This present study examined the relationship among behavioural regulation, early language development and early mathematics skills. Participants were 111 children ranging in age from 4 to 5 years attending kindergarten participating in the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme in Hong Kong. Behavioural regulation was assessed directly with the Head-to-Toe task which requires the children to perform the opposite of the instructed command. Receptive and expressive language ability, and mathematics skills will be assessed by the Pre-primary and Primary Chinese Literacy Scale (PPCLS) Test A, a verbal fluency test, and a mathematics competency test respectively. There was a positive correlation between behavioural regulation ability and background variables such as age, father’s education level and prior years of early childhood education. Significant correlations between behavioural regulation and early receptive and expressive language and mathematics skills were also demonstrated. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

随着中国经济的发展，国家地位不断崛起，“汉语热”也在世界各地逐渐兴起，对外汉语教学开始成为语言教育中一个新的关注点。无论是内地还是香港，大量的国际学校开始开设中文课，家长们都希望自己的孩子可以从小就学习中文。由于学生母语并非中文，背景也参差不同，因此，使用什么方式，既可以提高学生学习的兴趣，也可以帮助学生学习汉语成为了教师关注的焦点。 本文将通过实际的汉语教学实践，介绍音乐教学法在小学对外汉语教学中的应用，并详细解释音乐教学法的使用方式，旨在把音乐作为一种载体，用更加朗朗上口的方式教学中文，以求达到更好的教学效果。 本文共分为五个章节。 第一章为引言，介绍当前对外汉语教学的大背景，提出问题。 第二章为文献综述，搜集音乐教学法的理论基础，并且联系音乐与汉语间的密切关系。 第三章将介绍音乐在教学中的应用，包括音乐的优点、教学功能和其他功能。 第四章将详细分析笔者在香港九龙小学做的一系列音乐教学实验。 第五章为总结，阐述音乐教学法的优势和认知上的误区，以及文章在写作上的限制和对音乐教学法的展望。 With the economic development, China’s position continues to rise. "Chinese fever" is also gradually on the rise around the world, teaching Chinese as a second language (TCSL) in language education became a new focus. Both the mainland and Hong Kong, a large number of international schools begin to offer Chinese language classes. Parents hope their children to learn Chinese from an early age. As the student's native language is not Chinese and the background also varies, thus, using which method, not only can enhance students' interest in learning but also can help students to learn Chinese, has become a spotlight in teaching. This article will introduce using music pedagogy in primary school TCSL class and explain in detail through the teaching practice. The purpose is that using the music as a carrier, with more catchy way to teach Chinese in order to achieve better teaching results. This paper is composed of the following five chapters. The first chapter introduces the current foreign language teaching background and asks questions. The second chapter is literature review, collecting theoretical basis of music teaching, contacts the close relationship between Chinese and music. The third chapter describes the application of music in teaching, including the advantages of music, teaching and other features. The fourth chapter will analyze a series of music teaching experiment in detail of author in Hong Kong Kowloon primary school. The fifth chapter is Summary. It describes the advantages and knowledge errors of music pedagogy, limitations on article writing and the prospect of music pedagogy. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

