This study explored the validity of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale in a sample of 853 practicing teachers from Australia, Canada, China (Hong Kong), Indonesia, and Oman. The authors used multigroup confirmatory factor analysis to test the factor structure and measurement invariance across settings, after which they examined the relationships…

This study aimed at revealing the problems experienced by primary teachers of Hong Kong SAR, China, in their initial school-based creativity teaching, through reviewing the teacher reflections in 75 action research reports. A number of teacher tensions and dilemmas emerged. Lack of teaching time and undesirable student performance in creative…

The primary focus of this study is the use of portfolio development in an in-service teacher education course that aimed to help primary school teachers develop a better understanding of, and ability to implement, an innovative teaching approach--namely, task-based learning (TBL)--in Chinese language. It explores the impact of portfolio…

The rationale for this study is that students' views on their own learning play an integral part in their educational journeys. Students' voice has been gaining recognition as a vehicle for cultivating ownership of learning, restoring classroom dialogue, and developing strategies for school improvement. These benefits echo the pedagogical purposes…

Using multilevel analyses, we examined the influence of domain (moral, conventional, and personal) and the familiarity of different authority figures (mother, teacher, person in charge, and stranger) in public, school, or home settings in 123 four to seven-year-old Chinese children (M = 5.6 years) in Hong Kong. Children affirmed authority more for…

This study looked at the types of blog consulted by 1,298 Primary 4 students in Hong Kong and whether such consultation influenced performance on standardised tests of Chinese and English reading comprehension. When students were asked if they consulted Chinese and English blogs, 42% said they looked at Chinese blogs and 19% said they looked at…

This study aims to examine how and why students transform in terms of learning motivation in learning the Cantonese opera with a teacher-artist partnership approach in Hong Kong schools. An artist and seven teachers from four schools collaborated to teach the genre for eight weeks. Students' learning motivation changes in Cantonese opera was…

This paper elucidates students' experiences of music within and beyond classrooms, and interprets their experiences of musical participation and instrumental learning. Data are drawn from a questionnaire conducted in Hong Kong between November 2006 and December 2006 with 3,243 students who were attending grades four - ten in 22 primary and…

Educational reforms have created tremendous stress for teachers in many parts of the world. This paper discusses the inadequacies of policy-makers treating teachers as having "deficits" that require "fixes", rather than addressing bigger system issues that cause their stress. Drawing from the case of a Hong Kong professional…

This study draws upon an ecological perspective to examine parental involvement in homework and its relationship with primary school children's educational outcomes within the Chinese sociocultural context of Hong Kong. Data were collected using homework diaries and questionnaires administered to 1,309 pairs of students and parents spanning all…

The drawing abilities of 297 Hong Kong Chinese students were assessed by two expert judges based on two drawings done by each student, using two drawing tasks originally used in Clark's Drawing Abilities Test. These expert ratings were examined in relation to students' self-ratings on the same drawings, self-reports on their involvement in drawing…

The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential of narrative inquiry to contribute to an understanding of immigrant students' educational experience. Research on immigrant students' education is reviewed and the need for detailed examination of these students' experiences in schools, such as is done in a narrative inquiry, is demonstrated.…

The Government is committed to ensuring that the new National Curriculum compares favourably with the curricula in the highest performing jurisdictions, and sets rigorous requirements for pupil attainment which measure up to the highest standards set internationally. The Government is also committed to slimming the National Curriculum so that it…

This study compared the self-reported physical activity, perceived social support for, and perceived barriers to, physical activity of primary and secondary school children from Hong Kong and Australia. Hong Kong boys and girls reported spending significantly less time, outside of school hours, on physical activity than their Australian…

Positive and negative perfectionism as well as four goal orientations were assessed in a sample of 315 Chinese gifted students in Hong Kong. These students tended to endorse positive perfectionism more than negative perfectionism and prefer learning and social goals over performance and avoidance goals. Learning and social goal orientations…