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Over the past two decades, the feminisation of primary school teaching has been identified by the media and government officials in Western countries as an important contributing factor to boys' academic problems. This panic, which has been criticised by feminists as a backlash and a form of recuperative politics, has promoted the development of research into gender and education, particularly studies related to the gendered culture of primary schools and on the masculinities of male teachers. However, male primary principals remain relatively under-researched in the literature, despite the importance of their structural position and increasing concern over the masculinisation of school leadership. This paper aims to contribute to the discussion by critically analysing the interpretive frameworks of 12 male primary school principals. The findings reveal not only the complex, contradictory and at times culturally specific gendered discourses that some male principals employ, but also their feminising and masculinising effects on the school workplace and leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The medium of instruction (MOI) and its impact on improving the language proficiency of students has become a debated issue worldwide. The policy-makers of post-colonial Hong Kong believed that the general Chinese competency, Chinese writing and Putonghua proficiency of students would be improved through the use of a Putonghua-medium-of-instruction (PMI) rather than the Cantonese medium, the mother tongue of students and teachers. Therefore, using Putonghua to teach the Chinese language has been promulgated as a long-term goal by the Curriculum Development Council. Early studies have placed an emphasis on using standardized tests to assess students' learning outcomes with the use of PMI, but unfortunately the findings have been inconclusive. Despite teachers' involvement in implementing the MOI policy, there is a dearth of studies examining the perspective of teachers regarding the language learning of students under PMI. This paper aims to explore this important issue in greater depth through a case study of a high school, which has implemented PMI to teach the Chinese language for 10 years. The findings indicate that there are mismatches between the stated educational policy intentions and the language learning of students in various aspects. Further studies and follow-up measures on the language policy and education are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a contribution to policy research on monopolies in planning for public utilities and the role of the state in ordering the coordination of land use and transport in a market economy, this paper evaluates a couple of hypotheses informed by the Coasian economic concept of an implicit contract. There have been public subsidies to franchised bus and ferry companies in Colonial Hong Kong in the form of concessions in kind with spatial land-use transport implications. The hypotheses were evaluated by a comprehensive archive survey and documentary analysis of the clauses in relevant franchise documents, Crown Leases, government memoranda, and expert writings on buses and ferries. The findings revealed that there was no real land price subsidy provided for within or outside the franchise or lease documents, but there were substantial indirect subsidies during the study period. These were provided not only in terms of the free provision of bus terminals and piers, but also their planned combination on government land, as well as the strategic positioning of bus terminals in newly-developed government housing estates and new towns. The land-use public transport planning strategy shaped the urban structure of Hong Kong prior to the takeover of the companies by developers. The critical role of the government vis-a-vis developers as a super landlord is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on and with ethnic minority students is characterised by a growing international literature that privileges ‘liberal multiculturalism’ as a lens through which to understand their experiences, yet ethnic diversity is constructed and responded to in many societies that are not underpinned by liberal democratic values. In this paper we use Joppke's binary to show how researching ethnic minority students outside of a liberal democratic framework requires methodologies that enable researchers to see beyond the invisibility that is often attached to ethnic minorities. We show how invisibility (i.e. antidiscrimination) can also be further culturally constructed, confounding even more any broader multicultural project. We canvass four broad areas including the role of legally binding legislation that seeks to prohibit racism, the views of policymakers attempting to implement policy consistent with the legislation and the views of teachers about their roles in supporting ethnic minority students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars of international and comparative education have long endorsed the importance of context in conducting research. In this paper, I expand upon the theme to argue that just as educational policies and practices may be compromised in the process of transfer, so too may the research methodology used to draw inferences fail to resonate from one culture to another. In particular, I discuss some of the practical methodological challenges that I encountered while dealing with informed consent while conducting a research project in Hong Kong. I found that informed consent with its emphasis on individual autonomy was at odds with the norms of the largely collectivist, hierarchical, Confucian heritage culture of Hong Kong. Viewed through Western frameworks of understanding, the negation of informed consent has detrimental connotations as it compromises the fundamental concept of an individual's right to choose. However, I found that when viewed through a Confucian lens this was not a deliberate or intentional infringing of rights but an acceptable manifestation of familial and paternalistic relationships that guide inter-personal interactions in such societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Policy borrowing' continues to be an important factor in the construction of higher education policy in East Asia. Many post-colonial societies have continued to look to the West for models that will assist them to reengineer their universities in the quest for creating world class institutions. Against this background, Hong Kong's University Grants Committee adopted an outcomes based approach to teaching and learning in 2005 and gained support from institutions under its responsibility for doing so. Supported with ample resources, the subject of numerous public symposia and incorporated into regular quality audit assessments, outcomes based approaches to teaching and learning are in the process of becoming part of Hong Kong's distinctive approach to quality reform in higher education. This paper reviews the policy context in which this initiative emerged, analyses the policy meaning in terms of its underlying theories and derives a set of principles that could guide the implementation of