published_or_final_version / Curriculum Studies / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / abstract / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

There is always a gap between student learning and classroom teaching in Hong Kong education. The use of information and communication technology has made the situation even worse. It is a common practice for students to work together through digital media like Instagram, WhatsApp, opening online Chat Room and Facebook by using elements like video, music, texts and artistic photography to reflect and discuss ideas for project assignment. During the process, students can further investigate what they have learnt in lessons and construct new knowledge. However, our schools are still concentrating on text-based presentation software for teaching. Schools have been reacting slowly to the appearance of this new popular participatory culture. Therefore it is interesting to study schools’ ICT infrastructure, the digital literacy in classrooms as well as students’ individual usage behavior in digital media. From the study, we are able to realize the reasons for choosing those multimodal elements in the students’ learning as well as posting them online. Then, we can determine the relationship between the participatory culture in creating multimodal artifacts and digital divide in education among students; as well as finding out those factors which lead to the gap and enhance participatory culture in academic purpose for students. Thus, we can improve the situation of students’ learning outcome gap during the use of digital media in teaching and studying. My thesis will employ qualitative research method in case study approach. It consists of 6 students’ interviews as well as teacher’s focus group interviews of three teachers from two schools. The results show that there are different forms of technology and usage gap among the students in using digital tools. Certainly, there are several ways to overcome the barriers. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Science in Information Technology in Education

This thesis is a qualitative ethnographic inquiry that explores how to apprentice senior secondary school students into critical awareness of gender issues within the Hong Kong New Senior Secondary Liberal Studies (hereafter NSSLS) curriculum context. The project attempts to engage students in thinking about gender issues from different levels of criticality or critical thinking. It was guided by the following research questions: (a) What Discourses of gender are co-constructed, negotiated or/and resisted by the NSSLS curriculum and teachers and students? (b) What Discourses about critical thinking are co-constructed by the NSSLS curriculum and teachers and students? (c) Is it possible to enhance these students’ critical thinking regarding gender issues in the NSSLS subject? To this end, an intervention unit on gender stereotyping designed with genre-based pedagogy was taught and co-taught by the researcher in one traditionally Chinese as the medium-of-instruction (TCMI) and one traditionally English as the medium-of-instruction (TEMI) secondary schools. The study had three stages and adopted multiple research methods, triangulating ethnographic data from interviews, classroom observation, and students’ writing assignments. In the first stage, the pre-intervention stage, the intervention unit was designed by the researcher and the LS teachers in the two schools. Interviews were conducted with focal students to gain insights of their perceptions of gender stereotypes. Pre-measure writing assignments were also given to the students to investigate their cognitive academic language proficiency and gender identities. In the second stage, the intervention unit was respectively taught and co-taught by the researcher and lessons were video- and audio-taped in both schools. In the third stage, the post-measure writing assignments were given to the same groups of students to interpret the potential effectiveness of the unit. Additionally the focal student informants from both schools were interviewed again. Data analysis drew upon theoretical perspectives from poststructuralism, social constructivism and critical theories. Specifically Reisigl and Wodak (2009)’s discourse-historical (DHA) approach to CDA, positioning theory, and other discourse analysis tools were used to examine the Discourses of gender and criticality embedded in the teaching and learning of NSSLS in the two schools. It is found that the Discourses of gender equity, essentializing gender differences, resistance and submission to traditional gender norms, together with the Discourses of criticality such as multiple perspective thinking and writing logical and substantiated arguments are constructed and re-constructed across different fields of action of the NSSLS subject. It is also revealed that some students embody higher critical gender awareness after the intervention unit. Taken as a whole, the study shows that it is a difficult and yet still possible task to raise students’ critical gender awareness in the NSSLS subject. It is hoped that the study will serve as a springboard for future research on critical literacy/pedagogy in NSSLS and longitudinal studies on the itinerary of transformation of secondary school students’ gender identity in a time of change for the Asian societies. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Applied English Studies / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

published_or_final_version / Applied English Studies / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