This study examined the design and process of how students’ reflective assessment promoted collaborative metacognition for conceptual and epistemic changes, mediated by Knowledge Forum, a computer-supported knowledge building environment. Premised on the theories of knowledge building, conceptual change and epistemic beliefs, the study aimed to (1) design and evaluate the effects of collaborative knowledge building environment augmented with reflective, transformative assessment on conceptual change and epistemic beliefs change; (2) characterize the socio-cognitive dynamics of knowledge building on conceptual and epistemic changes; and (3) explore the interplay among knowledge building, conceptual change and epistemic beliefs about science. Two empirical studies were conducted with different cohorts of Grade 10 Chinese students from a regular high school in Hong Kong. Both studies employed quasi-experimental pre-posttest design. The participants of Study One consisted of 79 girls from two chemistry classes, one was instructed with knowledge building inquiry and the other with teacher-centred instruction. Study Two included 80 girls from two chemistry classes, one was instructed with knowledge building inquiry and the other with ‘scaffolded’ knowledge building inquiry emphasizing more on knowledge creation and scaffolds uses in the reflection assessment. The knowledge building environment was designed in ways that aligned with the principles of knowledge building and conceptual change. It included four phases − developing collaborative classroom culture, problem-centred knowledge building inquiry, deepening knowledge building discourse and assessment for knowledge building. The design of reflective assignments allowed students to reflect and assess their own prior beliefs, conceptions, and trajectories of growth toward scientific understanding. Quantitative and qualitative data were drawn from conceptual written tests, Science Learning Questionnaire as a measure of epistemic beliefs, and Analytic Toolkit indices, reflections and written discourse in the Knowledge Forum database. Study One demonstrated the positive instructional effects of knowledge building inquiry in promoting conceptual and epistemic beliefs changes over the teacher-centred instruction. Results showed that knowledge building reflection and inquiry contributed to conceptual understanding over and above prior knowledge. Path model suggested that prior epistemic beliefs exerted a significant indirect effect on conceptual understanding mediated by knowledge building reflection, inquiry and forum participation. Study Two further examined the role of knowledge building reflection on conceptual and epistemic changes. Results indicated stronger effects for the ‘scaffolded’ knowledge building class compared to the control class. Qualitative analyses showed how students’ reflective assessment and collaboration helped them to develop metaconceptual and epistemic awareness for conceptual change. Path analysis revealed that students’ engagement on Knowledge Forum predicted collaborative reflection that in turn exerted effects on their conceptual and epistemic beliefs changes. Inquiry thread analysis on theme-based discursive discourse and students’ epistemic reflections in interviews further provided evidence on the development of metaconceptual and epistemic awareness in the collaborative knowledge building inquiry. The study contributes to the literature on how knowledge building dynamics interact with the intentional conceptual change, demonstrating the role of socio-cognitive, metacognitive and epistemic dynamics of knowledge building on conceptual and epistemic beliefs changes. Pedagogical implications of knowledge building for developing epistemic beliefs and metaconceptual awareness for conceptual change are discussed. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Research on participant perceptions of one-to-one mentoring and peer tutoring programmes is available although little empirical study exists of schemes which recruit English-speaking foreign exchange students as language ‘mentors’ for tertiary learners wanting to improve their spoken English. This paper examines mentor and mentee perceptions before and after experiencing an English Language Mentoring Scheme at a university in Hong Kong, as well as possible causes of mentee attrition and retention. Research aims are met through implementation of pre- and post-programme questionnaires as well as post-programme focus group discussions. Using a grounded theory approach to data analysis, three main categories of perceptions emerge, including: Improvement of English; Social, Cultural and Interpersonal Growth; and Mentee and Mentor Responsibilities. Programme strengths as reported by mentees include improvement of spoken English, friendship, enhanced cultural knowledge and strengthened confidence in using spoken English. Uncertainty regarding mentor and mentee roles was found to be a programme weakness and one possible cause of mentee attrition. As the programme is perceived as a platform for spoken English improvement, friendship and improved cultural awareness, this dissertation argues for stronger promotion of this and similar programmes to meet stated university goals of internationalization and whole-person development. / published_or_final_version / Applied English Studies / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

　　This study explored a group of mainland Chinese research postgraduate students’ attitudes to using English in their current academic and daily lives in Hong Kong. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected. An interview survey with seven participants was carried out to seek in-depth information about participants’ perceptions of using English in Hong Kong. Based on the major themes found in the preliminary analysis of the interview survey, an online questionnaire survey was designed and sent out to investigate a much larger group of mainland research students' English language use experiences in Hong Kong. 　　The results revealed that this group of students generally had positive attitudes to using English in their academic lives in Hong Kong while had relatively negative attitudes to their experiences of daily English language use. Their perceptions of the English of different groups of people in Hong Kong were varied although they all opined that English was an important language in the educational, commercial and other formal settings in Hong Kong. The pedagogical implications for mainland research students, their academic supervisors and university language policy makers are discussed and future research directions are suggested. / published_or_final_version / Applied English Studies / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

The notion of literacy in the 21st century has changed with the emergence of advanced technologies. We can no longer treat written language as the sole resource in contemporary literacy. The advancement of technology has led to some fundamental changes in the ways we receive and produce texts. Theories of literacy that underpin the concept of writing need to be reconsidered both explicitly and implicitly. This paper reports on four case studies of primary school children in Hong Kong, focusing on their emerging digital competencies when engaging with digital text. The study investigates how the participating children engaged with digital text in the context of their out-of-school technology use. Each was observed to have developed a set of digital competencies in their receptive and productive engagements to deal with information on screens. Understanding how these competencies extended into their English language classrooms was explicated based on the data that emerged from the study. The study results identify five emerging competencies acquired by the children from their extra-school digital practices. Two of these were not extended into the children’s schoolwork – a reflection on the emphasis on mono-modal language learning in the class setting. At the heart of this research are two research questions: (1) What digital literacy practices emerge from the participating children’s out-of-school technology use? (2) How have these practices been extended to school activities? These research questions guided the methodological choice of the current study. The research was conducted with a view to understanding the understudied phenomena in their naturalistic settings. Different data collection methods were applied to uncover the emerging skills in the participants’ receptive and productive engagement with digital text inductively and iteratively. The skills utilize but are additional to listening, speaking, reading and writing, and involve frequent use of visuals, dynamic information and interaction through digital text. Such skills are categorized in the literature as viewing and representing. A detailed examination of the each of the five competencies led to the development of a framework of viewing and representing skills used by the participants during their receptive and productive engagement with information. These skills apply the five competencies in two different processes. The framework serves as a basis for recommendations for curriculum review, suitable pedagogical strategies and classroom learning resources that English language educators may utilize to facilitate development of students’ viewing and representing skills through the use of the five competencies. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Education