outcomes based approaches. The multiple possibilities associated with outcomes based teaching and learning demonstrate how systemic reform agendas are subject to interpretation and local adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hong Kong is traditionally an examination-oriented culture, a legacy of its Confucian heritage. Since the 1990s, the Hong Kong government has shown its determination to make a change to this deep-rooted examination-oriented culture with assessment for learning highlighted as an important aspect in the reform agenda. Although many initiatives have been put in place, the government has not seen many changes in the assessment practices in schools. This paper discusses the difficulties faced when seeking to establish formative assessment in an examination culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers insights into an under-researched area of Chinese language learning among Hong Kong's less affluent South Asians, a group whose members have often been stereotyped as unable to function in the Chinese medium instruction (CMI) teaching system. Data were collected from a survey of approximately 300 South Asian secondary school students and from follow-up semi-structured interviews with 30 student participants. By cross-examining students' language competency and practice in Chinese, English and mother language(s), the research found that South Asian students, even though in a majority language environment, invest less in Chinese language learning and practice. Their language motivation is instrumentally driven and there is a lack of adequate family support for learning Chinese. It thus highlights the role of schooling and teachers' support in Chinese language learning as the main remedy for insufficient parental involvement. This research argues that in order to attain high competency in the Chinese language, which is considered important for upward mobility, there is an urgent need for teachers and researchers to understand the limited use that students make of the Chinese language and to develop a suitable teaching pedagogy for fostering language motivations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educators worldwide have been attracted by lesson study for its teaching and learning enhancement potential. However, some believe it takes for granted language, out of which all teaching and subject matter are made. Employing a functional linguistics lens in an analysis of two second language science lesson studies, called 'learning' studies in Hong Kong, the paper evaluates the extent of a language-aware perspective in the studies. The data are recordings of the most polished lessons in the lesson study cycles, with planning, teaching and testing materials from post-study presentations. Minimal evidence of a language-aware perspective was found. That is, the academic 'content' was de-contextualized in that lessons focused on propositional knowledge rather than its academic cultural use in explaining, reporting or discussing science; and attention to the cognitive academic language (CAL) construing the science was negligible. The teachers' CAL seemed unplanned and students' CAL development was largely ignored. Some recommendations are made and significant implications of the findings are addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates differences in approaches to learning and teaching English as a second language (ESL) as reported by 324 mixed-ability Grade 7 Hong Kong ESL students and 37 ESL secondary school teachers with different backgrounds. Information about participants' perceived approaches to learning/teaching English were collected through a student questionnaire and a teacher questionnaire. Analysis of the student data suggested significant differences among students of low, medium, and high academic abilities in their reported use of deep and achieving approaches to learning English. Analysis of the teacher data revealed that teachers with different qualifications and number of years of teaching experience performed significantly differently on the Information Transmission Approach and on collaborative approaches to teaching English. Implications for the learning and teaching of English in Hong Kong and limitations of the study are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines a study that explored educational applications of blogs with a class of postgraduate students in a Hong Kong university over a period of one semester in 2006, and considers its outcomes. Rather than using the usual learning management system to support learning in the class, the facilitator-researcher organised a blog-based environment where students accessed course material, posted reflections featuring artifacts created in the learning tasks, commented on each other's contributions, and in other ways participated on a regular basis throughout the semester. The study results suggest that when appropriately managed by a facilitator, blogs have the potential to effectively support teaching and learning activities. The experience from this study also suggests that in order to maximise teaching and learning opportunities, a blog system can be effectively expanded by the use of a variety of other Web 2.0 applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attempts to balance ecology (nature) and modernity (culture) are amongst the greatest challenges facing humanity in the twenty-first century. The interpenetration of nature and culture is the hallmark of the new 'light-green society'. This paper reports a survey of public opinion in Hong Kong, conducted in 2009: an attempt to evaluate the lifestyle orientation of Hongkongers in the post-colonial era. The results found that Hongkongers hold positive attitudes towards green living initiatives launched by their government. But the colour of their opinions is light green, rather than something deeper. Nevertheless, it is argued that the 'light-green' environmental posture is the less painful and more pragmatic option in the paradigm shift to a greener society. If successful, it will indicate the integration of nature and culture that ensures the future long-term sustainability of society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of reforming Hong Kong's higher education sector commenced in 2001, and the system moved into the post-massification era. Within five years, the post-secondary participation rate for the 17-20 age cohort had increased to 66 per cent. This target was achieved much earlier than the Government had planned. More educational opportunities have been made available in order to help society cope with the challenges of the knowledge-based economy. This policy has drawn repeated criticism from the media, students, and pressure groups concerned about the quality of the self-financed sub-degree programmes. Drawing upon the literature and published data, this paper examines the development of the higher education sector in the past decade. The key motives for the Government to expand the mass higher education sector include a globalised economy, unemployment, ideological changes in political leadership, and weaknesses inherent in the elitist approach. Self-financed programmes are offered in the sectors where