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Disputes over transactions on two-sided platforms are common and usually arbitrated through platforms' customer service departments or third-party service providers. This paper studies crowd-judging, a novel crowdsourcing mechanism whereby users (buyers and sellers) volunteer as jurors to decide disputes arising from the platform. Using a rich data set from the dispute resolution center at Taobao, a leading Chinese e-commerce platform, we aim to understand this innovation and propose and analyze potential operational improvements with a focus on in-group bias (buyer jurors favor the buyer, likewise for sellers). Platform users, especially sellers, share the perception that in-group bias is prevalent and systematically sways case outcomes as the majority of users on such platforms are buyers, undermining the legitimacy of crowd-judging. Our empirical findings suggest that such concern is not completely unfounded: on average, a seller juror is approximately 10% likelier (than a buyer juror) to vote for a seller. Such bias is aggravated among cases that are decided by a thin margin and when jurors perceive that their in-group's interests are threatened. However, the bias diminishes as jurors gain experience: a user's bias reduces by nearly 95% as experience grows from zero to the sample median level. Incorporating these findings and juror participation dynamics in a simulation study, the paper delivers three managerial insights. First, under the existing voting policy, in-group bias influences the outcomes of no more than 2% of cases. Second, simply increasing crowd size through either a larger case panel or aggressively recruiting new jurors may not be efficient in reducing the adverse effect of in-group bias. Finally, policies that allocate cases dynamically could simultaneously mitigate the impact of in-group bias and nurture a more sustainable juror pool. This paper was accepted by Vishal Gaur, operations management. Funding: S. A. Yang and A. Zhang acknowledge the support of the Hong Kong General Research Fund [Grant "Decentralizing Platform Governance: Innovations from China; Project 17614921]. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4818. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of learning analytics (LA) to research and practice in higher education is expanding. Researchers and practitioners are using LA to provide an evidentiary basis across higher education to investigate student learning, to drive institutional quality improvement strategies, to determine at-risk behaviours and develop intervention strategies, to measure attrition more effectively and to improve curriculum design and evaluation in both on-campus and e-learning settings. This paper is a case study report of the novel application of LA to programme curriculum review from a major cross-institutional project in Hong Kong. The paper describes the rationale for the project, the conceptual model that led the approach and the development of a software tool that allowed the automation of statistical analyses specifically relevant to programme review. In addition, the paper addresses a major challenge that the project faced in relation to data governance. The paper concludes by proposing the potential benefits of LA for programme curriculum review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates a group of mainland Chinese students' multilingual learning experiences in an English-medium university in multilingual Hong Kong. Informed by the sociological construct of investment, the study focuses on the role of identity and language ideology and their interaction in shaping the participants' experiences of learning English and Cantonese and their multilingual development. The findings reveal that the participants' multilingual investments were mediated by their ideologies of sociolinguistic competence and flexible multilingualism, which contributed to the development of their identities as competent multilingual speakers. However, the participants' negotiations of their multilingual identities were constrained by the local students' deficit perspectives on the participants' multilingual competences as a result of the influence of the ideology of native-speakerism in the local society. The findings also show that the participants' internalization of the ideology of neoliberal multilingualism and the ideology of multilingualism as indexical of cosmopolitan membership prompted their multilingual investments, which expanded their imagined identity options for the future. Taken together, the findings point to the complex and dynamic interaction between identity and language ideology in shaping multilingual investments. The study also expands our understanding of multilingual learning by contributing to the conceptualization of 'multilingual investment' from a sociological perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the factors affecting the behaviours for coping with fake news among young people. The data were collected from a survey conducted in late 2019, which sampled 2112 secondary school students from 21 partnering schools. This study aims to understand the opinions and behaviours of teenagers towards disinformation when fake news was prevalent during the anti-extradition bill protests in Hong Kong. It finds that awareness of the problem alone had limited influence in facilitating coping strategies. Civic awareness and interaction with social media were useful predictors of internal and external coping behaviours, respectively. Confidence about one's ability to detect fake news was a crucial factor, yet a concern for the value of truth stood out as the strongest predictor of fake news coping behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Practical Theology is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Teacher assessment literacy has gained significant attention in recent years due to its critical role in learning and teaching. Various theoretical and empirical conceptualizations of this construct have been emerging with more recent emphasis on building teachers' knowledge and skills. The aim is to make highly contextualized, fair, consistent and trustworthy assessment decisions to inform learning and teaching to effectively support both student and teacher learning. This article explores changes in secondary English language teachers' assessment literacy following the introduction of school-based assessment for learning as part of high stakes secondary school assessment reform in Hong Kong. Drawing on teacher questionnaires completed by almost 4,500 teachers who undertook a common professional development course conducted over the first six years of assessment reform (2005 – 2011), this paper explores the impact of professional development on teachers' assessment literacy. Despite Hong Kong's deeply ingrained competitive examination-oriented culture, an analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data from pre- and post-program evaluations demonstrate signs of positive change in teacher attitudes, confidence and practices, in particular in using assessment criteria, designing and implementing appropriate assessment tasks, involving learners more actively in the assessment process, making trustworthy assessment decisions and providing effective feedback and feed-forward to students to improve student learning. The findings of the study suggest that changes in assessment culture are possible, provided teachers are well supported. The implications for assessment reform and for the development of teacher assessment literacy more generally are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Educational