摘要

本文發展了一個多層面多指標的架構以評估香港小學的教育質素。本架構較重學校過程特徵，而所選指標 有過往研究及先導性研究支持。基於這架構，本研究描繪了香港小學的教育質素，所得質素剖析圖結果，可用於內部發展、向外問責也可作教育發展決策之用。此外，又由於本架構基於東、西方文獻發展而來，希望可以對本地及國際的教育質素的政策討論、研究理念及實踐有所貢獻。
（本文為「香港小學教育質素研究計劃」報告之一。該項計劃曾獲大學理工撥款委員會贊助研究經費。作者謹此致謝。）

Abstract

In the light of the recent trend of education indicator development and the advances in school effectiveness research, this paper develops a framework including multi-levels and multi-indicators to assess education quality in Hong Kong primary schools. The framework is more concerned with process characteristics in schools and the selection of multi-indicators is supported by research evidence from the past studies and the pilot study. It assumes that education quality in school can be indicated by the overall performance of school members at the individual level, the group level, and the organizational level; the affective, cognitive, and behavioral components of performance; and the satisfaction, perception, and performance of the key school actors.

The framework was used to assess the education quality of a random sample of 90 Hong Kong schools involving 90 principals, 2,117 teachers, 280 classes, and 13,520 primary 6 students. The findings provide an useful profile of education quality in primary schools that can be used to plan school internal development, report accountability to the public, and making policy for enhancement of education quality. This framework can contribute to the growing public concern, policy discussion, research conceptualization, and practice on education quality and school development in both local and international contexts.

Abstract

An outline is given of the history and achievements of school effectiveness research, focusing mostly on British studies. Areas of continued disciplinary debate are discussed, together with the need for further investigation of the problems involved in obtaining high levels of take up of the research base from practitioner communities. Fruitful areas for future research are argued to be the sites of ineffective schools, countries which appear to be adding significantly to student achievement and the characteristics of organisations from the non-educational sector with appear to be related to high levels of reliability.

摘要

本文概述英國學校效能研究的發展和成就，並指出有待繼績探討的範圍以及如何幫助學校採納有關研究的成果。作者同時提出一些新的研究課題，包括低效能學校，精於提高學生學業成績的國家，以致可靠度高的非教育機構的特點。

Abstract

Many mathematics teachers share a common belief that a firm foundation of numerical manipulations must be instilled into students' minds first before they can appreciate the mathematical concepts and relationships involved. Thus teachers, particularly those teaching students of primary grades or of lower mathematics achievement, are under the strong temptation to teach algorithmic rules stripped of conceptual meaning. This paper presents a conceptual analysis to counteract this belief. By delineating the intricacy underlying students' learning of mathematical algorithms, it is shown that this taken-for-granted possibility of separating the two is highly problematic. It will be argued that to teach algorithmic manipulations and procedural rules devoid of substantial conceptual meaning is a self-defeating policy which could just lead to more problems and difficulties in fostering mathematical understanding in the long run. The issue of learning a mathematical algorithm is explored from two different approaches, namely, first from a psychological perspective by considering the cognitive process involved in executing or reproducing a procedure, and second from a philosophical perspective by considering the unique epistemological character of mathematical knowledge and its relation to the communication of meaning component related to the procedure to guide successful retrieval of procedural steps. On the other hand, based on the so-called epistemo-logical triangle of mathematical knowledge, it is demonstrated that conceptual/theoretical knowledge of mathematics can only be properly developed when the "concept" aspect can be appropriately related to "object" and "symbol" respectively in a teaching situation, thus keeping the necessary distinction between "object" and "symbol" in tension. Lastly, with reference to several different conceptualizations of mathematical understanding as a desirable goal of mathematics education, the above claims are further strengthened.