the Government has not faced problems of financial stringency. However, articulation opportunities, quality of education and educated unemployment are the key challenges ahead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper is focused on the fundamental behaviour of applying static and dynamic compaction grouting techniques on completely decomposed granite (CDG) soils in Hong Kong. Using the modified triaxial apparatus and a novel pulse wave generator, laboratory tests were performed to identify the critical controllable factors of static and dynamic compaction grouting techniques in optimizing compaction effectiveness. The distinguishing feature of this laboratory apparatus is that it can simulate triaxial condition of static and dynamic compaction grouting. The effective confining pressure, the lateral pressure coefficient, excess pore water pressure, back pressure and void ratio change of the specimen were measured in this study. At the same time, the dynamic compaction grouting pressure, dynamic compaction frequency, and dynamic compaction duration were controlled. Moreover, the effects of effective confining pressure and injection rate on the compaction efficiency in static tests were studied. The study focused on the effect of dynamic compaction frequency, dynamic compaction duration, lateral pressure coefficient and initial dry density on the compaction efficiency of Hong Kong CDG soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The curriculum for journalism is being forced to change because the traditional print-based and broadcast modes are being challenged by wide and easy access to online mass communication. Primarily, students need to develop proficiency in writing, editing and publishing. However, they are also expected to be skilled in the Web medium as they venture into their careers, and weblogs offer a dynamic platform to develop these skills. Based on a statistical summary of student comments on the performance criteria for a blog project, a focus group interview and survey results, this paper will discuss the findings from the introduction of a course-based blog to an undergraduate course in Hong Kong, including: (1) the technical challenge of making Web features; (2) the perception of proficiency in online publishing; (3) the evaluative skills developed through a peer-review process; and (4) the development of a learning community through writing in blogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current research shows that emotional and behavioral problems (EBP) are amenable to social work support, notably through group work that promotes mutual aid. This kind of intervention has become increasingly crucial in maximizing the contribution of social work and minimizing its cost. Nevertheless, research on youth involvement in such groups remains scarce and the extant findings are mostly drawn from instances of mutual help among adults and older people. They do not give much insight into mutual aid among EBP youth, suggesting there is still a need for research on mutual aid groups among this population. In view of this need, the study reported in this paper examined factors that are conducive to the mutual aid and rehabilitation of young people with EBP in Hong Kong. Of particular concern were the relationships between EBP alleviation and the key factors of social work inputs, change-inducing group mechanisms, and mutual aid. To investigate these issues, the study employed survey data collected from 433 youth participants (aged 12-24) recruited from 60 mutual aid groups in secondary schools, community-based youth service centers, and residential homes located in different districts of Hong Kong. The results support the hypothesis that change-inducing group mechanisms and mutual aid affect EBP. Nonetheless, the results do not support the hypothesized negative relationship between social work inputs and EBP. The implications of the findings for further research and the promotion of mutual aid and rehabilitation among EBP youth are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on findings from the extensive questionnaire survey and intensive case studies we conducted in Hong Kong secondary schools, this paper examines the interactions, tensions and gaps among the various stakeholders' visions, concerns and priorities as identified in the ongoing school reform. We examine the classroom dynamics of teaching and learning, the interactive pedagogical relationship involved, as well as the embedded institutional complexity in the schooling process, in order to understand what underlies the curriculum policy and education reform within the mainstream system. In view of the paramount significance of its evolvement in actual operation, we argue that education reform ought to be taken pragmatically but programmatically as the complexly embedded cultural process in which all the local practices and values of its stakeholders operate in the same cultural space. By conducting research on that interlocking cultural process, we also identify new options for Cultural Studies when education is taken seriously as the core of our intellectual project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on my first-hand experiences of being a 'purist' in Hong Kong, during which time I was not allowed to use mixed code, a common discursive practice among Hongkongers in Hong Kong. I shall discuss the difficulties in using 'pure' English and 'pure' Chinese in my daily life, as well as exploring the problems I encountered when I used 'pure' English in teaching English to a small group of ESL students at a primary school in Hong Kong. I argue that mixed code is very much characteristic of everyday language use by most Hongkongers and represents an important marker of their ethno-linguistic identity. In relation to language teaching, I suggest that mixed code may be usefully adopted in teaching English in Hong Kong, rather than being shunned at all costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in assessment practices in the direction of assessment for learning (AfL) can be a powerful force to enhance student learning. This article presents a case study of teacher learning in an AfL project in Hong Kong. In the Project, AfL strategies were adopted in Chinese Language and English Language classrooms at the junior secondary level. By examining subject leaders' and classroom teachers' experiences with the project reported in interviews, the paper enriches our understanding of the variations in the subject department contexts of teacher learning, the situatedness of teacher learning in terms of knowledge about student learning, understanding of AfL and curriculum leadership, as well as the relationship between teacher learning and changes in assessment practices. The article concludes with suggestions on fostering subject departments to be expansive environments for teacher professional learning and to be a vehicle of internal change, alerts the importance of integration of AfL into teachers' pedagogical content knowledge and the subject curriculum, and highlights the cultural dimension as an issue for further study in AfL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an analytical method using a simple