Technology & Online Learning (JETOL) is the property of Gurhan Durak and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Recent studies on classroom discourse have challenged the traditional classroom role set and emphasised equal contributions from the participants and the emergence of knowledge through active participation. Co-learning emphasises the process in which teachers and students attempt to adapt to one another's behaviour and learn from each other in order to produce desirable learning outcomes. Current research has paid little attention to the ways in which content teachers and students jointly negotiate new knowledge in bi/multilingual classrooms. Based on data collected from a linguistic ethnography in Hong Kong English-Medium-Instruction secondary mathematics classrooms, this paper uses translanguaging as an analytical perspective to analyse how the EMI teacher and students co-learn in the classroom. The data are analysed using Multimodal Conversation Analysis and triangulated with the video-stimulated-recall-interviews which are analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The paper argues that translanguaging creates a safe space for co-learning that emphasises equity in knowledge construction and challenges the hierarchical relationship between the teacher and the learner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the initial findings of a study about the learning process of 17 pre-service kindergarten teachers in a higher diploma programme at a vocational training institute in Hong Kong. The existing literature regards experiential learning as a reflective process that allows student teachers to make new meaning from learning experiences gained during their training. However, these reflective processes lack commonality, and the findings are rarely situated in the context of vocational education. In this regard, empirical data were gathered as evidence of how student teachers develop their ideas of competence in a vocational training programme based on the perspective of Kolb's experiential learning model. This paper addresses the further implications for programme administrators, institutional fieldwork supervisors and researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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 stratified random sampling method was employed to select 150 primary schools and 120 secondary schools to participate in the study. Findings – It is found that with the agreement and support of school heads and teachers, there is good progress in the reform items on teaching and learning. Findings of this paper also suggest that teachers who agreed with the reform items made changes with their practices in terms of learning and teaching strategies, catering to learner diversity, assessment for learning, developing students' language proficiency, cross-curricula learning, playing multiple teachers' roles and preparation for the new senior secondary curriculum. This study thus supports most findings from the change literature with its empirical data that educational changes and innovations with the agreement and support of school heads and teachers tend to have a greater chance of succeeding. Originality/value – The paper contributes by examining to what extent findings and views established in change literature elsewhere can be justified and enriched with the case of Hong Kong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper focuses on the close collaborative work our research team has been engaged in with two local schools to study how action research measures may help to facilitate the improvement of the Integrated Humanities (IH) curriculum through school-university partnerships. It attempts to understand action research as a form of cultural practice for education, and examines how such collaborative work with local schools may contribute to sustainable cultural work of education and intervene at different levels of the schooling practices. In all, the paper seeks to offer preliminary analysis and reflection on the re-orientation of Cultural Studies as a research and problem-solving, intellectual and critical project with a potential for long-term input to cultural policy-making. It also aims at examining the role of cultural studies practitioners as action researchers in the process of doing cultural work of education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the early childhood context of Hong Kong (HK) which is characterised by an entirely privatised system. The level of knowledge a child possesses in early childhood can be a determining factor in their admission into desirable kindergartens or primary schools. Given HK’s privatised early childhood education system, the quality of a child’s learning is directly tied to the education services their parents provide independently or can afford financially. The study reported in this paper adopts a narrative inquiry approach to an under-researched area of early childhood education, namely the voices of parents within home learning environments and how the lengths they go to provide their children with a quality education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a narrative inquiry of a Hong Kong female undergraduate student's second language (L2) learning experiences in an English-medium university in Hong Kong, with a focus on her participation in classroom oral activities and identity negotiation. Using ideas from situated learning theory and Norton's (2000) notions of identity and investment, the paper analyzes how the student negotiated her classroom participation and identities over the course of her studies in the university. Findings suggest that the student's classroom participation in the English-medium university appeared to be a complex and dynamic process which involved ongoing negotiations of identities, competence and membership in the classroom in response to the challenges she faced. It was found that the student's participation and identity (re)construction in the classroom were mediated by the contextual complexities in specific classroom communities and were contingent upon the agentive choices made by the student in investing in different classroom activities. Findings also indicate that the student's participation evolved over time alongside a changing sense of competence and showed signs of gradual yet non-linear progression from peripheral to full participation in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The paper aims to focus on institutional initiatives to embed e-learning in a university in Hong Kong, from 2006-12, through large-scale funding of 43 e-learning projects. It outlines the guiding principles behind the university's e-learning development and discusses the significance of various procedures and practices in project planning, development and implementation. Design/methodology/approach - This longitudinal study combines historical perspectives with process description, analysis and personal observations. Its approach is based in action research. The authors are engaged both as participants/learning designers in particular projects and in management, administration and evaluation of the projects at the institutional level. Findings - It is proposed that e-learning projects need careful planning, scaffolding and managing. Also that piloting, evaluation and formal reporting as well as the availability of professional, technical and instructional design support are significant factors in success. Research limitations/implications - This paper is preliminary work. Further findings and analysis are expected at the final completion of all projects. A wealth of data is available