As in many parts of Asia, the learning of English is highly valued by parents in Hong Kong as it is regarded as a path to upward social mobility. Children in Hong Kong who speak Chinese as a first language typically begin to learn English when they start kindergarten at age 3. This study investigated the teaching and learning of English in Hong Kong kindergartens through two interrelated studies. The objective of Study 1 was to examine the patterns of English language teaching in different kindergartens. On the basis of the findings of Study 1, three kindergarten teachers were selected for a multiple case study in Study 2 to gain a deeper understanding of their English teaching practices and their students? engagement in the learning of English. About 38 % (n=256) of the kindergartens and kindergarten-cum-nurseries in Hong Kong were surveyed in Study 1. The results from the survey indicated that (i) the teaching of English to 5-year-olds was widespread and there were many cases of teaching of English to 3-year-olds; (ii) the English instruction time was relatively limited; (iii) English as a specific subject was taught by “specialist” English teachers with varying academic and professional backgrounds; (iv) in schools that allocated relatively less time for English instruction, teachers did not usually have professional qualifications to teach preschool children and/or English; (v) there were varying degrees of collaboration between “specialist” English teachers and local non-English speaking teachers; (vi) a wide variety of teaching materials and pedagogies were deployed; (vii) written homework assignments to improve children’s English were common; and (viii) teachers exerted efforts to create a bilingual (Chinese – English) environment at school. Study 2 was a multiple case study in which three teachers - one with a professional qualification in early childhood education, one with professional qualifications to teach English as a Second Language, and one untrained - were purposefully sampled. Six English lessons of each of the three teachers amounting to a total of 475 minutes of teaching were videotaped. Their teaching practices and the children’s engagement in learning were observed, and the classroom learning environment was assessed. Teachers were interviewed individually, parents completed questionnaires about the home language learning environment, and children’s English proficiency was assessed in individual sessions. Teachers’ pedagogies were found to be related to a host of contextual factors. Teachers’ professional training was associated with the extent to which they implemented a child-centered pedagogy. Part-time English teachers had limited collaboration with local teachers, which in turn affected their teaching preparation and practice. A textbook-led English teaching schedule and the relatively limited instruction time induced a product-oriented pedagogy. Children’s limited English proficiency coupled with the minimal language support at home formed a vicious cycle reinforcing the product-oriented pedagogy, which adversely influenced children’s engagement in learning. This study contributes significant knowledge to the field by illustrating the challenges in teaching English in Hong Kong kindergartens. Implications of the findings for early childhood language policy, teacher training and classroom practices are discussed, and future research directions are suggested. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The primary purpose of this study is to explore the lexical inferencing of Chinese learners of English as foreign language in terms of the intent, the clue use, the procedure, the processing type, the adaptability, and the success of lexical inferencing as well as the subsequent lexical knowledge acquisition. All together 781 Chinese EFL learners at four stages of English learning (senior secondary year-2, tertiary beginning, tertiary middle, and tertiary final) participated in this study. 726 respondents answered a questionnaire of lexical strategies to unknown words in reading and clue use in lexical inferencing. 