semi-manual cryo-trap technique coupled to gas chromatograph with flame ionisation detector (GC-FID) was developed for the determination of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC) in ambient air. Five common BVOC species have been tested, including isoprene and 4 monoterpenes, i.e. α-pinene, β-pinene, 3-carene (Δ) and limonene. The detection limits were estimated to be about 20 ppt for isoprene and 10 ppt for monoterpenes, with sample injection volume of 50 mL. Based on vegetation types, field measurement work was conducted over urban and rural sites of Hong Kong during summer and winter of 2007. Canister sampling technique was applied in the field measurement. Isoprene contents in rural ambient air were found to be in the range of 60∼1560 ppt in winter and 260∼3270 ppt in summer, respectively. However, in the measurement of monoterpenes, due to their extremely low concentration in the air samples, only β-pinene and limonene were detected by the developed analytical method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper argues that, under the globalized economy, state power is far from diminishing. I study how the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government officials in 1999 developed 'competition-development' discourse and 'disappearing-world-city' discourse to persuade the public to approve the unequal and non-transparent Hong Kong-Disney deal for setting up the Hong Kong Disneyland (HKDL). I also examine how newspaper reports have circulated and have reinforced these two pairs of political discourses in wider popular discourse. I further reveal, in the post-colonial context of HongKong, how the HKDL project functions to accomplish decolonization tasks and to reshape Hong Kong as a consumption-based tourist spot instead of a citizen-based participatory community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows how the experiences of young Muslims in Hong Kong reveal an alternative account of multiculturalism to that which is often portrayed in works about young Muslims in the West. It presents the everyday multicultural experiences of young people as an important resource to understand the lived experience of ethnic and religious diversity. This discussion is framed by the experiences of a multiethnic sample of young Muslims in Hong Kong. Their experiences demonstrate a pragmatic negotiation of cultural difference and a disinterested acceptance of popular racism. These attitudes are argued as being an adaptation to the popular racism pervasive in Hong Kong culture. Despite the racism they experience, the young Muslims argue that they are safe and very free in the territory, a matter that influences the perception of the racism they encounter. The fact that Islam is not perceived as a threat in Hong Kong society provides an alternative understanding of young Muslims as minorities in the post 9/11 era. It is argued in conclusion that understanding what young Muslims value about life in Hong Kong enables us to recognise alternative representations of multiculturalism and to consider how a variety of different dynamics influence the everyday lives of religious and ethnic minorities as citizens in multicultural societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is very little argument that one of the major developments to have impacted in schools in the past decade is the rapid and world-wide development of information and communication technologies (ICT), particularly the Internet. In Hong Kong, reforms in the ICT teacher training policy, and the fact that Hong Kong is a 'wired' city, has resulted in pre-service teachers being well versed in the technical competencies of computer usage and its pedagogical manifestations. However, there has been scant attention paid to the fact that students are actively engaged in large-scale autonomous, teacher-less learning via the Internet. In this paper, it is argued that for teachers to be leaders in contemporary classrooms, teacher education programs need to focus more on the deeper and wider implications of ICT and the Internet in education than has hitherto been the practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a qualitative study in 2007–08 on the abortion experiences of teenage women from deprived backgrounds in Hong Kong. Twenty-nine young women aged 13–24 who had undergone one or more induced abortions in their teen years were interviewed and participated in group empowerment sessions. Ten were unemployed, four were students, the rest were employed on low pay in unskilled occupations. Abortion services are legal and available in public and private services, but they charge fees ranging from HK$310 to $10,000, and do abortions only up to 24 weeks of pregnancy. Many young women resort to poor quality illegal clinics and clinics in mainland China because the cost is lower, they do not wish to tell their parents, who would be asked for consent, and/or they want to protect their sex partners, who may be reported and prosecuted if the girl is under-age. There is a need to strengthen services for teenage women in Hong Kong, especially those who are pregnant and from deprived backgrounds. There is also a need for professionals who deliver adolescent health and social welfare services, and for society to rethink and re-examine its views and attitudes towards teenage pregnancy, sexuality and abortion. En 2007–08, une étude qualitative a porté sur les expériences de l'avortement d'adolescentes issues de milieux défavorisés à Hong Kong. Vingt-neuf jeunes femmes âgées de 13 à 24 ans qui avaient avorté une ou plusieurs fois pendant leur adolescence ont été interrogées et ont participé à des séances d'autonomisation de groupe. Dix étaient au chômage, quatre étaient étudiantes, les autres occupaient des emplois non qualifiés et peu rémunérés. Les services d'avortement sont légaux et disponibles dans des services publics et privés ; mais ils perçoivent des honoraires allant de HK$310 à HK$10 000 et ne pratiquent les avortements que jusqu'à 24 semaines de grossesse. Beaucoup de jeunes femmes ont recours à des centres illégaux de mauvaise qualité ou des centres en Chine continentale car ils sont moins coûteux, elles ne souhaitent pas le dire à leurs parents qui devraient donner leur consentement, et/ou elles veulent protéger leur partenaire sexuel, qui pourrait être dénoncé et poursuivi si la fille est mineure. Il faut renforcer les services pour adolescentes à Hong Kong, en particulier celles qui sont enceintes et issues de milieux défavorisés. On a également besoin de professionnels qui assurent des services de santé et de protection sociale des jeunes alors que la société devrait repenser et réexaminer ses idées et ses attitudes à l'égard de la grossesse, la sexualité et l'avortement chez les adolescentes. En este artículo se informa acerca de un estudio cualitativo realizado en 2007–08 sobre las experiencias de aborto de mujeres adolescentes de clases carenciadas en Hong Kong. Se entrevistaron 29 jóvenes de 13 a 24 años de edad, que habían tenido uno o más abortos inducidos entre los 13 y 19 años, quienes también participaron en sesiones de empoderamiento en grupo. Diez estaban desempleadas, cuatro eran estudiantes y el resto de ellas