Gaining an insider perspective on learning physics in Hong Kong

Paper Session 5: Knowledge-building communities across contexts and disciplinesThis study provides an exploration of physics teaching and learning in a classroom in Hong Kong. The goal of the study was to understand how to develop Bereiter and Scardamalia’s knowledge building approach for Asian contexts in away that is sensitive to Asian values. The paper reviews some aspects of learning physics in Asia from a Confucian-heritage perspective, and then reports a case study of physics learning with Knowledge Forum. Participants were 82 Form 4 (Grade 10) students taking two successive versions of a physics course. Data collected included classroom observations, measurement of physics learning, reflection, epistemic beliefs, attitudes toward science, and use of Knowledge Forum. The findings open up a number of questions for further research.postprintThe 9th International Conference of The Learning Sciences (ICLS 2010), Chicago, IL., 29 June-2 July 2010. In Proceedings of the 9th International Conference of The Learning Sciences, 2010, v. 1, p. 881-88

Forum : Welcome to the Machine: Thoughts on Writing for Scholarly Publication

The expression ‘publish or perish’ has probably never been as cruelly applicable as it is today. Universities in many countries now require their staff to publish in major, high-impact, peer-reviewed Anglophone journals as a pre-requisite for tenure, promotion and career advancement, making participation in this global web of scholarship an obligation for academics all over the world. Junior scholars therefore suddenly find themselves having to navigate the unfamiliar and dangerous waters of the international publication process. But while this all looks rather daunting, it serves important learning purposes for novice authors and with some planning and care, the process need not be as traumatic as it first seems. In this short forum piece I want to support the editors of this new journal in encouraging aspiring scholarly writers in their efforts to share their research as broadly as possible, thus bringing work that would otherwise remain local to the attention of international audiences

Welcome to the machine: thoughts on writing for scholarly publication.

The expression ‘publish or perish’ has probably never been as cruelly applicable as it is today. Universities in many countries now require their staff to publish in major, high-impact, peer-reviewed Anglophone journals as a pre-requisite for tenure, promotion and career advancement, making participation in this global web of scholarship an obligation for academics all over the world. Junior scholars therefore suddenly find themselves having to navigate the unfamiliar and dangerous waters of the international publication process. But while this all looks rather daunting, it serves important learning purposes for novice authors and with some planning and care, the process need not be as traumatic as it first seems. In this short forum piece I want to support the editors of this new journal in encouraging aspiring scholarly writers in their efforts to share their research as broadly as possible, thus bringing work that would otherwise remain local to the attention of international audiences

Academic publishing and the myth of linguistic injustice

Academic publication now dominates the lives of academics across the globe who must increasingly submit their research for publication in high profile English language journals to move up the career ladder. The dominance of English in academic publishing, however, has raised questions of communicative inequality and the possible 'linguistic injustice' against an author's mother tongue. Native English speakers are thought to have an advantage as they acquire the language naturalistically while second language users must invest more time, effort and money into formally learning it and may experience greater difficulties when writing in English. Attitude surveys reveal that English as an Additional Language authors often believe that editors and referees are prejudiced against them for any non-standard language. In this paper, I critically review the evidence for linguistic injustice through a survey of the literature and interviews with scholars working in Hong Kong. I argue that framing publication problems as a crude Native vs non-Native polarization not only draws on an outmoded respect for 'Native speaker' competence but serves to demoralizes EAL writers and marginalize the difficulties experienced by novice L1 English academics. The paper, then, is a call for a more inclusive and balanced view of academic publishing

An Exploratory Study of Hong Kong Chinese Students’ Conceptions and Experiences of Academics’ Care within a Higher Education Context