摘要

不少數學教師均認為學生必先有穩固的運算或處理數式的基礎才能進而掌握有關之數學概念及關係，因此他們傾向教授運算規則而不涉及概念理解；在小學或成績低下的班級中，尤其如此。針對這種想法，本文試圖以理論分析，說明學習數學公式或程序的複雜性與及將理解與學習運算分離所存有的問題，並指出這種抽離數學意意的教學方式，長期來說只會帶來更多學習問題和困難。本文從兩個不同進路展析，一方面從心理學角度考察進行或重覆運算程序時的智性過程及記憶容量的限制等；另一方面則從哲學角度，藉著「數學認知的三角關係」，說明數學知識的獨特性與及其意義溝通的關係。最後綜合幾種確認理解作為重要的數學教育目的的理論觀點，更加強以上的結論。

Abstract

A version of this article was presented at the Eighth Annual International Conference of the Educational Research Association of Singapore, in November, 1994. The cultural constructivist perspective presented was first developed for use with tertiary students and as reported in this article adapted for use with primary school pupils. The context of use included observations of a specialist primary school support teacher whose designation included the provision of support to underachieving and behavioral problem pupils. A cultural constructivist approach has been found to an extremely valuable tool for teachers concerned with developing management programs based upon the individual needs of children. The approach required the teacher to look beyond the resultant learning or behavior and examine, from the pupil's perspective, the contexts and causes from which pupil understandings and behavior have been developed. The approach further requires of the teachers to approach support with a constructivist learning ideology, features which include: the belief that socio-cultural contexts influence pupil understanding; that individual pupils are in control of their learning and behavior; and as such pupils must be supported in taking responsibility for any change. The elicitation of socio-cultural influenced, personal constructed views of language, teaching, learning and significant individuals within the individual's educative cultures, required techniques which facilitate not only the elicitation process but which maintain focus attention on the pupil at all times. Thus avoiding the teacher imposing their own interpretations or taking control away from the pupil. This article documents such a support process and cites the implications such support has for educators at all levels of instruction.

摘要

文化構造模式原先為專上學生而設；在本文中，作者將這模式應用在小學學生上。研究內容包括觀察小學的輔導教師，這些教師的職責是設計方法以輔助低學習能力及行為上有問題的學生。研究發現，在教師為兒童個別的需要而發展輔導計劃這一方面，文化構造模式會是一種極為有效的工具，文化構造模式除了要來求老師要注意學生最終的學習表現或行為外，還要求教師從學生角度，去探查學生在理解上及行為表現上的內容及成因。此外，這模式更要求老師要以建設性學習意向去尋求支援，這意向的內容包括以下的信念：一、社會－文化特質會影響學生理解能力；二、個別學生能自我控制學習及行為；三、因此，我們必須給予在轉變當中承擔責任的學生加以支持.。對於社會文化影響、個人構造觀點中的語言、教學、學習，與個人文化的重要人物的引發，要求一此促進引發過程的技街，同時也要求把注意集中在學生身上。這樣便可防止教師將自已的見解加諸在學生身上；或剝奪學生的自我控制權，本文驗證這種支援過程，更提出這種支援在教授工作上給予各階層教育工作的含義。

摘要

一直以來，學者、教育工作者和教育當局都認為將半日制小學改為全日制是提高教育效果的有效方法。教師是政策改革的泉源和動力，亦教育政策及課程的實施者，他們對全日制的期望和在全日制施行的過程初中所面對的現實情況，對改革推行的成功與否起著重要的影響。

本研究的目的為要了解學校在轉制時教師對全日制的期望和學校的實際情況，它們之間的差異和原因，藉以引起更多人在此方向有更多及更深入的探討。

本研究採用調查研究法（survey），傑中研究於1993年轉為全日制中有十六班或以上班級的學校。從每間學校選取一名教師進行半結構式訪問（semi-structured interview），每次訪問約二至三小時。研究者將訪問錄音，筆錄後交被訪者過目（correspondent validation），然後才進行分析。

這個研究令我們察覺到單單延長留校時間是不能達到全日制提高教育質素的目標的甚而帶來的問題。要好好發揮全日制的功能，必須深入了解全日制學校運作上與半日制不同的地方，規劃以如何實施，提供支援，如培養教師和校內行政人員等。

Abstract

Many academics, educators and the education authority see converting half-day schools to whole-day schools as an effective means of enhancing educational quality. Teachers are both initiators and implementors of educational changes. Their expectations and the problems teachers face when implementing the whole-day school policy have significant impact on the success of the policy.