estaban empleadas en ocupaciones no especializadas de bajo salario. Los servicios de aborto son legales y accesibles en establecimientos públicos y privados, pero estos cobran entre HK$310 y $10,000 y realizan abortos sólo hasta las 24 semanas del embarazo. Muchas jóvenes recurren a clínicas ilegales de mala calidad y a clínicas en China continental porque el costo es más bajo, no quieren informar a sus padres, a quienes se les pediría su consentimiento, y/o quieren proteger a su pareja sexual, quien podría ser denunciada y enjuiciada si la niña es menor de edad. Es necesario fortalecer los servicios para mujeres adolescentes en Hong Kong, especialmente para aquéllas que están embarazadas y son de clases carenciadas. Además, es necesario que la sociedad y los profesionales que proporcionan servicios de salud y asistencia social a las adolescentes reconsideren y reexaminen sus puntos de vista y actitudes hacia el embarazo, la sexualidad y el aborto en la adolescencia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By applying the Lefebvrian lens, this paper tries to understand why unlike previous similar cases, the latest removal of the Star Ferry and Queen's Pier was so controversial. To Lefebvre, embedded in 'spatial practices' that 'secrete' a place are two contradicting spaces: 'conceived spaces' produced by planners to create exchange values and 'lived spaces' appropriated by citizens for use values. Applying Lefebvre's framework to examine the 'Piers saga', it is found that the pre-Second World War (WWII) piers were 'conceived' by spatial practices of a colonial and racially segregated trading enclave. The public space in the commercial heart that housed the previous generations of piers was not accessible to the Chinese community, thus denying them opportunities to appropriate them and turn them into 'lived' spaces. It was only after WWII when the Government carried out further reclamation to meet the needs of an industrializing economy that inclusive public spaces were conceived in the commercial heart, enabling the general public to 'appropriate' them as 'lived' space. When the Government planned to remove this very first 'lived' space in the political and economic heart of the city to conceive further reclamation for the restructuring economy, the more enlightened citizens were determined to defend it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at describing and explaining how drama pedagogy is appropriated in Chinese language classrooms in Hong Kong. Drawing on the theories of dialogue and appropriation of Mikhail Bakhtin, the research shows that the dialogicality of drama in Hong Kong's classrooms is conditional, and therefore deviant from the conventional as conceptualised and described in the major literature. A spectrum of the appropriation of drama pedagogy in language classrooms in Hong Kong is developed and discussed. At one end of the spectrum, there is still the domination of the teacher's monologic input of official knowledge and skills; at the other end, destabilisation of the centrality of the text and the authoritarian role of the teacher is identified suggesting alteration in the classroom communication routine, and even the opening of the drama world. This spectrum illustrates how the teachers waver between persisting with monologue and embracing dialogue, the result of which is the development of a hybrid approach to appropriate drama pedagogy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiplicative regression model or accelerated failure time model, which becomes linear regression model after logarithmic transformation, is useful in analyzing data with positive responses, such as stock prices or life times, that are particularly common in economic/financial or biomedical studies. Least squares or least absolute deviation are among the most widely used criterions in statistical estimation for linear regression model. However, in many practical applications, especially in treating, for example, stock price data, the size of relative error, rather than that of error itself, is the central concern of the practitioners. This paper offers an alternative to the traditional estimation methods by considering minimizing the least absolute relative errors for multiplicative regression models. We prove consistency and asymptotic normality and provide an inference approach via random weighting. We also specify the error distribution, with which the proposed least absolute relative errors estimation is efficient. Supportive evidence is shown in simulation studies. Application is illustrated in an analysis of stock returns in Hong Kong Stock Exchange. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With a growing awareness of the importance of early childhood education, the governments of Hong Kong and England have both increased investment through providing fee assistance to parents for buying services and providing funding to providers for offering 'free' places, respectively. Alongside the increased funding of early childhood education, a heightened interest in the quality of early years settings has arisen. This paper aims to develop a framework for comparative studies by addressing the similarities and differences in quality improvement of both systems. Three key issues are discussed: relevance of the quality criteria for assessment, interpretations of the quality improvement mechanism and its use in guiding practice, and the influence of contextual factors in terms of stakeholders' views of the quality process. It is argued that these key issues are fundamental to a framework for understanding different sociocultural contexts and dynamics in shaping the quality improvement of early childhood education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dialogue is a process that enables participants to engage the known and the not-known. In counsellor education it is essential for students to learn the art of dialogic communication as preparation for the encounters of counselling. This paper explores the notions of transformative learning in counseling education through dialogic encounters. It highlights the crucial aspects of engaging with one's own cultural values and beliefs and accepting the uncertainty and ambiguity of not knowing everything in order to engage in the process of structuring new meaning. Diversity of ideas is valued in the transformative education process. Dialogic communication is seen as essential for educating critically reflective counsellors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the shifting, multiple modalities of Britishness, colonialism and whiteness in a changing social landscape. Set in postcolonial Hong Kong, it draws on research with white British expatriates to explore the ways in which identities and relations are changing since the handover from British to Chinese rule. For many British expatriates, the decision to migrate was a career and lifestyle choice, motivated by a desire to progress within their lives. However, once there, Hong Kong offers a new racial context in which identities are to be performed, meaning that the negotiation of new lives is not a simple or abstract transnational transposition. In addition, the dynamic social and