55 participants thought aloud the process of inferring the meaning of 12 target words while reading an article, and reported their knowledge of target words in a surprise test one week after the think-aloud activity. Data collected from the questionnaire were analyzed quantitatively to rank various lexical strategies and types of clue use. The think-aloud protocols of lexical inferencing were analyzed qualitatively to identify the type and amount of clue use, the event sequence of lexical inferencing, the processing type & adaptability, and the outcome of lexical inferencing. Their subsequent knowledge of target words was coded and analyzed. All these items of lexical inferencing also were processed quantitatively to explore the overall view of Chinese EFL learners‘ lexical inferencing, and the similarities & differences of learners at different stages. The findings reveal that Chinese EFL learners frequently used a number of lexical strategies, and lexical inferencing was the most frequently used. They used various types of clues, especially sentence meaning, morphology, and discourse meaning in their lexical inferencing. Some features of clue use, such as abundant imagined morphological clue and L1 grammar clue, revealed the impact of the Chinese language. There were also some variations in the clue use of learners at different stages. The results of this study show that major lexical inferencing procedure was ‘Guess > Accept’ at senior secondary stage and ‘Guess > Evaluate > Accept’ at three tertiary stages. There was an obvious upward shift of processing type from the ‘pure top processing’ of senior secondary to more advanced processing of tertiary stages. The overall adaptability of Chinese EFL learners‘ lexical inferencing was not high. There was an increasing tendency of high adaptability from the stage of senior secondary to tertiary final. The findings show that one fourth of lexical inferencing outcomes were ?Correct‘, while one third were ?Partially Correct‘. There was an increase tendency of ‘Correct‘ or ?Partially correct’ inferences and vocabulary knowledge acquisition from senior secondary stage to tertiary final stage. Measurable vocabulary knowledge was acquired in lexical inferencing. Further explorations reveal that Chinese EFL learners‘ procedural & declarative knowledge might potentially explain the performances of their lexical inferencing. This study culminates with some pedagogical implications for vocabulary learning and reading, and some suggestions for further research on lexical inferencing. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

This study aims to further enhance and develop an ��English Corner�� program implemented at a Hong Kong Chinese-as-the-medium-of-instruction (CMI) primary school. The ��English Corner�� in this particular school refers to an area in the playground where students can voluntarily participate during recess in speaking English to their peers that are previously selected and identified by the English teachers as more competent in their oral proficiency. This research with an evaluative approach focuses on: (1) the participation level in lower and upper primary grades (2) why the students in lower and upper primary grades choose to participate (3) English teachers�� perceptions and effectiveness of the program (4) the quality of the oral interactions in lower and upper primary grades In order to answer these questions, questionnaires were distributed to two classes of students, one in lower primary and one in upper primary. Focus group interviews with students were also conducted. In addition, interactions in the ��English Corner�� were observed, audio-recorded and transcribed. Furthermore, interviews were conducted with English teachers in the school. A variety of linguistics and interactional features such as the types of questions, the use of feedback and negotiating strategies during communication breakdown are deliberately focused in determining the quality of the oral interactions between younger and older learners. The findings, first of all, revealed the unavailability of a vast percentage of the non-participating students among the older learners which reflects the importance of having a more thorough and considerate planning before carrying out such program. The results also reflect the differences not only in motivational styles among younger and older learners but also their reactions towards rewards. Moreover, even though the English teachers are all supportive of this school-based curricular implementation, a lack of clear objective is evidently discovered. Various teaching beliefs have also led to different perceptions of the practicality of the program which further prove the need for adjustment and more thorough planning in the near future. Finally, the conversations in upper primary levels were found to be comparatively more communicative and meaningful with a higher percentage of referential questions, more probing used, equal participation, more feedback and the significance of mutual understanding in communication breakdown which imply that younger learners may not be ready when it comes to this kind of free-style conversational activity. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