in accumulated project documentation and reports, including individual project evaluations with quantitative and qualitative data. Originality/value - Given the commonly acknowledged difficulties in helping e-learning projects continue to completion and actually be implemented, this study can offer strategies that may be widely applied in different contexts. The scale and timeframe of the study and the amount of funding available in one institution are unusual so emerging implications are potentially significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper aims to examine the influence of physical housing environments on the learning potential of children. The authors argue for housing design which is attentive to the need for open but personal space with "sufficient physical partitions". Design/methodology/approach - The research draws on an empirical study of students in two randomly selected Hong Kong secondary schools. The approach includes the use of multiple regression analysis to test the correlation between academic performance and a set of environmental attributes. Findings - Housing design, aspect and size of housing are significant. Academic performance is not dependent on tenure type and this is partly related to mixed tenure, close proximity of differing socio-economic neighborhoods and the sharing of social capital to provide equal opportunity. However, densely developed high housing is not desirable for children's academic development. Research limitations/implications - The location of Hong Kong provides a very specific combination of small land mass, a history of high rise living and a social housing sector and the need to optimize physical space for social ends. Home ownership does not play a role of a stabilizer for children, as observed in other places. Practical implications - This paper prompts a reassessment, by housing providers and commissioners, of the link between housing types and long term educational opportunities and the need to devise appropriate partnerships to ensure that housing adds to academic performance rather than undermine it. Social implications - The study of the effects of high rise high density housing on children's learning is underdeveloped and should be reassessed in markets, such as that in the UK, where use of the private rented sector is increasingly used to house families who may in the past have been housed directly by the State. Originality/value - This research attempts to apply quantitative techniques to provide evidence to policy makers that can be replicated in other housing contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on peer feedback in relation to assessment processes. It examines the rationale for peer feedback, emphasizing its potential for enhanced student learning. We draw on relevant literature to argue that the dominance of peer assessment processes using grades can undermine the potential of peer feedback for improving student learning. The paper throws further light on the issue by drawing on a large-scale questionnaire survey of tertiary students (1740) and academics (460) in Hong Kong, supplemented by interview data. The findings indicate that a significant number of academics and students resist peer assessment using grades and that the majority report that students never or rarely grade each other in assessment activities. This paper explores why there is resistance, in particular, by academics to peer assessment and argues the case for a peer feedback process as an end in itself or as a precursor to peer assessment insolving the awarding of marks, It also recommends some strategies for promoting peer feedback, through engaging students with criteria and for embedding peer involvement within normal course processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We are living in a fast-changing, technology-driven world, where technology affects the daily lives of every person, directly or indirectly. While the importance of providing young children with technological knowledge and experience has been well-recognized, how the curriculum should be developed deserves greater study. Using early childhood education in Hong Kong as a case study, this paper argues that to be successful in planning and implementing a technology curriculum, we cannot consider only the technological aspects. We also need to take into consideration the social and cultural factors. Among various social and cultural factors, this paper focuses on: (a) the background of the students and their parents, (b) society's perceptions of technology, and (c) society's expectations of children who learn about technology, and (d) the approach and method of teaching and learning technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of leisure in the lives of Hong Kong higher education students. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methodologies, the paper explores several patterns of involvement of full-time undergraduate students in leisure and learning. It further suggests various ways in which these two domains of students' lives can be related. A total of 266 diaries and 40 semi-structured interviews were used to solicit the data on student experiences across the seven higher education institutions in Hong Kong. Results showed a unique blend of the leisure and learning domains of students' lives especially in the context of group activities, in which leisure activities were related to strong social bonding and to the establishment of coherent study groups with classmates. The discussion focuses on the possible relationships between student learning and leisure and on how the different patterns of student involvement in these two domains inform an alternative conceptual framework for understanding the role of leisure in their lives and development. References are made to previous studies on higher education students and implications are drawn for future research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence-based practice and capacity-building approaches are essential for large-scale health promotion interventions. However, there are few models in the literature to guide and evaluate training of social service workers in community settings. This paper presents the development and evaluation of the “train-the-trainer” workshop (TTT) for the first large scale, community-based, family intervention projects, entitled “Happy Family Kitchen Project” (HFK) under the FAMILY project, a Hong Kong Jockey Club Initiative for a Harmonious Society. The workshop aimed to enhance social workers’ competence and performance in applying positive psychology constructs in their family interventions under HFK to improve family well-being of the community they served. The two-day TTT was developed and implemented by a multidisciplinary team in partnership with community agencies to 50 social workers (64% women). It focused on the enhancement of knowledge, attitude, and practice of five specific positive psychology themes, which were the basis for the subsequent development of the 23 family interventions for 1419 participants. Acceptability and applicability were enhanced by completing a needs assessment prior to the training. The TTT was evaluated by trainees’ reactions to the training content and design, changes in learners (trainees) and benefits to the service organizations. Focus group interviews to evaluate the workshop at three months after the training, and questionnaire survey at pre-training, immediately after, six months, one year and two years after training were conducted. There were statistically significant increases with large to moderate effect size in perceived knowledge, self-efficacy and practice