political context of Hong Kong is mediated through expatriate contexts in diverse and complex ways. Colonialism can be seen to persist in many of these contexts, suggesting that postcolonial ways of being a British expatriate in Hong Kong are still very much in process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that the concepts, beliefs and understandings of local and non-local teacher educators in a Hong Kong university are grounded in their own cultural cognition and antecedents. It presents the viewpoint that contemporary notions of good practice were compromised when applied to a context that is strongly influenced by the tenets of Confucianism. Thus the conclusion is that the contingencies of teaching and learning contexts are sufficiently different to compromise the goal of having pre-constructed notions of good teaching. The alternative is that university tutors and future researchers re-conceptualise good teaching practices within a context that gives it meaning and purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hong Kong, like other countries with developed economies, is experiencing significant population ageing. The shift in the population age structure results from a combination of decreasing mortality rates and prolonged low fertility rates. This paper investigates the economic impact of changes in a population's age structure. We forecast on sex-specific labour force participation rates (LFPRs) and the economic dependency ratio (EDR) using different scenarios. Our results show that the below-unity level for the EDR—prevalent since 1996—will exceed unity in 2015 and rise steeply thereafter. By 2036, the projected EDR will reach an unprecedented high of 1.4, where every three economically-inactive persons will be supported by two economically-active persons in Hong Kong. This projection not only reflects a significant age shift towards the older end of the age spectrum, but is also driven by declining LFPRs among men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the nature and socio-political functions of Hong Kong's 'Chinese history curriculum' during colonialism and since decolonization and argues that these functions have resulted in a curriculum characterized by rote-learning and geared towards social control. Students are initiated into the traditional, orthodox view of Chinese history and prescribed moral judgements. Consequently, there is little chance for independent thinking on the part of students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In England, the new Companies Act 2006 has replaced the common law derivative action with a new statutory derivative action but does not allow multiple derivative actions. In Hong Kong, a new statutory derivative action has also been introduced, but the common law derivative action is preserved. As in England, multiple derivative actions are also not provided for by statute in Hong Kong. This paper examines whether it was right to abolish the common law derivative action in England and whether such action should be abolished in Hong Kong. It further considers whether multiple derivative actions should be provided for in both jurisdictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines attitudes to tourism and climate change among residents of Hong Kong and evaluates their willingness to voluntarily modify travel behaviours to reduce environmental impacts. Previous studies on environmental behavioural change identified a significant gap between awareness and action, with some studies even suggesting that the most aware individuals are unlikely to change their behaviours. Similar findings were noted in this study. Cluster analysis identified four cohorts of tourists, ranging from the regular international tourist to the least travel active. The regular international tourist group was most aware of global warming and climate change, but least willing to alter its travel behaviour. By contrast, less travel active tourists seem most willing to travel less. The paper concludes that government intervention may be required to create meaningful behavioural change in travel patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From September 2009 onwards, a new business curriculum which focuses on three key business disciplines, namely management, accounting and finance, has been implemented in Hong Kong senior secondary schools. A new assessment guide has been also proposed in light of the new curriculum. Such business curriculum and assessment reform move in the direction of preparing pupils to be more adaptive to the fast-changing business society; an innovative school-based pedagogical design will definitely be needed. This paper examines and analyzes the nature of the existing Hong Kong business curriculum and assessment reform from a competence-based perspective, discusses the critical issues in the areas of curriculum design, assessment practices, teaching approaches and teacher development, and suggests innovations in these areas for enhancing pupil competence development in the context of Hong Kong senior secondary education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the findings of a survey of public understanding of counselling in Hong Kong. The survey questions focused on experiences and preferences of counselling; perceived benefits and drawbacks of counselling; and accreditation and approachability of counsellors. The findings revealed that the majority of respondents did not know a counsellor, had not experienced counselling, and were not willing to do so. Half of the respondents were not willing to pay for a counselling session. This lack of appreciation also extended to other health and caring professions. The possible reasons for this finding are discussed. On a more positive note, respondents perceived numerous benefits of counselling, including personal assistance and support; problem solving; and helping to relieve emotional tension. Counsellors were regarded as approachable and effective. Most respondents reported that counsellors should be registered members of government-approved associations, and have undergraduate and professional training, which calls for more involvement of professional associations. Overall, our findings show that, whilst the public recognize the benefits of counselling and identify a need for it, there is limited understanding. This confirms the tough reality that the counselling profession in Hong Kong is still in an early stage of development and faces a number of challenges. The next step is to use our findings to identify opportunities and devise strategies to remedy some of these issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the report of a study that uses qualitative methods to examine the religiosity of Hong Kong Buddhist adolescents. Twenty-two Buddhist adolescents aged from 13 to 17 studying in Buddhist secondary schools took part in semi-structured interviews. The interviews were voice-recorded and transcribed verbatim, first into Chinese and then partly into English for quotations. Content analysis was carried out to delineate the religiosity of the Buddhist adolescents: (1) the sources and resources of religiosity, (2) religious beliefs, (3) religious practices, (4) positive consequences of religiosity, and (5) predictions on the future development of religiosity. The results show that the religiosity of Buddhist adolescents in Hong Kong exhibits some special features that distinguish it from the more common understanding of religiosity in the West. