The outsourcing of education services has been widely adopted across international contexts as a 'tested solution' or panacea to meet various educational problems including school management, curriculum design, teaching and student discipline. Contracting third-party providers, it is argued, enhances organisational goals such as efficiency,…

This paper, through discussion of a teaching intervention at two secondary schools in Hong Kong, demonstrates the learning advancement brought about by group work and dissects the facilitating role of teachers in collaborative discussions. One-hundred and fifty-two Secondary Two (Grade 8) students were divided into three pedagogical groups, namely…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the progress of the curriculum reform in Hong Kong in the implementation phase from 2001-2006, with the agreement and support of heads and teachers on the reform. Design/methodology/approach: Survey questionnaires and focus group interviews were used to collect data from various stakeholders. A…

Summarizes the findings of a study evaluating implementation of Western curriculum innovation in Hong Kong schools. Includes a discussion of strategy implications for curriculum development in countries with developing educational systems. (MD)

A study identified major concerns of 23 hospitalized children (grades PreK-9) and their parents, including the interruption of the child's pace of academic study, his/her health condition and fears of medical treatment and therapy, his/her loneliness in the ward, and time management problems. Recommendations for hospital schoolteachers are…

This study analyzed the beliefs of student teachers in two Hong Kong teacher training programs: the Post-Graduate Diploma of Education (PGDE) and the Teachers' Certificate (TC) programs. It examined student teachers' beliefs when they first entered the program and noted characteristics of the beliefs. Ten student teachers from a 1-year PGDE…

Argues for a comprehensive overhaul, in both classroom use and philosophical approach, in the role of technology in the Hong Kong educational system. Maintains that technology will, and must, redefine traditional concepts of education. Calls on administrators to support this change. (MJP)

Asserts that any reform of teacher education programs requires rethinking the objectives of teacher education. Examines and compares six conceptions of teacher education. Concludes that teacher education should be more inclusive and encompassing. (CFR)

Reports on a study of 217 first-year physical education majors, physical education student teachers, and established inservice physical education teachers. Finds that student teachers were most knowledgeable about issues in the field and inservice teachers were more concerned about instructional procedures and classroom management. (CFR)

Discusses the debate over whether English or Chinese should be the medium of instruction in Hong Kong schools. Recent Government efforts to further Chinese-medium education are outlined in the article, and consideration is given to the effects of the Chinese takeover of Hong Kong in 1997 on the future language of education in the island's schools.…

Education in Hong Kong has been developed along a British model that uses examination results to determine students' academic futures: to be allowed to go on to a university to study or to go into the workplace with a tenth-grade education. The system has been described by likening students to Peking ducks who are forced to eat, fattened up for…

This paper reports on a study to determine what various groups of teachers and prospective teachers consider to be the aims of the Hong Kong education system in relation to their teacher education courses. The participants were uncertified preservice teachers in their second and third years of study, certificated inservice teachers, and…

This collection of papers links policy, school leadership, and teachers' lives, three factors that are influential in creating quality learning opportunities for students. Each chapter provides contemporary insights and represents a range of original empirical and conceptual research focusing on the ideological, social, and educational policy…

The first volume of the 31st annual proceedings of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education conference presents plenary lectures; research forums; discussion groups; working sessions; short oral communications; and posters from the meeting. Plenary lecture papers include: (1) On Humanistic Mathematics Education: A…

The papers and research reports in this monograph form two parts. Part I is intended to help geography educators learn more about how children conceptualize space. The validity of Piaget's views on the evolution of conceptions of territorial size among children of different countries was investigated. Reflecting a different concern for educators…