Using a content analysis method, this study develops a culturally based inventory of play categories from parents and children reports and explores how such types of play varies in environment and time. A total of 171 parent–child dyads from 13 Hong Kong kindergartens participated in the study. Results reveal that play practices reported from Hong Kong parents and children are categorised into four types. Data from parents and children show that a high frequency of symbolic and sociodramatic play is arranged on weekdays, whereas place-specific activity is the most frequently arranged in weekends. The qualitative quotes from parent and children interviews share the consistent view which reflects symbolic and sociodramatic play as the most liked activities. However, findings exhibit the inconsistent view on the most wanted play activities. Implications of these findings and suggestions about parental involvement and play facilitation for children are discussed. Copyright © 2022 Routledge.

With the aim to provide proper educational support for socially and economically deprived students, the present study examined a homework tutoring programme that focused on self-regulated learning (SRL) and implemented at an afterschool setting in Hong Kong. The programme was designed according to Zimmerman's SRL model, integrated explicit and implicit instruction, and took a social psychologist perspective. The findings from multiple sources of data showed that the overall effect of the programme was observed as small to moderate yet the tutees' positive changes in the use of four SRL strategies were reported: managing time, monitoring the use of cognitive strategies in doing homework, maintaining motivation and handling distraction, and arranging the sequence of assignments. The present study confirms the role of SRL-based homework tutoring in the promotion of deprived pupils' SRL capacity. This result may encourage more research efforts in the future to explore proper educational support for deprived students at after-school settings, with an ultimate aim to reduce the gap of inequality in education. Copyright © 2020 ASPE.

This article is based on an investigation of the implementation of environmental education in Hong Kong primary schools using a questionnaire survey and case studies. It will be divided into three parts: one focusing on the gap between rhetoric and practice in environmental education in the questionnaire results; one highlighting curriculum organisation of environmental education through case studies; and one discussing the nature and content of environmental education in these case-study schools. Copyright © 2000 Studies in Education Ltd.

This paper aims to examine teachers’ use of strategies and approaches in integrating Plastic Resources Education (PRE) into primary school life in order to overcome the challenges encountered during implementation to promote environmentally friendly practices. Case studies with eight Hong Kong teachers from PRE-participating primary schools were invited to take part in focus group interviews, to explicate their personal stories and experiences associated with the PRE implementation in primary schools. Based on the data collected from the teachers’ sharing, several challenges which are commonly reported in the previous literature, including lack of time, shortage of manpower, and insufficient pupil engagement were found. The teachers tackled the barriers by using different strategies to improve pupils’ involvement as well as getting support from the relevant stakeholders of school management and parents. The case studies provide crucial and relevant information which can be used as a reference for other schools to integrate PRE more efficiently to facilitate learning. Copyright © 2018 ASPE.

This paper examines the early childhood context of Hong Kong (HK) which is characterised by an entirely privatised system. The level of knowledge a child possesses in early childhood can be a determining factor in their admission into desirable kindergartens or primary schools. Given HK’s privatised early childhood education system, the quality of a child’s learning is directly tied to the education services their parents provide independently or can afford financially. The study reported in this paper adopts a narrative inquiry approach to an under-researched area of early childhood education, namely the voices of parents within home learning environments and how the lengths they go to provide their children with a quality education.
[Copyright of Education 3-13 is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2017.1310272]

A global trend towards formulation of curriculum has emerged over the past decade. The concepts of project approach have aroused growing attention, and many literatures have indicated its benefits to children. It is believed that to achieve these potential benefits of project learning, teachers needed to formulate a curriculum that follows the interests of children, to design appropriate activities, to build a good relationship with children and help them in the process of learning. The study revealed that teachers were positive towards the impact of project learning on children's experience but fell back to a traditional way of implementing curriculum.
[Copyright © Routledge].

This article provides research evidence that creativity can be nurtured as abilities and skills both in the general domain as well as in specific domains with methods appropriate to the holistic development of young learners. It reports upon two empirical studies on the enhancement of creativity in children and young people, and connects to teachers' creative self-efficacy. The studies focus upon infusing creative arts in early childhood curriculum, and employing creative drama in subjects such as Chinese, English and General Studies. Playfulness is an important feature in these innovative pedagogies and teachers' use of creative drama techniques is also strengthened. The research evidence lends support to the hypothesis that arts-enriched learning elements and playfulness in the classroom environment can enhance individuals' creative performance. The implications and limitations for implementing such playful learning and creativity in education are discussed.
[Copyright of Education 3-13 is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2015.1020652]

This paper examines teachers' stories of children's coping with changing family situations such as divorce or family separation which can induce discontinuities in their lives. Using the case of Hong Kong, a place where 'East meets West' in cultures and family relationships, this paper argues for the use of the concept of hybridities in understanding the experiences of children in changing family situations. Teachers' stories show that children in changing family situations are facing new kinds of difficulties from the mixing of modern family forms and traditional family values. Implications to teacher education, policy and practice are suggested.
[Copyright of Education 3-13 is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03004271003776843]

Students have a wide experience of being tested, but their perceptions of assessment are comparatively under-explored. This paper illuminates the perspectives on assessment of a sample of lower primary school students in Hong Kong. It uses focus group interviews and draw-a-picture technique to elicit their views. The main findings are that assessment can bring a sense of satisfaction or happiness, but that more than half of the informants indicated that they had negative feelings in relation to testing. The paper reinforces how students are controlled and moulded by their assessment experience, and its significance lies principally in documenting this phenomenon amongst lower primary school learners.
[Copyright of Education 3-13 is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2012.689988]

This study investigates Hong Kong primary science teachers' understandings of inquiry learning, perceived difficulties in implementing inquiry learning, as well as their current practices of and resistance to using online resources, in order to identify their needs and propose suggestions to address these needs. An online survey has been used to collect data from the primary science teachers taking part in a professional development course. Simple descriptive analyses of the data show that although the teachers' conceptions of inquiry learning seem to match well with the idea of inquiry learning in general, their misconceptions and high level of perceived difficulties in implementing inquiry learning warrant our attention. As for teachers' use of online resources, it is found that traditional Web 1.0 resources are more commonly used, and when these online resources are used, teachers take the more dominant role in using them to support lecturing and explaining. Moreover, some associations between inquiry practices and use of online resources are observed. Accordingly, ways to overcome challenges in implementing inquiry learning and using online resources for the teaching and learning of science are discussed.
[Copyright of Education 3-13 is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2012.710640]