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gap between the theory and practice of teaching is an issue of concern in teacher education. Although researching this gap is not new, few studies have been conducted in Hong Kong. It is worth investigating the contemporary Asian models of teacher education that can provide reference to the international literature. This paper examines this theory-practice gap by reporting a study that researched the inconsistencies between student teachers' best teaching strategies and their most commonly employed ones. Specifically, we investigated: (1) the considerations that contribute to the inconsistencies in the student teachers' conceptions of teaching; and (2) the enhancing factors of the teacher education programme which help to close the gap between the theory and practice of teaching. Through examining the interview data, the findings revealed three main dimensions of consideration attributing to the inconsistencies in the conceptions of teaching: pre-training experience, teaching context and student needs. These considerations lead to expansive or constraining impacts on the student teachers' selections of teaching strategies. Influences from the teacher education programme that might close this gap are identified. Implications for improving teacher education programmes are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students' attitudes toward chemistry lessons in school are important dependent variables in curriculum evaluation. Although a variety of instruments have been developed by researchers to evaluate student attitudes, they are plagued with problems such as the lack of theoretical rationale and of empirical evidence to support the construct validity of data. This paper describes a study of students' attitudes toward chemistry lessons in Hong Kong secondary schools. One of the scales in the Test of Science-Related Attitudes developed by Fraser was modified to form an Attitude Toward Chemistry Lessons Scale (ATCLS). The construction of the ATCLS was based on a theoretical model with four dimensions: liking for chemistry theory lessons, liking for chemistry laboratory work, evaluative beliefs about school chemistry, and behavioural tendencies to learn chemistry. The arguments for inclusion of these four dimensions are presented. The final version of ATCLS was administered to 954 students. The results of confirmatory factor analysis indicated that there was a good fit between the hypothesised model and the observed data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate factors affecting public attitude towards the siting of locally unwanted land uses (LULUs) and to explore the possible strategies to resolve such conflicts. Three questionnaire surveys were undertaken in communities with different siting experiences and socio-economic profiles. Over 750 individuals were successfully interviewed in each study district. The three communities were found to share similar risk beliefs but show variations in the level of awareness of and response to LULUs. In communities with a disproportionate share of LULUs, many residents did not trust the government in handling LULU issues and thought that the siting process was unfair. The results of the binary logistic regression analysis show that people are likely to oppose the siting of a LULU in their community if they have a negative siting experience, do not perceive the need, accord a high risk to the facility and have a low level of trust in government. The resolution strategies preferred by the public are greater public participation and effective mitigation of risks and impacts, rather than provision of compensation and incentives. All these call for policy-makers to be sensitive to local concerns, engage the public in the process, communicate risks effectively and foster trust building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well received in the space syntax community that traffic flow is significantly correlated to a morphological property of streets, which are represented by axial lines, forming a so called axial map. The correlation co-efficient (R 2) approaches 0.8 and even a higher value according to the space syntax literature. In this paper, we study the same issue using the Hong Kong street network and the Hong Kong Annual Average Daily Traffic datasets, and find surprisingly that street-based topological representations (or street-street topologies) tend to be better representations than the axial map. In other words, vehicle flow is correlated to a morphological property of streets better than that of axial lines. Based on the finding, we suggest the street-based topological representations as an alternative GIS representation, and the topological analyses as a new analytical means for geographic knowledge discovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In dialling 911, the US emergency number, the paper connects the terrorism of New York to the backstreet infections of Mong Kok, Hong Kong. New York and Hong Kong lead back to the binary political forms of Carl Schmitt and also the complications added by Michel Foucault's notion of governmentality. In a highly condensed argument, Dutton outlines the contours of power that govern this two-sided contemporary Western notion of the political. He argues that it is characterised less by a shift, in the language of Foucault, from sovereign to disciplinary power than to a wedding of the two and it is on a bed of colonial governmentality that this was consummated. Here is a form of government and power that combines notions of 'betterment' (registered through concerns about the health, wealth and education of the 'native' population) with brute force. It is a sign of the rifle lying hidden by the side of the 'force of the better argument' and herein lies the political form that the number 911 reveals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is vested with the purpose of critically discussing the defining features of social withdrawal by drawing references from studies in Hong Kong and Japan in particular. With the use of empirical data, the practice implications for working with young people in acute social withdrawal are examined with specific reference to the four defining features, namely, time, place, social relations and social status. It is argued that unless the defining features and the implied directions for measures and practice are thoroughly addressed, personal troubles and social ills that give rise to the downward spiral of withdrawal as a personal experience and social phenomenon cannot be broken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Established in 1994 through the amalgamation of several teacher training colleges, The Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd) is the major multidisciplinary teacher education provider in the Hong Kong SAR. Despite this, the Institute does not have a particularly high research profile when compared with its peer institutions in Hong Kong and around the world. Its research publishing achieves modest exposure and impact in international educational research literature. The Institute has a goal to attain the title of a “university of education” and has identified an improvement in its research output and profile as critical to achieving this. In this context the HKIEd Library embarked on the redevelopment of its institutional repository, changing its direction from being an archive of institutional publications to one which brought together and offered access to the sum total of published output of the Institute since its foundation, in a deliberate effort to promote Institute research. This paper explores the particular approach taken by the Library to the development of the institutional repository, how the repository contributes directly to and aligns with the research strategies of the Institute, and the impact the Repository has had so far on improving the profile of research at HKIEd. