Abstract

The development of gifted programs in Hong Kong reflects the changing notion of giftedness from a unitary to a multidimensional conceptualization. Based on the assumption that the majority of students have some talent areas that can be developed through the "gifted and talented" approach, the University-School Tripartite Model of Talent Development initiated at the Chinese University of Hong Kong has interrelated university-based, school-based, and university-school interface components that call for close collaboration between university and school.The Model serves as an invitation to research and development in all component areas. It also highlights the importance of translating exemplary university-based programs and practices into school-based activities for the gifted and for those who are less able such that enhanced quality education can be achieved for all students in Hong Kong.

Keywords: gifted education; talent development; quality education

Abstract

Findings from traditional studies in student learning indicate that a student's perception of the learning environment, learning approach, and learning outcomes are interrelated. This case study suggests further that the prior learning experience of the student could lead to variation in the perception variable. A student with surface learning experience would only focus on the surface element of the course and adopted a surface approach to study. By using two interview tasks, this study also suggests that a student who adopts a surface approach to learning, depending on the level of the task, could also attain a deep level of understanding. In this case study, the student generated a canonical conceptualization of meiosis but failed to apply that concept to a complicated task. All these two findings have significance to educational researchers and practitioners in course design.

Keywords: prior knowledge; learning process; learning outcome

Abstract

622 entering freshmen from The University of Hong Kong responded to the Thinking Styles Inventory, based on Sternberg's theory of mental self-government. Data also included the participants' university entrance-examination test scores as well as their self-rated analytical, creative, and practical ability levels. Multiple-regression analysis procedures showed that (1) thinking styles served as predictors of academic achievement over and above abilities; (2) male students' academic achievement was positively related to analytical thinking, whereas female students' academic achievement was negatively related to either analytical or creative thinking; and (3) in general, the higher the participants rated themselves on the creative scale, the poorer their academic achievement was. Implications of these results are discussed.

Keywords: thinking styles; abilities; academic achievement

Abstract

Recent research has demonstrated that the paired associates of L1 word–L2 word, impair learning. It was found that the L1 word interfered with the learning of the target word which was juxtaposed. However, reversing the order to L2 word–L1 word reduced the adverse effect. Moreover, presenting the L2 word alone first and delaying the L1 equivalent as informative feedback improved recall performance. Although direct translation is one common method to acquire lexical meanings, another usual practice in decoding is the dictionary definition. This project dealt with the use of target language definitions in comparison with native language translations in short-term recall of English word meaning. A within-subjects experiment was completed with Secondary One Chinese migrant children in Hong Kong. In the study, the Chinese translation or English definition was either paired with the target word or used as informative feedback. The four experimental conditions were: (I) Simultaneous Word-translation, (II) Simultaneous Word-dictionary definition, (III) Word (5 seconds interval) → translation as feedback, and (IV) Word (5 seconds interval) → dictionary definition as feedback. Three orthogonal comparisons were carried out on mean proportions of correct responses. Results revealed that the feedback conditions were superior to the simultaneous conditions; the translation conditions were more favourable than the definition conditions; but no interaction was detected.

Keywords: vocabulary learning; learning lexical meaning; second language teaching

Abstract

The work of Ernest Boyer and The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has highlighted the often confounded roles and expectations of faculty towards their work in the university setting. This paper will examine faculty and administrative perceptions of faculty work at four institutions in Singapore and the People's Republic of China, that specialise in physical education. The majority of faculty participants' interests leaned toward teaching, yet administrators in China felt that research was more important for faculty promotion and institutional recognition. The Singapore administration did, however, see teaching as more important than research. The collective faculty saw research as important to their careers but felt there needs to be better ways, other than publication records, to assess faculty performance. They believe that teaching effectiveness should be at the forefront of this process.

Keywords: scholarship; faculty; physical education

Abstract

In this paper methods frequently used in economic theory are applied to the analysis of the optimal distribution of the time available for teacher education between teaching/learning "content", i.e., what to teach and "method", i.e., how to teach. The results obtained do not provide a simple formula to specify that distribution. However, they provide a framework for the analysis of the problem that is likely to be useful for the administrators of institutions educating teachers, and, also, it indicates the types of statistical information that is likely to be most useful.

Keywords: mathematical modeling; educational theory; educational policy

摘要

學習範文有兩種方法，一為「學生自習」，一為「教師講解」。本研究根據教師所撰寫教案之教學重點，編寫測驗題目，藉此測試學生能否透過自習而掌握課文的內容和寫作技巧。本研究以兩所中學之中四學生為研究對象，一為「學生自習組」，一為「教師講解組」。實驗後，利用two-way ANCOVA分析前測及後測之分數。結果顯示，兩組學生在課文測驗中的閱讀理解總成績並無顯著的差異。而在低層次的內容理解與一般修辭技巧的掌握方面，學生基本上可透過自習方式而習得有關知識。由此可見，教師並不需要在課堂上花費時間詳細教授這方面的知識。

Abstract

In the present study, the effects of two modes of instruction — "Self-Learning" (SL) and "Teacher Instruction" (TI) — in teaching Chinese texts was investigated. Secondary 4 students were assigned into 2 groups — SL Group and TI Group. Students in both groups were pre-tested on reading comprehension, and then they were to learn a specific Chinese text using their respective instructional modes (SL and TI). Afterwards they completed another reading comprehension test on that same text. Two-way ANCOVA with pre-test as covariate was used to test for differences between the post-test reading comprehension scores of the 2 groups. Results indicated that there was no significant difference between the overall reading comprehension scores of the 2 groups of students. Specifically, students can learn "general rhetoric" and "low-level textual comprehension" equally well with or without teacher instruction, suggesting that teachers do not need to spend class time to teach such knowledge in detail.