after training, which sustained to 2-year follow-up. Furthermore, there were statistically significant improvements in family communication and well-being of the participants in the HFK interventions they implemented after training. This paper offers a practical example of development, implementation and model-based evaluation of training programs, which may be helpful to others seeking to develop such programs in diverse communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study examined the ways in which different influences on student motivation and the development of independent learning (IL) skills might be constituted across students learning within different educational cultures. Previous studies on student motivation and IL have suggested the potential for differing conceptualizations of IL and its strategies (ILS), prompting questions as to the sources of these distinctions. One theory is that they might be influenced by differing cultural constructions of these concepts or may be linked to different motivations with respect to the purposes and outcomes of education. Methods: This study addressed a research gap with respect to these differences in the British and Chinese contexts by examining the responses of students sampled from a university in Scotland and a university in Hong Kong. Through mixed-methods research comprising quantitative analysis of questionnaires and thematic analysis of interview data, this research project compared conceptualizations of IL and ILS across both these contexts and highlighted the role that student motivation might play in either context. Results: The analytical results showed differences in the conception of IL and the implementation of ILS potentially due to differing cultural contexts. Discussion: Further cross-cultural comparative research is needed with a study design that excludes the influence of institutional and demographic factors to better isolate the influence of culture on perception of IL and use of ILS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine the role and process of reflective assessment supported by the Knowledge Connections Analyzer in helping low academic achievers to develop epistemic agency in knowledge building. The participants were 33 ninth‐grade low achievers from a visual arts course in Hong Kong. A comparison class of 33 students, taught by the same teacher and studying the same topics in a regular knowledge‐building environment, also participated. Qualitative tracing of students' online discourse showed that reflective assessment can help low achievers develop high‐level epistemic agency. Qualitative analysis of the students' prompt sheets revealed that reflective assessment encouraged low achievers to set knowledge‐building goals, collectively and continuously analyse and reflect on their inquiry and ideas, and generate actions to address identified gaps, thus helping them engage in high‐level epistemic agency. The study results have important implications for designing technology‐rich environments that support learners and offer insights into how teachers can help learners develop epistemic agency. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Low‐achieving students (LASs) are often disadvantaged in classrooms by a lack of engaging instruction that emphasizes higher‐order competencies.LASs find collaborative inquiry difficult primarily because of the lack of high‐level metacognitive skills and epistemic agency.Reflective assessment has shown its scaffolding function in developing high‐level metacognition and epistemic agency. What this paper adds: Reflective assessment using the Knowledge Connections Analyzer can help LASs to engage in epistemic agency.The design of knowledge‐building environment augmented by reflective assessment can benefit educationally disadvantaged students. Implications for practice and/or policy: Efforts should be made to design technology‐supported learning environments to help LASs to develop epistemic agency and benefit from collaborative inquiry.Knowledge‐building environment augmented by analytics‐supported reflective assessment is proposed as a promising approach to make schoolwork more interesting and accessible for LASs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flipping the classroom centres on the delivery of print, audio or video based material prior to a lecture or class session. The class session is then dedicated to more active learning processes with application of knowledge through problem solving or case based scenarios. The rationale behind this approach is that teachers can spend their face-to-face time supporting students in deeper learning processes. In this paper we provide a background literature review on the flipped classroom along with a three step approach to flipping the classroom comprising implementing, enacting and evaluating this form of pedagogy. Our three step approach is based on actual experience of delivering a flipped classroom at the University of Hong Kong. This initiative was evaluated with positive results. We hope our experience will be transferable to other medical institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has not been ample recent research on teaching older adults. However, as described below, there is mounting research in how and why older adults want to learn. This brief discussion is derived from work undertaken for a workshop in Hong Kong on issues in teaching older adults. It combines recent research on learning and teaching in higher education as it applies to older adults. The paper addresses: learning and ageing, learning choices, an information processing view of learning, deep and surface learning, teaching and learning approaches, formal, non-formal and informal learning, teaching roles, evaluation, and technology. Some sections are exemplified with information from teaching older adults in Australia and Hong Kong [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2001, Hong Kong started an enormous, comprehensive, and highly impacted curriculum reform through introducing the "Learning to learn". This reform incorporated changes in subject structure, integration of knowledge and skill, four key tasks, learning and teaching strategies, learning assessment approaches and provision of additional teaching resources. It is regarded as the largest curriculum reform in scale in history of Hong Kong. In 2005, the Education Bureau further reformed the educational system and its curriculum structure, which aimed to transform student learning. These changes included multiple pathways for students, further education, broad and balanced curriculum, integration of academic knowledge and application, and shifting from examination orientation to multiple assessments. However, this reform faced challenges in its design and existed deficits in its implementation. It is being criticized that the curriculum implementation missed the essence of its design. This paper aims to discuss the Hong Kong curriculum reform since 2005. First, it highlights the curriculum reform initiatives and their rationales in New Senior Secondary (NSS) education. Second, it inquires into the implementation dip of the rationales and implementation of NSS reform. Finally, it discusses the unchanged essence of NSS reform. In precise, this article exhibits the significant changes in this new reform such as educational system, subject structure, and curriculum choices. However, it stresses that the reform has not yet changed some fundamental issues such as examination oriented culture and student diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers in Hong Kong have faced constant demand for practice renewal due