The main purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of the picture book teaching method on reading motivation and basic reading literacy (word recognition) of primary first grade students. This research is going to analyze the effect of picture book on primary first grade students according to the basic reading literacy (word recognition) under a tailor-made reading curriculum. The pre-test and post-test of reading comprehension will be given to P.1 students before and after the intervention. The researcher will compare the result of the pre-test and post-test of reading comprehension in order to assess the effective of the picture book teaching method. Questionnaires and interviews will be held before and after the picture book curriculum so as to explore the impact of the picture book teaching method on students’ interest of reading picture book. 本研究主要目的在於探究圖畫書閱讀教學對學生閱讀動機和閱讀識字能力的影響。本研究從校本設計的圖畫書閱讀課程中，分析圖畫書對低年級學生在閱讀理解第一個層次---識字能力上的成效；以純文字篇章之閱讀理解和圖畫書作讀本之閱讀理解作前後測，比較學生前後測的分數，評估圖畫書閱讀教學的成效；再輔以問卷及訪談訪問學生，進一步瞭解圖畫書教學課程對學生閱讀圖畫書的興趣之影響。 / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

本論文是針對博客應用於對外漢語教學進行的一次探索。以香港一間國際學校15位就讀于國際文憑課程中文語言B的12年級學生為研究對象，透過問卷調查、觀察以及面談的研究方法，瞭解博客輔助對外漢語教學的可行性以及在教學過程中對教師存在的挑戰，從而為未來對外漢語教師運用博客支援教學提供參考。 研究結果表明，利用博客輔助對外漢語教學，學生們對博客的參與情況普遍較好，博客可以作為其中文習作發佈的平臺，便於師生和同儕之間的互動交流、協作學習，學生們的中文寫作興趣和寫作動機也都因此有所提高，因而更加樂於學習中文。同時，在學生們進行博客寫作的過程中，教師博客對於學生們來說也具有一定的作用和意義，為學生們的網誌創作提供寫作素材。不過，在使用博客輔助對外漢語教學的過程中，教師同時也會面臨很多挑戰，教師要處理好博客可能會出現的技術問題以及合理設計在博客教學過程中所採用的中文課程，以加強學生的對外漢語學習動機。 由此，未來對外漢語教師在運用博客支援教學的時候，應謹慎選擇博客建立的網路平臺，對學生使用博客寫作進行適當的培訓和指導，同時亦可考慮將博客教學和正規對外漢語教學有機地結合起來。 This paper is an exploration of using a blog in classes of teaching Chinese as a second language. Fifteen Year 12 students who study in the Chinese Language B course of the International Baccalaureate curriculum from one Hong Kong International School are examined. Through questionnaires, observations and interviews, the study reveals the feasibility of using the blog in classes of teaching Chinese as a second language as well as the challenges that the teacher may face accordingly. Furthermore, the paper has also provided some teaching support for future teachers who want to apply blogs in teaching Chinese as a second language. The results show that students generally have a good participation in the blog. The blog, therefore, can serve as a platform to enable students to publish their Chinese work, and to interact and collaborate with teachers and peers. Students’ interests and motivations in Chinese writing are both increased. Meanwhile, when the students carry out the process of blog writing, the teacher’s blog has also played a role as providing writing materials to inspire students. Nevertheless, when using the blog to assist the Chinese as a second language teaching, teachers accordingly will face many challenges. As teachers, we should handle the blog’s technical problems properly and design appropriate Chinese language courses which can be perfectly combined with the normal Chinese teaching. Referring to the above results, the future teachers, who want to use the blog in classes of teaching Chinese as a second language, should carefully select the network platform to establish the blog. Also, some training and guidance related to blog writing should be given to students beforehand. Finally, teachers need to consider the way of combining blogs and the regular Chinese teaching together. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

在國際文憑課程教學領域內，有關漢語A文學教學的研究剛剛起步。本研究探討中學項目九年級學生在文學教學過程中，初學文學評論的表現以及相關策略的運用。本研究以一所國際文憑組織成員學校中學項目九年級的學生為對象，通過問卷調查和小說單元的欣賞教學實驗及研究分析，發現： 1. 學生普遍具有閱讀文學作品的興趣，具備評價文學作品的意識。2. 文學教學促使一些學生突破以往閱讀思維的局限，視野更為開闊，更多關注作品所傳遞的更為豐富的文化信息以及作者駕馭作品的方式與技巧。3. 中文水準較弱和普通的一些學生，在文學評論的組織與表達方面尚有明顯不足。中文水準優秀的學生已經熟練掌握文學評論的寫作方法和技巧，能自如地聯係課外閱讀經驗，對不同作家作品進行比較、分析。據此結果，現時中學項目的漢語文學教學應該拓展閱讀面，增加知識積累，加強文學評論的寫作指引和訓練，為大學預科項目的文學學習做好銜接準備。 Little scholarship has been done regarding the teaching of “Language A Chinese" from the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO). The present study focuses on the topic of Chinese Language A teaching to Grade 9 students, in particular, who are in the fourth year of MYP Language A. The study looks at student progress as they undertake this course as well as appropriate teaching strategies to maximize success. Drawing on Grade 9 students survey data from an IBO World School as well as the reseacher’s practical classroom experience, the major findings of this study are as follows: 1. Students are interested in reading literary works and enjoy evaluating literature. 