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The profusion of data created by modern research has brought about increasing discussion on the practice of data management and the development of such infrastructure. Many universities and libraries are exploring how to address this issue using institutional repositories, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Library being one of them. As part of the exploration, the author conducted a case study of datasets at major institutional repositories. This paper visits the issues relating to data archiving, reports common practices of data treatment at institutional repositories, and presents a list of recommendations for experimenting data archiving at the HKUST Institutional Repository. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A teacher shortage in Hong Kong in core subjects, such as English, has led to interest in the recruitment and retention of second-career teachers. Drawing upon Wenger's (1998) theory of identity formation and using data from interviews with eight second-career English language teachers in Hong Kong, this paper explores how second-career teachers may be better supported in their professional development. The study found that second-career teachers' skills and experiences were not valued within their schools and that this was reflected in a rigid division the participants drew between the institutionally endorsed identity positions made available to them and the type of teachers they wanted to be. In response to this antagonism, second-career teachers used their position of non-participation to establish identity territories that connected aspects of their first-career identities, such as engineers and managers, to their emerging teacher identities. It is suggested that non-participation, a potentially negative experience in Wenger's (1998) framework, was deployed by this group of teachers to create the space they needed to enact their own preferred teacher identities. Implications for attracting and retaining second-career teachers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competition policy has been applied to the legal profession in New South Wales for over a decade. The introduction of a broad reaching competition law to Hong Kong is currently being considered there. This article will review an important aspect of competition policy in New South Wales, the introduction of incorporated legal practices. In particular, it will explore the degree to which this change has altered the traditional professional model of legal practice in New South Wales and the benefits and costs of these effects. These lessons are relevant to the legal profession in Hong Kong because proposals in a public consultation paper issued by the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau on 6 May 2008 envisage that competition policy will apply prima facie to all business models. Furthermore, existing (but dormant) legislation permitting incorporated legal practices make these changes to the landscape of legal practice a real possibility This article will conclude that such changes should be viewed with caution in Hong Kong and perhaps other solutions should be sought to improve the efficiency and productivity of the legal system and access to justice in that jurisdiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a qualitative analysis of Hong Kong school social workers' experiences in generating empowering practices, this paper discusses how a critical social work perspective provides a new frame of reference in which to examine the concept of empowerment in youth work. The recurrent themes of the narratives collected through in-depth interviews with 15 school social workers suggest that empowerment can be generated through a number of ways and understood in terms of dialogical process, reflexive practice, discourse construction, localized actions, and collective actions. The synthesis of these themes opens up the possibility for developing a framework of empowerment-oriented school social work practice. This framework provides a "map" to guide practitioners to work with power in diverse, dynamic, creative, and contextual ways. It is in many ways parallel to a critical social work perspective that emphasizes a dialectical view between the individual and social environment and synthesizes the critical theory and postmodernism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the colonial history of university education in Hong Kong, and recent changes in the governance of university education driven by global management discourses are discussed. With the systemic penetration of global economic rationalism, Hong Kong university education has gone through structural changes that include funding-linked evaluative policies and practices. Market imperatives and institutionally defined notions of research performance based mainly on English-language, overseas journal publications are exerting strong influence on the cultural practices and life styles of academics and stand to significantly change academic and intellectual culture in higher education in Hong Kong. The long-term consequences of these local interpretations and adaptations of global processes will be discussed in terms of their potential impact on academic freedom, the shaping of intellectual space, the intensification of competitive institutional research output, and the risk of privileging certain forms of knowledge production that puts aside local societal needs, indigenous knowledge and epistemologies. The views of experienced Hong Kong academics in the humanities and social sciences, as expressed in in-depth individual interviews, are also discussed. These are then interpreted with reference to Habermas' notion of different kinds of knowledge-constitutive interests (Habermas 1971) and Foucault's notion of the technology of discipline power to uncover the state's implicit transformation and shaping of the social and epistemological bases of academic and intellectual pursuits and the increasing trend of individualization of intellectual communities into isolated, individualistic, competitive knowledge workers (Foucault 1977). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]