to successive waves of educational reforms in the past decade. This paper describes the design of an assignment structure that promotes teacher reflection on important issues related to a major education reform in Hong Kong. This particular assignment structure includes three components – self-reflection, understanding alternative perspectives and situated analysis. Teachers are expected to complete these components in a sequence. The design addresses teachers’ teaching experiences, engages them in learning alternative perspectives, and assists them to juxtapose self-reflection and alternative perspectives in analysing commonly encountered teaching situations. An evaluation of teachers’ levels of reflection in these assignments showed that both high- and low-scored teachers improved their reflection. Based on the findings of an interview study, this paper reported a grounded model explaining how this innovative assignment structure promotes reflection. The model situated the reflective assignments within the local teaching context in Hong Kong and highlighted the importance of different forms of assistance and guidance in facilitating teachers’ reflective engagement in completing these cognitively demanding assignments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hong Kong senior secondary school system is currently involved in a major reform process. The reform process involves expanding access and offering a broader range of curriculum choices for students including options for vocational education. This is a major challenge in a society where is an emphasis on examination based academic studies and where vocational education is assigned a low status. This paper explores the initiatives of CCC Kung Lee College, an independent high school in Hong Kong, in introducing work-based learning as part of the new reforms to senior schooling. The College in partnership with the Centre for Lifelong learning Research and Developments at the Hong Kong Institute of Education successfully applied for a Quality Education Funds to implement vocational education programs using work-based learning in hospitality and tourism, IT and business studies. The paper using data from participants in schools and industry describes the processes of introducing work-based learning. The key challenges of introducing vocational education into schools in Hong Kong as well as the dynamics of change and reform in secondary schooling is described in this paper and several recommendations have been made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the relationship between ageing and learning, previous literature having confirmed that participation in continued learning in old age contributes to good health, satisfaction with life, independence and self-esteem. Realizing that learning is vital to active ageing, the Hong Kong government has implemented policies and programmes to encourage continued learning among the elderly to help improve their health and quality of life as they age. Given the government commitment, it is essential that the policy and provision be critically reviewed for effectiveness to ensure that it is meeting the needs and expectations of older people and supporting providers in delivering high-quality programmes to elders. In this light, this paper aims to examine the role of government, providers and community agencies in developing policy and provision for elder learning in Hong Kong; to discuss the approach to elder learning in Hong Kong before and after 1997, which is marked by the establishment of the Hong Kong Elderly Commission; to investigate new directions in elder learning policy and provision; and finally, identify the needs for future research and policy development of elder learning in Hong Kong. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether (i) both operational staff and engineering staff in a Hong Kong public transport company have same perception that the organizational defensive patterns impede them from learning new information and communication technology (ICT) from other companies, and (ii) skilled incompetence, organizational defensive routines, and fancy footwork are positively associated with each other in both operational and engineering groups of a transport company. This paper investigated the influence of organizational defensive patterns by means of a survey of 324 employees (151 operational staff and 173 engineering staff) at a Hong Kong public transport company. Each employee selected completed a questionnaire that asked them to indicate the influence of the organizational defensive patterns (skilled incompetence, organizational defensive routines, and fancy footwork) on the learning of ICT in their organization. The results indicated that both operational staff and engineering staff shared the same perceptions about how organizational defensive patterns impeded their learning of newly adopted ICT systems. The findings also indicated that the operational and engineering groups of the transport company perceived that skilled incompetence, defensive routines, and fancy footwork were positively associated with each other. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses early-career academics' development at a university in Hong Kong. Reflecting the impact of local context, the paper explores cultural and structural influences that can impinge on teaching and learning strategies for new academics. Barriers such as student learning behaviour and publication pressure may discourage new academics from taking an active interest in ongoing professional development beyond the mandatory component. However, the effect of Chinese culture, which places a strong emphasis on 'face' and harmonious human relationships, and the existence of hidden ('ghost') rules can collectively add pitfalls that inhibit new academics' full engagement in their teaching roles. Local contextual capabilities are identified and implications for the design of professional development programmes for early-career academics are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students today are challenged to acquire knowledge and skills to think critically, contextually, and to transfer knowledge to exceed expectations. The learning process often requires heuristic inquiry that utilizes access to all types of information resources. This presents opportunities and challenges for information service support to integrate resources into the curriculum to enable the students to carry on learning beyond the classroom. In response to the changing academic landscape at the University of Hong Kong, it is necessary to align the information service role of the library with the mission of the University to assume an active and relevant partnering role. One of the major challenges is to better understand how to reach the students to enable learning and discovery within their curricula, to enrich their inquiring mind through engaged use of information which is increasingly interdisciplinary, distributed in digital and media. In Hong Kong where local secondary education is more exam based and students concentrate on tackling model questions and answers for exams but are not used to research for scholarly information, librarians have a role in helping students make the transition to face the different study approach at university. How can librarians assist students to develop better in their studies to enrich their learning experience? The study presented in this paper uses a student learning activity to investigate the students' research habits and the impact of information research assistance on their research skills and assessment result. Research findings generally suggest that