本研究目的在於應用促進學習的評估理念，設計一套以評估提升香港中學二年級學生基本和高層次閱讀能力的實驗教學課程，以了解利用評估提升學生閱讀能力的成效。研究利用前測及後測考卷，對比學生在接受實驗教學前後的閱讀能力水平，結果發現利用評估有助提升學生的閱讀能力，特別是「理解篇章深層意義」和「建構個人新知識及看法」的能力。而利用評估提升學習成效，又以低程度閱讀能力的學生得益最大，對於「理解基本／表層文意」、「理解篇章深層意義」和「建構個人新知識及看法」三個能力層次均有顯著提升。研究結果顯示利用評估有助提升學生的閱讀能力，但亦須注意評估與教學內容的配合，特別是結合篇章理解策略教學，才可進一步發揮遷移及持久作用，達到促進學習的效果。 This study investigated the effectiveness of using reading assessment to enhance the Grade 8 students’ basic and higher-order reading ability. A group of 39 grade 8 students were assigned to learn an experimental reading instruction programme which is based on the theories of assessment for learning. Comparing the results of pre-test and post-test, students’ reading ability is found to be improved. The results indicated that students demonstrated significant gains from pre-test to post-test. Moreover, low achievers benefited most from the reading instruction programme. Their three levels of reading ability, including “understanding of basic / surface meaning”, “understanding of implicit meaning” and “construction of personal new knowledge and views”, were found to be improved. This study suggests using assessment for learning can enhance students’ reading ability. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

The main objective of this study was to investigate patterns of language use in a bilingual dual-taught classroom, and the impact of bilingual dual teaching on language development and language choice in young children (ages 7-8). The study was conducted in an immersion English/Putonghua classroom at an international primary school that adopts the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program. English and Putonghua are the mediums of instruction although most students in the school come from Cantonese speaking Hong Kong-native families. The school is unique in this way because most students are learning two second languages simultaneously, in a classroom where there are two language (English and Putonghua) teachers, and both languages can be used at the same time. The study takes a qualitative approach with methods of data collection including a filmed observation of a bilingual lesson, a discourse analysis of the lesson transcription, and semi-structured post-lesson interviews with four members of the class. Results from the study found that English emerged as the dominating language. Transcript analysis also revealed that code-mixing and code-switching emerged as consistent patterns with purposeful functions. Furthermore, it was found that students tended to respond to speakers in the language that was used to initiate the talk, and that even during bilingual lessons, students tended to speak in English when nominated by their English teacher, and in Putonghua when nominated by their Chinese teacher. All students agreed that their language proficiency in English had improved due to more practice at school and regular use in the home. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

This study aimed at finding out junior secondary student’s attitude towards school science in a co-educational school in Hong Kong. Eleven items from the survey instrument Attitude towards School Science (AtSS) were used to collect both descriptive and explanatory data on student’s attitude towards school science. The sample consisted of 393 Form 1 to Form 3 students. Their positive AtSS were found to decline with grade level (i.e. declining from Form 1 to Form 3). The decrease in positive attitude was sharpest between Form 2 and Form 3. A remarkable decrease in positive attitude towards their science teachers was also noticed between Form 2 and Form 3 mainly due to the decrease in variety of activities during the lessons. In general, female students were less positive to school science but they were trying harder than the male students because they wanted to do well even though they were not as interested as male students in the subject. In terms of interest, female students were more favorably inclined towards biological science and male students towards physical sciences. Based on the findings, it is suggested that the curriculum and time allocation for junior secondary science, especially for Form 3, should be revised so as to help cultivate student’s interest in science. Also, peer observations can be arranged more frequently to let teachers learn from each other. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

Over the years, many studies have been shown that storytelling plays a significant role in vocabulary acquisition (Speaker, Taylor, & Kamen, 2004). My research focused on vocabulary development in native and bilingual English speaking kindergartners through storytelling. Findings from this study of storytelling that revealed a positive relationship between the number of occurrences to words in the story and the vocabulary development as well as the positive relationship between the numbers of exposures to the storybooks and the vocabulary development are presented. Findings also confirmed that older kindergartners acquired more new vocabulary compared with the younger group kindergartners. The kindergartners who were all non readers listened to stories over a two week period by a professional storyteller. The kindergartners listened to the first story only once in the first week and completed a multiple-choice vocabulary posttest immediately thereafter. This test included 5 unfamiliar words from the story. The second storybook was read twice in the following week, two days apart and a multiple-choice vocabulary posttest with a different set of 5 unfamiliar words was presented after the second time the story was read. Three weeks after this, a delayed posttest with the 10 words were administered. There were 10 target words throughout the 2 stories. Only one target word appeared in both stories, once in Story 1 and twice in Story 2. Likewise, 4 target words appeared once in Story 1 and the other set of 4 target words appeared once in Story 2. There was 1 target word (not heard word) which had not read to the kindergartners in each of the story. As expected, the scores on the second multiple-choice vocabulary posttest was higher than the first multiple-choice vocabulary posttest because children vocabulary acquisition increased with the numbers of the exposures to story and the number of occurrences to words in the story. Nevertheless, storytelling would have no benefits on children’s vocabulary acquisition if words were not being delivered or told to the children, whereas the number of occurrences of the story read increased. Findings in the present study proved that reading the same story at least twice and more exposures to words contributed the positive influence to kindergartners’ vocabulary growth. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education