New approaches to assessment have emerged over the past few years, out of a variety of overlapping international debates about the purposes and methods of assessment and about its impact on teaching and learning. Examining the data from an ethnographic study on the relation between teachers' beliefs and their practices in an assessment reform, this paper focuses on teachers' use of metaphors in their accounts of their work. It brings to light the crucial role of teachers in mediating and bringing about changes envisaged in the new assessment reforms. The implications of the findings for the professional development of teachers are discussed.
[Copyright of Educational Review is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00131910120085856]

Belinda Harris's opening discussion of developments in Hong Kong will have a familiar ring to many readers. There is a recognition that the current curriculum is not an adequate preparation for life and there is now an emphasis on lifelong learning and a wider view of development. Such a move has significant implications for the development of attitudes and skills amongst teachers. The issues that surround such educational reform in Hong Kong are analysed. This is followed by the detailed description of a study which involved a group of Hong Kong teachers in a structured experiential learning activity. It was found that though the teachers concerned acknowledged the value of their experience, they felt that given the culture and ethos of their own schools it would not be possible for them to undertake similar work with pupils. On the basis of these outcomes the writer suggests that there will need to be considerable emphasis on teacher development in Hong Kong if the reforms are to succeed.
[Copyright of Pastoral Care in Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1468-0122.00195 ]

A number of studies have indicated that the successful pedagogical use of technology depends on teachers' attitudes and acceptance towards technology. In order to predict and understand teachers' technology use and acceptance, a well- defined framework is essential. The purpose of the present paper attempts to explore a model to understand teacher acceptance of e-learning technology. A self-reported questionnaire was designed to examine teacher acceptance and attitude towards an online learning platform. Data were collected from 152 in-service teachers who were studying in a part-time teacher education program in Hong Kong. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used as the core framework for analysis while additional constructs were added in order to find a better model to understand teacher acceptance of e-learning technology. A composite model including five constructs, namely, intention to use, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, subjective norm and computer self-efficacy, were formed and tested in the study. LISREL was used in the data analysis. It was found that subjective norm and computer self-efficacy serve as the two significant perception anchors of the fundamental constructs in TAM. However, contrary to previous literature, perceived ease of use became the sole determinant to the prediction of intention to use, while perceived usefulness was non-significant to the prediction of intention to use. Altogether, subjective norm, computer self- efficacy and perceived ease of use were able to explain 68 percent of the variance observed in users' intention to use the e-learning system. Implications to teacher education and teacher professional development are 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/10.1080/13598660802232779]

This study examines the post-observation interactions between six English as a Second Language (ESL) student teachers and their university tutors during their teaching practicum in Hong Kong. Data consist of interviews with university tutors, transcriptions of recorded conferences and stimulated recall interviews with student teachers. Case studies of two student teachers are used to examine the impact of the tutors' feedback and to highlight the way that the student teachers' response is affected by the power relations involved in the dialogue. The article also considers some areas in which miscommunication occurred between tutors and student teachers and discusses possible reasons for this.
[Copyright of Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13611260500493535]

Emotional intelligence (intrapersonal and interpersonal) and general teacher self-efficacy were assessed to represent personal resources facilitating active and passive coping in a sample of 273 Chinese prospective and in-service teachers in Hong Kong. Intrapersonal emotional intelligence and interpersonal emotional intelligence were found to predict significantly active coping strategy, but teacher self-efficacy did not contribute independently to the prediction of active coping even though there was some evidence that teacher self-efficacy might interact with intrapersonal emotional intelligence in the prediction of active coping, especially for male teachers. The implications of the findings for preventive intervention efforts to combat teacher stress through teaching to enhance emotional intelligence are discussed.
[Copyright of Educational Psychology is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01443410701668372]