there is some correlation between the increased quality of student research as exhibited in the student's grade on the assignment when students are exposed to research assistance. The findings of the study will be used to guide the development of an appropriate strategy in information instruction support to enrich the learning process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internet has revolutionized contemporary learning around the world in the 21st century. However, the ease of access and lack of uniform standards have made the World Wide Web a powerful but uncertain medium. Understanding how this technology helps students' learning is vital for teachers to identify effective teaching and learning strategies. This paper presents a pilot study which is extended from a larger study concerning the students' conceptions of learning in a teacher education institute. Its first-stage results show that most of the participants changed their learning strategies of searching for information since they began study in the higher education institute. To understand more about these changes, semi-structured interviews were conducted to examine their perceptions, in terms of affordances and constraints, of using web search engines. Considering the experiences of two participants, this paper attempts to enrich our understanding of students' experiences in using web search engines and provide perspectives of their learning processes in terms of their habits. Specifically, this study addresses the following questions. 1. What are the perceived affordances of web search engines? 2. What are the constraints of using web search engines? 3. What would be missing in learning without using web search engines? Implications to improve the effectiveness of web searches for the web designers, educators and learners are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on the outcomes of a research project "Learning Science at a Distance: Students' Perspective of Practical Work", funded by the President's Advisory Committee on Research and Development (PACRD) at the Open University of Hong Kong. Two foundation science courses offered by the School of Science and Technology at the Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) were selected for the study. This paper focuses on students' perspectives on various aspects of learning science via online distance learning mode, such as expectations, learning outcomes, and satisfaction. A series of in-depth interviews was carried out with students enrolled in these courses, followed by questionnaire surveys and field observations in order to validate and triangulate the interview data. The findings revealed that students placed a high value on practical work in science courses. Moreover, the more familiar with the course subject, the less difficulty they anticipate in learning science via online distance education. Two significant correlations were also found. The first one was between the perception of practical work and satisfaction, while the second one was between the attendance rate and the perception of practical work with online distance learning at OUHK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the concept of ‘cultural cross‐currents,’ their implicit nature and the potential they have to effect second language literacy learning, teaching and curriculum reform in Hong Kong primary classrooms. Despite the substantive implications for learning, the exploration of cultural influences upon teacher and student thinking and the resultant educational consequences, remains a largely unrecognized area. The central argument in the paper is that cultural differences in attitudes, beliefs and values of cultural groups toward the way first and second languages are acquired needs to be made explicit in order to facilitate second language literacy teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study that we report in this paper, named as learning study, is a hybrid between a design experiment as characterized by Brown and Collins, and a Japanese lesson study as characterized by Yoshida, and Stigler and Hiebert. This paper aims at tracing the development of the learning study and examining its impact on teacher professional learning, through the example of an empirical study conducted in Hong Kong. First, the notion of learning study is explicated, together with the related ideas of the lesson study approach, the teaching research group and design experiments. Second, an empirical study is reported, which documents how a group of economics teachers in Hong Kong worked collaboratively within the learning study model to improve student learning, and in doing so enhanced their own professional learning. Finally, the implication of learning study for teacher professional learning is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a constructivist view of learning in science, principles for designing science assessment are drawn. The principles are in line with recommendations from science educators that science assessment tasks need to offer opportunities for students to apply their science concepts through alternative modes of assessment, experience group work, and allow teachers to assess changes in students' science concepts. While teachers in Hong Kong have traditionally adopted mostly paper-and-pencil exercises or tests and end-of-term examinations, science teachers were invited to participate in a schoolbased curriculum development project where they received support in designing alternative assessment tasks in science. This paper explores the views of junior secondary science teachers in Hong Kong about implementing alternative assessment tasks in their science classes and hence provides insights into the conditions that may support or hinder the implementation of science assessment tasks that are consistent with a constructivist view of learning. The findings provide implications on shifting the current culture of science assessment in Hong Kong from being mainly summative and involving pen-and-paper tasks to implementing formative and alternative assessment tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, characteristics of mathematics classrooms in the East Asian countries1 of Hong Kong and Japan are discussed based on an analysis of the data of the TIMSS 1999 Video Study. The data shows that although students in these East Asian countries did not talk a lot in the classroom, they were exposed to more instructional content. The mathematics problems they worked on were set up mainly using mathematical language, and compared with the problems solved by students in other countries, the problems took a longer duration to solve and more proof was involved. According to the judgement of an expert panel on the Hong Kong lessons (Japan did not participate in this part of the study), more advanced contents were covered and the lessons were more coherent. The mathematics presentations were more developed, and the students were more likely to be engaged in the lessons. In sum, the overall quality of the teaching in this East Asian country was judged to be high. The findings show that high quality teaching and learning can take place even in a teacher directed classroom. It is argued that these East Asian classroom practices are deeply rooted in the underlying cultural values of the classroom and the wider society. The paper ends by drawing some implications of the study for the mathematics education community in other cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is concerned with the politics of lifelong learning policy in post-1997 Hong Kong (HK). The paper is in four parts. Continuing Education, recast as 'lifelong