2. The teaching of literature has prompted some students to pay more attention to cultural aspects of readings and has opened their mind to new ideas. 3. Lower- achieving Chinese Language students continue to have difficulties understanding the organization and expression of the literature commentary. In contrast, higher- achieving students have shown the ability to not only comprehend deeper organization and meaning in the literature, but they are also able to identify writing methods, and compare and analyze the work of different writers. Given the study findings, it is recommended that more MYP Chinese literature teaching should be focused on reading and writing in order to increase student knowledge and awareness, but also to strengthen their ability to succeed in the next stages of their schooling. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

“整體化學習”（ Holistic Learning）是國際文憑教育中學項目（MYP）的一大主要概念。它的目的是實現個人全面發展，要求教師在教學中打破單一的課程知識體系，實現學科之間的交叉和滲透。這種教學理念和實踐要求對教師提出了極大的挑戰。通過調查顯示：目前教師在實施整體化學習的教學中，最大的困惑是如何尋找學科之間的連接點以及如何保證各個學科的協調發展。本次研究就是針對這一困難去尋找相應的策略方法。 本人借助中文和中國文化與藝術這兩門課程來實施整體化學習的教學。在教學中結合學生實際，設定了明確的教學目標和具體的教學過程；在尋找學科的連結點以及整合學科的步驟環節等方面作出了一些特別的安排，並且結合海外遊學為教學創設了一系列生活化的教學情境和任務。 本階段的教學不僅較好地完成了各科的教學目標，而且綜合提升了學生的各種能力，為學生的全面發展提供了可能。 通過本階段教學的實踐和總結，本人認為在實施整體化學習的教學中，以下幾個方面是極為重要的： 1、把握學科特點，確定不同學科之間的連接點。 2、尋找學科與生活的聯繫，促進學生的全面發展。 3、教學活動要情境化、生活化，具有挑戰性、可操作性和系統性。 4、教師指導與評估指向相結合，促進學生有效地學習。 本次研究非常有限，有關整體化教學還有很多值得探討的問題，比如教師合作問題、針對學生的個性特點進行差異化教學的問題等等都還有待深入研究。 "Holistic Learning" is one of the major ideas in MYP. It aims to realize comprehensive development of individuals by chanllenging the teachers to break the mono subject system and fulfill the intersection and infiltration among different subjects, thus setting higher tasks for teachers. According to the survey, the biggest puzzle of the teachers in Holistic Learning teaching is how to find out the connecting point among subjects and keep the coordinative development of different subjects. And the research intends to find out strategies to the problem. I teach both Chinese subject and Chinese Culture and Arts subject with Holistic Learning. I set clear teaching task and specific teaching process according to the students' situations in teaching. I have special arrangement and create a series of teaching situations and tasks based on overseas study in finding out the connecting point and integrate the steps of subjects. This stage of teaching not only fulfills teaching tasks of different subjects, but also improves students' different abilities, providing all possibilities for students' comprehensive development. According to teaching practice and conclusions of this stage, I think the following aspects are very important in Holistic Learning teaching . (1) Grasp chracteristics of subiects and decide connecting points among different subjects. (2) Find out relations between subjects and life, promoting students' comprehensive development. (3) Design teaching activities according to situations and life ,making them chanllenging ,operative and systematic. (4) Combine teacher's guide with evaluation, promoting student's effective study. Finally, I have to say there is much to be studied in Holistic Learning teaching, like cooperation among teachers, differences in students' personalities and so on. All these need further research and survey. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

教育改革时不时会顺应社会变迁与经济转型而进行，新加坡也不例外。新加坡教育部为了顺应新一代学生与社会需求的转变，于2004 年进行了华文教育改革。改革的传播与推广直接地影响改革成效，是实施课程改革的过程中举足轻重的一环。本研究便希望能够通过新加坡国际学校（香港）的个案研究，探讨并评估新加坡教育部推广与传播华文课程改革的策略，以及新加坡国际学校（香港）实施教育改革与新课程的成效。 本研究以课程推广与传播及教育改革的基本理论为基础，着重研究新加坡教育部推广新课程到新加坡国际学校（香港）的过程，以及新加坡国际学校（香港）内部如何推广新课程，从中总结归纳影响今次推广与传播课程改革策略的不同因素。研究中采用质性与量性的研究法，如访谈、问卷调查、文件分析、课堂观察等，从多方面建构个案。 Education reviews often take place as a result of societal changes and economic developments, and education reviews in Singapore is no exception. The background of this study stems from the latest Singaporean Chinese Language Curriculum Review in 2004. The dissemination of education reviews has a direct impact on the effective implementation of the reviewed curriculum; hence it is important to learn about how dissemination takes place in a review cycle. This study aims to discuss and evaluate the strategies of dissemination and diffusion used by the Singapore Ministry of Education in disseminating educational to the Singapore International School (Hong Kong).(HKSIS) This study is based on the theories of curriculum dissemination and diffusion , together with theories of educational change, and is focused on the dissemination process of the new Primary Chinese Language Curriculum to HKSIS , and the diffusion process within HKSIS, so as to discover the different factors affecting the effectiveness of dissemination and diffusion for HKSIS. This study uses both quantitative and qualitative research method to build a multi-faceted case study, such as interviews, text analysis, classroom observation and questionnaire surveys. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