The literature on autonomy in language education has primarily focused on the development of a theoretical basis for the construct of autonomy and the implementation of educational initiatives aimed at fostering it. Research on the efficacy of autonomous learning has examined the more accessible aspects such as self-access learning and a range of factors that influence its development. Comparatively speaking, the evaluation of autonomous learning initiatives remains on the peripheral limits of research in the field. This study was aimed at addressing this perceived gap in the literature. In evaluating the autonomy-enhancing initiatives offered at the English Language Centre of a major university in Hong Kong, the study adopted a grounded theory approach to understand the social world of the Centre in which participants’ behaviours and practices contribute to a particular culture of learning. The evaluation was informed by data from interviews, observations, questionnaires, and learner portfolios documenting tutors and learners’ experience of autonomous learning. It was designed to gain an understanding of participants’ perceptions of programme reality and of how the programme itself was situated towards achieving its goal of fostering learner autonomy. Evaluation outcomes have created a composite picture of the socially constructed nature of the construct of learner autonomy. The insights gained into the value systems that exist in this social setting have shown how, despite the lingering influence of beliefs ingrained in past experiences, individuals’ perceptions have evolved with exposure to new learning environments. Learners have exploited the freedom extended within this social context to create personally relevant and meaningful learning experiences that have enabled them to examine existing understandings and progress towards developing new identities as proactive individuals. Tutors have functioned as reflective professionals and created their own spheres of influence to stimulate understanding of learning processes and position their learners favourably towards the self-management of learning. Constraints characteristic of innovation introduced in institutional contexts have resulted in tensions arising at the interface of beliefs and engagement for both tutors and learners. However, they have been able to conceptualise the freedom that autonomy pre-supposes in terms of negotiating situational constraints and working with the possibilities within their context and have progressed towards establishing some control over their practices. The study has substantiated the notion of autonomy as a socially embedded phenomenon. While psychological ideals such as motivation, willingness and ability influence its development, the social environment which is organised to extend a range of meaningful options that develop and support an individual’s autonomy is also of significance, as it ensures that the exercise of autonomy has value in terms of what an individual needs to achieve in life. It thus highlights the importance of providing learning experiences that are personally relevant and meaningful, as they position the learner not only for autonomy in learning, but also towards the overarching concept of autonomy in life. Finally, the study also provides some useful insights into the evaluation of autonomous learning schemes. / published_or_final_version / Applied English Studies / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The study explores perceptions of critical thinking and knowledge by New Senior Secondary Liberal Studies teachers in Hong Kong. The insights in this study have implications for the curriculum development and pedagogy, particularly regarding how we can improve the teachers training of critical thinking. Seven Liberal Studies teachers (with various levels of teaching experience and differing backgrounds) were invited to in-depth interviews about their experience teaching Liberal Studies, and particularly regarding critical thinking and knowledge, as well as their pedagogies and views of this subject. Factors such as work experience, personality, school training, and cultural identity affect ways of seeing ‘critical thinking’ and ‘knowledge’. Also, these interviews provide insights into a better pedagogy in high order thinking. We can gain understanding of the difficulties and constraints of teaching critical thinking in Liberal Studies. The research is also a critical thinking process, which is explored in conversations with participants. The study asked them to reflect on what they thought and had experienced. The participants gave useful insights and suggestions. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

The exploratory study examines how different stakeholders, namely the authority, teachers and students, understand values education in Liberal Studies as a core subject in Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination. Qualitative research method is mainly employed to collect data from the stakeholders. A number of issues are discussed, like the subjectivity and types of values, ways of studying values, the importance of values education in the subject, the effectiveness of learning activities and assessment. It has been found that the linear mode of authority-teacher communication and teacher-student communication have an impact on the practical implementation of values education in the subject. Time constraints, the dominant influence of the media and the misconception that values are unimportant in the public examination are perceived as major difficulties of implementing values education. The negative orientation of using multiple perspectives, the low profile of values in examinations, stakeholders’ depreciation of values and indoctrination agenda greatly undermine the credibility of the public examination. Moreover, the design of the marking scheme cultivates negative meta-values. To boost the public acceptance of the subject, suggestions have been made on how stakeholders should communicate better with one another and how assessments should be adapted so as to allay the public’s fear of unfairness. The authority should convey to stakeholders in specific terms that values education is an integral component in the curriculum. A comprehensive list of various kinds of values should be published for stakeholders to conduct holistic values review. The marking scheme should be designed after a markers’ meeting in such a way that it consists of clear guidelines and yet nonrestrictive content. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education