learning', is to be the cornerstone of the post-Handover education reform agenda. The lineaments of a familiar discourse are evident in the Education Commission policy documents. However, to view recent HK education policy just in terms of an apparent convergence with global trends would be to neglect the ways in which the discourse of lifelong learning has been tactically deployed to serve local political agendas. In the second part of this paper, I outline what Scott has called HK's 'disarticulated' political system following its retrocession to China and attempts by an executive-led administration to demonstrate 'performance legitimacy'--through major policy reforms--in the absence of (democratic) political legitimacy. Beijing's designation of HK as a (depoliticized) 'economic' city within greater China must also be taken into account. It is against this political background that the strategic deployment of a 'lifelong learning' discourse needs to be seen. In the third section of this paper, I examine three recent policy episodes to illustrate how lifelong learning discourse has been adopted and has evolved to meet changing circumstances in HK. Finally, I look at the issue of public consultation. The politics of education policy in HK may be seen to mirror at a micro-level, the current macro-level contested interpretations of HK's future polity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student teachers' learning in the field experience is seen as being at the heart of their professional training in initial teacher education. This paper reports a qualitative case study of preservice student teachers' learning experiences in school placements in Hong Kong. A multi-case study was conducted in a concurrent teacher education programme for secondary school teachers, with the examination of seven student teachers' professional learning journeys over two years. Methods of data collection included interview, field observation, document analysis and audio-recording of supervisory conferences. Progressive focusing characterized the research process. Student teachers' professional learning is conceptualized as learning how to frame teaching situations. By exploring pre-training influences, the teacher education programme and the student teaching context, the paper seeks to examine the dynamics and complexity of learning how to frame teaching situations. It develops an integrated framework for understanding student teachers' professional learning as the dynamic interaction of the teaching self, knowledge construction in the teaching repertoire and the framing process. This framework can be used as an analytical tool for understanding the dynamics and complexities of student teachers' professional learning and exploring the contribution of coursework and fieldwork to such learning in initial teacher education. The findings of the study reveal that the strength of the teaching self, the richness of the teaching repertoire and the appropriate mix of challenge and support in the student teaching context are important variables that constitute student teachers' productive learning experiences. Implications for practices in initial teacher education are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to report how school leadership is challenged by the three waves of education reform and development in Hong Kong. Since the 1970s, school leaders in the first wave were mainly concerned with achievement of the planned goals through improvement of teaching and learning. In the 1990s, school leaders of the second wave often focused on interface improvement through various types of quality inspection and assurance. In facing the challenges in the new century, the third wave of changes in Hong Kong is moving towards the pursuit of future effectiveness. The school leaders need to be concerned with enhancing educational relevance and creating new goals. This paper will discuss how the leadership conceptions and concerns of the third wave in Hong Kong are completely different from the traditional thinking. Implications are drawn for educators, policy-makers, and scholars in different parts of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In higher education teaching, enhancing learner autonomy has become a key concern for curriculum planners and classroom teachers. The significant body of research about learner autonomy in language learning over the last 20 years (e.g. Holec 1981, 1988; Riley 1985; Dickinson 1987, 1992; Wenden & Rubin 1987; Little, 1991; Dam, 1995; Benson & Voller, 1997) has indicated an on-going search for more understanding of how learner autonomy can be implemented in different contexts. This paper is based on a research study which was conducted in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong. The study explores learners' attitudes and expectations of language learning, teacher and learner roles, their learning preferences and perceptions of learner autonomy. The paper reports the results and discusses their implication on the development of a learner-centred approach in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring students’ perspective on feedback is high on the research agenda following the comparatively lower satisfaction scores for assessment and feedback in the National Student Survey. However, limited research examines how teachers and students perceive the same feedback events in the post-secondary context. This case study fills the gap by comparing the views of two teachers and 20 first-year students on assessment feedback in an academic English module in a post-secondary institution in Hong Kong. Data collection methods involved documentation of feedback on marked assignments, recordings of verbal feedback sessions, stimulated-recall interviews with teachers, and focus group interviews with students. The conflicting beliefs indicated three problems: insufficient explanation of criteria and standards for feedback interpretation; use of praise for rapport building at a cost of feedback sincerity; limited uptake of error corrections in end-of-term assignments. Possible reasons behind the divergence are discussed. The paper argues that using praise to save students’ face may paradoxically heighten the tensions in feedback processes in a high-stakes assessment context. A more effective method is to foster students’ ‘feedback resilience’ to help them manage negative emotions in feedback processes. Recommendations for developing ‘feedback resilience’ are provided, and avenues for future research discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study examined the ways in which different influences on student motivation and the development of independent learning (IL) skills might be constituted across students learning within different educational cultures. Previous studies on student motivation and IL have suggested the potential for differing conceptualizations of IL and its strategies (ILS), prompting questions as to the sources of these distinctions. One theory is that they might be influenced by differing cultural constructions of these concepts or may be linked to different motivations with respect to the purposes and outcomes of education. Methods: This study addressed a research gap with respect to these differences in the British and Chinese contexts by examining the responses of students sampled from a university in Scotland and a university in Hong Kong. Through mixed-methods research comprising quantitative analysis of questionnaires and thematic analysis of interview data, this research project compared conceptualizations of IL and ILS across both these contexts and highlighted the role that student motivation might play