Chinese orthography is morphosyllabic and its script differs in unique ways from other alphabetic, phonemic syllabic and morphemic scripts. Hence the teaching of Chinese literacy is challenging and requires considerable practice on the part of learners. This thesis reviews the methods which have been used to teach Chinese literacy during preschool years. By searching the electronic databases, we classify various articles into different types, introducing “importance of learning early literacy”, “key elements of learning Chinese literacy”, “school-based teaching methods of Chinese literacy” and “home-based teaching method of Chinese literacy”. The study analyzes that core components of learning Chinese literacy are “oral language”, “morphological awareness”, “orthographic skills,” “learning the sound, semantics and shape of the character” and “providing meaningful literacy experience”. Also the study finds three main types of school-based teaching methods, namely “bottom-up teaching method”, “whole to part teaching method” and “integrated teaching method”, of which “integrated teaching method” is the most appropriate one in enhancing Chinese literacy learning. For home-based method, the study finds that “dialogic reading with morphologic training” and “games of learning the characters by components” are the appropriate ways to provide early literacy learning at home. The study concludes that systematical learning sequence is needed in learning Chinese literacy. But it is difficult to implement a systematical sequence of learning Chinese in an integrated curriculum model. Educators need to find out an appropriate way to implement a systematical sequence of learning Chinese in an integrated curriculum model. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

本文通过个案研究，探究两位在香港国际学校任教中学一年级的华文教师，在实施现行与新华文课程的实际情况。研究主要通过课堂录像、教师访问与观课记录，阐述教师在实施新课程时的转变。本文也希望找出一些重要和具启发性的现象，进而总结影响教师转变的因素。本文综合运用了Fullan（1993）和Pennington（1995）的研究理论，以此为依据来设计理论架构。本研究发现在教师发展的过程中，三个阶段会同时间出现，特别是处于第一和第二阶段的时间。本研究也发现，教师实施新课程的时候，对教学目标格外重视，而且在教材选择与使用方面，以及教学活动的设计，都有明显的转变。针对影响教师转变的因素，研究显示课程的修订常促使教师在实际教学中有所调整。其次，教师积极参与新课程的筹备和教学工作，也能促进教师对新课程的理解与接受。当然，学生在课堂上的反应是直接影响教师转变的必要因素之一。本研究的结果可以帮助校方在全面推行新课程之前，预先了解教师在新课程实施方面所需的准备。学校行政人员也可以借鉴此研究的相关成果，为往后学校推行新课程作铺垫。 Using a case study approach, this paper explores the changes in two teachers when implementing the existing and new Chinese Language curriculum in the Secondary One level of an international school in Hong Kong. According to the findings yielded from several video-recordings, interviews and classroom observations, this study hopes to investigate the changes in the teachers when implementing the new curriculum. It also highlights some significant areas of concern, and concludes the critical factors that affect teachers’ change. The integration of Fullan’s (1993) and Pennington’s (1995) theories have been adopted as the theoretical framework for this study. Findings have shown that the three stages of teachers’ change can actually co-exist, and this is especially so for Stage One and Stage Two. Moreover, findings also show that the teachers began to place a greater emphasis on the teaching objectives. Significant teacher change is also observed in terms of the selection and application of teaching materials, as well as the design of learning activities. As for the critical factors which influence teacher change, the researcher found that the revision of the existing curriculum has encouraged teachers to adapt and adopt the changes. The active involvement of the teachers in the preparation and implementation of the new curriculum have also promoted a deeper understanding and hence, enabled teachers to better accept the new curriculum change. Inevitably, the students’ reaction in the classroom is a direct factor which affects teacher change. This study hopes to shed some light on the participating school about the situation that teachers will face when a new curriculum is in place. The results of this study will in turn enable the school to better prepare the other Chinese Language teachers in carrying out the new curriculum effectively. The administrative staff can also gain relevant experience which maybe helpful in the next round of curriculum review. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education