Copyright © 2015 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore.]

Many ESL and EFL learners find wh-question formation difficult to master despite the fact that wh-interrogatives are a commonly used structure. Through using a Learning Study approach, this study aims to identify Hong Kong ESL learners' difficulties with wh-question formation, to explore effective strategies to enhance the instruction, and to investigate the learning outcomes as a result. Quantitative data were collected from three Hong Kong Secondary 3 classes through a written test and an oral test, and qualitative data from discussion at teachers' meetings, research lesson observation, student interviews, and post-lesson conferences. It was found that Hong Kong learners' L1 transfer problems are an important inhibiting factor in their learning of English wh-interrogatives. The most serious learning problems found include Chinese interference with word order and failure to use correct verb phrase structures. The research team, through the Learning Study research cycle, succeeded in designing appropriate contexts and using variation patterns for presenting and practicing interrogative structures. Successful outcomes were evident in the gradual improvement of the design of the three research lessons and significant progress by students in their learning of wh-interrogatives.
[Copyright © 2012 The Asian Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language.]