in either context. Results: The analytical results showed differences in the conception of IL and the implementation of ILS potentially due to differing cultural contexts. Discussion: Further cross-cultural comparative research is needed with a study design that excludes the influence of institutional and demographic factors to better isolate the influence of culture on perception of IL and use of ILS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The student population has been declining in schools, and there is a growing resource concern by the sector that offers self-financed post-secondary qualifications in Hong Kong. Consequently, the offering institutes need to consider providing the best-fit learning experiences given the fiscal constraints. In this paper, we first examine the challenges that are faced in the traditional approach to offering marketing programs. In preparing young marketing learners in the twenty-first century, educators need to construct small-scale research projects to enable them to practise marketing skills and to provide opportunities for learners to meet practitioners through other learning activities outside classes. Neither compromising quality in learning nor offering a perfect solution to program development, we explore alternative options for the enrichment of student learning experiences within small budgets, the flipped-classroom concept, and mass open online courses (MOOCs) using strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis. Potentials and limitations are discussed to see whether suggested learning modes could provide alternative opportunities in educating young marketers for the twenty-first century and "FIT" for the purpose in terms of mastering a way of working, i.e. fluent communication, independent and interdependent working, and thinking critically and creatively (FIT), within a smaller budget. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this case study is to describe the space transformation of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Library (HKUST Library) into a learning commons and how learning activities have been substantially multiplied by engaging academic and supporting units. This experience is used to posit a number of anticipated directions for library space planning. Design/methodology/approach -- This paper focuses on the design elements of the learning commons and how these elements have created an effective platform for a variety of learning activities. It outlines an assessment study on how students liked the transformed space and viewed its added values. Findings -- In the digital era, academic libraries can be transformed for new, effective and collaborative use. By integrating technology and flexible design, the new space excites existing scholars and attracts a broad range of new users. Students, faculty and administrators react positively to the new space, as it offers effective learning ambience. By engaging and co-creating with university partners, the new space functions as an active facilitator of learning -- a hub that supports interaction and an effective platform to support pedagogy towards team projects, multimedia work and whole-person development. Future library spaces need to exhibit characteristics tailored to various user groups and their specific usage needs. Originality/value -- The experience of the HKUST library will have broader implications for other academic libraries embracing their mission-critical nature and assets. It shows that libraries can embrace challenges in the digital and virtual world by creative and innovative use of their physical space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eportfolios are increasing in popularity and use, yet research into their efficacy lags behind implementation. This paper seeks to address this gap by presenting results of research on student ownership of a course-based eportfolio. The research is informed by Milner-Bolotin framework for ownership of learning. A co-curricular student life course at a university in Hong Kong was conducted in which students were required to construct eportfolios. Data were obtained through semi-structured one-on-one interviews with a sample of course participants. Iterative, sequential coding was used to analyse data; categories of meaning were established, emanating from existing research and emergent patterns in the data. Results from the study indicate that the framework had strong resonance with the participants' experience constructing the eportfolio. Specific findings include a strong emphasis on the utilitarian value of eporfolios as school-to-work bridges and the potential for freedom of choice to create both opportunities for and challenges to students feeling in control. Implications of findings are discussed in terms of both research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws upon a small-scale investigation to shed light on the perceptions of successful ageing by a group of senior adults in Hong Kong. It also identifies attributes that are associated with ageing well and examines the extent to which education or learning is perceived as important in the ageing process. To this end, the research has taken on an educational perspective to find out what older people themselves want and need to learn, what motivates them and what poses as barriers to their participation in learning. By making such data available, policy-makers and educational providers alike will be better placed to understand and determine the role of learning in the ageing process and to plan appropriate interventions in support of late-life learning for and by the elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose – Online forums are increasingly deployed as important e-learning tools for facilitating student learning in classrooms. However, building an online forum does not guarantee participation by students. The purpose of this paper is to advance our knowledge of facilitating student participation in this context by studying the role of communication environment. Design/methodology/approach – The model was tested using data collected from a survey administered in a university in Hong Kong. Findings – Results revealed that psychological safety communication climate influenced the intention of students to continue their participation both directly and indirectly through perceived responsiveness and self-efficacy. Originality/value – This study builds on social cognitive theory and extends the existing understanding of participation in e-learning by highlighting the roles of psychological safety communication climate and perceived responsiveness, two communication environment factors critical to student learning but not yet addressed seriously in the e-learning context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study attempted to investigate Hong Kong junior secondary students’ conceptions of China before and after the 1997 handover of Hong Kong to China, with a view to finding out any changes in their conceptions, and if any, the factors that might have contributed to these changes. The study found that, over the years from 1997 to 2009, students still viewed China as backward in many aspects, and still held superficial, fragmentary and even contradictory and inaccurate conceptions of China, but their conceptions were getting more positive and deeper in 2009 than 12 years ago. This paper maintains that students’ greater exposure to China's development in various aspects through various information sources played a prominent role in shaping their conceptions of China. The implications for learning and teaching are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]