This study aims at revealing the expectations of teachers and the reality in schools which have newly adopted the whole-day scheme. It is hoped that this study will reveal new grounds for more in-depth studies into this area.

This research was a survey of recently converted whole-day schools with 16 or more classes. One teacher from each of the sample schools was selected to attend a semi-structured interview which lasted for 2 to 3 hours. The interviews were tape-recorded. Respondents were invited to validate the transcripts before they were analysed.

It is found that extending the schooling hours alone did not help improve the quality of education. Indeed, some new problems were created when schools adopted the whole-day policy. If the potentials of whole-day schools are to be materialised, the implementation process must be better planned. We need to explore the differences between the operation of the half-day and whole-day schools. Support such as staff development programmes for teachers and school administrators should also be provided.

Abstract

Schools in the present school-based management movement are given a high degree of autonomy in funds utilization. The quality of related decision is therefore crucial to the effective functioning of schools. Responding to this, the present study aims to investigate the decision making process of funds utilization in primary schools. The sample of this case study is 5 aided primary schools, each with unique characteristics. Three different types of decision making process in funds utilization were identified. The first type is a very strict control decision making process without communication between the school heads and teachers. The second one is typified by a considerable degree of communication between the head and teachers prior to arriving at the final decisions. The last one is a loosely planned decision making process in which the head does not plan nor invites planning. All spendings are resulted from ad hoc requests of teachers. It is hoped that the findings of the study may provide insights for school administrators to reflect and choose their own decision making style in the present school-based management movement.

摘要

現行採用以學校為本管理模式的學校在經費運用方面是具有很高程度之自主權的。而有關決策模式對學校的有效運作便顯得格外重要。故此，本研究的目的是在於探討現時一些小學在運用經費方面的決策過程。

本研究選擇了五間津貼小學，每間小學各有截然不同的特點。其決策模式可歸納為三種。第一種模式是屬於嚴格控制方式。其特點是在決策過程中，校長與教師缺乏溝通。第二種模式特點是在最後決策前，校長與教師是有相當程度的溝通。而第三種模式是缺乏計劃的。在決策過程中，校長不但沒有計劃如何運用經費，也沒有向教師徵詢意見。所有經費是隨教師臨時的要求而支出。

本研究結果是希望對學校行政人員有所啟發，使他們在決策時能作出反思及選擇一種適合其學校的決策模式。

Abstract

This paper examines a selection of written English language material for primary school students in Hong Kong. The paper investigates the issue of word frequency, with regard to word frequency counts from the University of Birmingham's Bank of English corpus. An examination of primary reading material reveals a much larger count of 'unusual' words at the early primary level than might be expected. The author suggests that the focus for reading material — especially in the early primary years — might be more usefully targeted towards the commonest high frequency words.

摘要

本文探討部份本港小學英語科教材中的詞匯出現頻率。跟伯明翰大學英語資料庫比較，可以發現本港初小英語教材中已出現相當大比例的“異常”字詞。本文作者認為初中的英語閱讀教材應盡量採用最常用的詞匯。

摘要

本研究的目的是通過質化的方法去探究香港一間津貼小學的教師對學校工作的投入程度，並根據所得資料找出影響教師投入感的因素。Jennifer Nias（1989）發現很多教師把投入感等同於「參與」及「獻身」，其中又包括教師所付出的腦力和精力。目標學校的三十位教師都成為本研究的面談對象。整體的研究結果顯示目標學校的大部份教師對學校工作都表現出高度的投入。

Abstract

This qualitative study aims to find out the degree of teachers' commitment of a subsidized primary school and the factors affecting their commitment. Jennifer Nias (1989) found that a lot of teachers equate commitment with involvement and dedication, they would use commitment to describe a teacher's mental and physical effort. All the 30 teachers of the sample school were interviewed. The findings of the study indicated that most of the sample school's teachers had a high degree of commitment.