Early exposure to quality musical activities benefits children’s holistic development and learning. It is, therefore, crucial to ensure kindergarten teachers can provide such activities for children. In Hong Kong, the Education Bureau (EDB) designed the Kindergarten Education Curriculum Guide (Curriculum Development Council, 2017). While music is included as a subdomain in the official curriculum, with specific learning objectives and expectations for children, there is a dearth of research on the musical activity types kindergarten teachers conduct in practice. Similarly, no research has been conducted to explore the perspectives of local kindergarten stakeholders (e.g., quality assessors) on quality music education. Investigating these topics is vital to guide subsequent professional development (PD) efforts in kindergartens.This dissertation portfolio draws on Campbell and Scott-Kassner (2019)’s theoretical framework of quality music education in early childhood. The overall objective was to explore the provision and types of musical activities in Hong Kong kindergartens and stakeholders’ perspectives on quality musical practices. This dissertation comprises three empirical studies. Study 1 was a large-scale survey study with kindergarten teachers (n = 1,019), investigating the provision of musical activities in kindergartens and the potential differences in musical activities among teachers with different teaching experience. Descriptive, non-parametric, and parametric statistical analyses were performed. Study 2 was a content analysis exploring the types of musical activities mentioned in 164 Quality Review (QR) reports published by the EDB. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistical analyses, word frequency, and co-occurrence analyses. Study 3 was a content analysis of 323 QR reports, exploring the positive and negative feedback and recommendations for improvement regarding music pedagogical practices mentioned by quality assessors in the reports. Data was

We investigated the provision of musical activities in Hong Kong kindergartens and analysed potential differences among teachers with different levels of teaching experience. Using a self-designed survey, we asked 1,019 teachers how often they conducted 18 specific musical activities. Overall, we found that participants provided considerable music exposure to children. Advanced teachers (more than 15 years' experience) reported conducting more musical activities for children than Beginning teachers (less than 5 years). Principal component analysis revealed the existence of four components: Singing and Transitions (the most frequent); Movement, Technology and Thematic Activities; Sound Production; and Creativity and Self-expression (the least frequent). Teachers with varying teaching experience tend to focus on different musical activities in the classroom. Specifically, Beginning teachers reported to conduct significantly fewer musical creativity activities than Advanced teachers. We conclude that teaching experience is a crucial factor that affects the provision and types of musical activities conducted by kindergarten teachers. Findings May guide subsequent professional development efforts to better prepare kindergarten teachers with different profiles to achieve the learning objectives established in the curriculum framework. Copyright © 2024 Australian Society for Music Education.

The teaching and learning of architectural heritage can play a vital role in engaging students in envisioning the past and nurturing their cultural identity. However, this endeavour often faces challenges stemming from limited access to heritage sites and varying levels of student interest in the subject matter. This project introduces an augmented reality (AR) book design that seamlessly integrates pop-up three-dimensional models with a dedicated mobile app, effectively illustrating the architectural designs of educational heritages in Hong Kong Central and Western District. An evaluative study was conducted to assess the usability of the AR book for architectural heritage education, which employed a mixed-methods design comprising questionnaire survey with heritage education undergraduate students (N = 80) and semi-structured interviews with a subset of the participants. The results revealed a favourable response to the use of AR technology for virtual representations of cultural heritage, alongside participants’ positive attitudes towards the virtual learning experience facilitated by the AR book. The findings of this study underscore the feasibility and potential benefits of integrating AR technology into architectural heritage education. This integration can offer digitally mediated learning experiences that actively engage young learners in the exploration and preservation of cultural heritage. Copyright © 2024 by the owner/author(s).

Information and communication technologies have been rapidly developing and are currently adopted in many aspects of people’s contemporary lives. With the goals to enhance students’ interest and motivation in learning as well as their academic performance, the field of education has also been attempting to utilize various forms of modern technologies in and outside of classrooms. Among different forms of technology, interactive technologies, such as AR technology, have been one of the fastest growing and most popular forms, owing to the high level of interaction and the brand-new experiences that can be provided. AR technologies provide the feature of 3D visualization of virtual objects which is highly applicable to high school education in geology and geography.This study explores using an AR sandbox, an AR technology device designed to help create topography models with sand. In real-time, augmentation can be done to visualize contour lines, simulated water, and elevations to help create physical features within the device. Current studies that explore the use of AR sandbox have focused mainly on the practical applications of the device in terms of design, execution, and implementation, and the effectiveness of the device in enhancing students’ learning performance and outcomes has rarely been studied. To measure students' performance, a pre-test and post-test assessment analysis, a questionnaire survey, and a semi-structured group interview were conducted to collect the relevant data. A total of 126 students from 7 local secondary schools were recruited to participate in the study. Students were randomly allocated to classes in two formats and two geographical topics, including a traditional class and an AR sandbox class to compare the traditional and interactive technology approaches in teaching. The two geographical topics were map reading and farming. To further understand how the device may improve students’ performance in class, the potential determinants of

Amid the imperative call for using digital artwork images and e-learning activities in planning and delivering the art curriculum heightened by rapid technological development and COVID-19, we propose a visual arts teacher–curator pedagogy and investigate its effectiveness in Hong Kong’s primary and secondary schools. The pedagogy is set out to empower visual arts teachers to assume the role of “digital museum curators” and to facilitate student learning using virtual exhibitions. Design-based research was the methodology adopted for the study. Six teachers and 331 students participated in the study in the 2021–2022 academic year. The study, which examined the effectiveness of the proposed pedagogy, revealed a substantial improvement in student learning, including (1) motivating students toward self-directed and active learning, (2) stimulating artmaking ideas and skills, and (3) enhancing students’ confidence through peer learning. Copyright © 2024 National Art Education Association.

In this article, we use the family resemblance approach as a framework to contribute to the debate about the similarities and differences between the constituent disciplines of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) and to explore the implications for education. The family resemblance approach has been used in science education in various ways, for instance, in teacher education and undergraduate teaching and as an analytical tool for examining science curricula and assessments. The relevant sense of application of the family resemblance approach for our purposes in this article is that it is a framework that has the potential to differentiate the disciplines underpinning STEAM. We explore the utility of the family resemblance approach for clarifying what is meant by the nature of STEAM and, subsequently, we elaborate on some practical examples drawn from a project conducted in Hong Kong with Year 7 (12–13-year-old) students to illustrate how the use of the family resemblance approach can help articulate a contrast of nature of science and the arts in school activities. Copyright © 2024 Sibel Erduran and Kason Ka Ching Cheung.