This research investigated Hong Kong Chinese undergraduate students’ conceptions and experiences of academics’ care and examined its pedagogical implications within a higher education context. Three purposes framed this study: 1) To explore the conceptions of academics’ care amongst Hong Kong Chinese undergraduate students; 2) To investigate Hong Kong Chinese undergraduate students’ perceived attributes of academics’ care and the perceived effects of academics’ care on learning and development in Hong Kong; and 3) To draw the implications of caring pedagogy for Hong Kong Chinese undergraduate students’ learning and academic development in Hong Kong. The empirical data were collected from final-year students in the naturalistic setting of a Hong Kong university. By applying a qualitative research design, purposive sampling was used to select students who had experienced academics’ care during their university study. Data sources included in-depth interviews, write-up accounts and researcher’s notes. Thematic analysis was used to identify the themes emerged from the informants’ narrative accounts of academics’ care. Data quality procedures, included triangulation, member checks and audit trail, were followed to ensure research rigour. Results indicated that academics’ care was conceptualized as a continuum of care, moving along the continuum from “Pedagogical Care” to “Holistic Care” and then to “Sustainable Care”. This continuum featured a deepening of mutuality, responsiveness and reciprocity. A dual overarching theme of “Safety Net” and “Sustainable Bonding” were identified in conceptualizing academics’ care in a university context. This thesis thus proposed a model of caring in higher education rested on three overlapping domains of the relational zone, attachment behaviour and the socio-cultural context. This thesis has contributed to an under-researched area of caring pedagogy in a university context. The significant role of academics’ care in students’ learning, development and well-being has been discerned as a key construct of the socio-culture of care within the Chinese context. Implications were thus offered for future research on caring pedagogy, and for policymakers, university administrators and teachers in further exploring the opportunities presented by integrating care into teaching practices

HONG KONG STUDENTS STUDYING ABROAD: THE IMPACT OF CURRICULUM, STRUCTURE AND ETHOS: A CASE STUDY OF A RESIDENTIAL BRITISH BOARDING SCHOOL

The purpose of this research is to explore the effect which curriculum, ethos, teaching and family support have on the way that Hong Kong students adapt and contribute to life in a British residential school. The recruitment of Hong Kong students into British boarding schools has increased dramatically over the last thirty years but as yet there has been little research in this area. This thesis employed a case study methodology to examine the experiences of Hong Kong students in the school in order to determine the factors which contributed to the success of otherwise of their stay. This research was conducted by using a qualitative, observation participant approach, collecting data over four prolonged visits to the school. Five key questions are addressed: in what ways do the classroom behaviours of Hong Kong students change as a result of their encounters in a British boarding school? Are Western teaching styles adapted to cater for students of different educational backgrounds? To what extent do the curriculum, structure and ethos of the school contribute to creating intercultural cohesion? To what extent does a cultural transfer take place? And what is the effect of the family on Hong Kong students in a British boarding school? The findings indicate that, although there are some initial difficulties for students in adjusting when they first arrive at the school, the institution is very successful in creating a harmonious intercultural community of respect where national identities are preserved. The study of this bounded community offers examples of how a learning environment which is not representative of a single culture may be created. The setting is significant as the boarding school is a closed environment in which student life is highly organised and therefore primary contact is with the culture of the school rather than that of the country

ENHANCING PRE-SERVICE TEACHER TRAINING: THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN ONLINE MODEL TO DEVELOP REFLECTIVE PRACTICE

Abstract. The thesis explored and analyzed an online virtual learning environment (VLE) as a vehicle for facilitating the reflective capabilities of third year pre-service ESOL teacher trainees during field experience block practice. This period was chosen for the study because it is an important time during which neophytes are encouraged, through reflection, to connect theory and practice by applying the learning from their Bachelor of Education tertiary programs to the dynamics of their classroom experiences. The VLE was selected because of the potential benefits of the asynchronous, collaborative discussion forums as a platform on which reflections could be posted and shared. Using action research methodology over eighteen months, three case studies were conducted and a model which could scaffold trainee online reflections constructed. This model entails trainees applying a well-known reflective practice development tool from Argyris and Schön (1978) to enable them to conduct their own small-scale action research projects based on their practicum experiences. It is also designed to facilitate critical thinking that examines events from different perspectives. Findings suggest that trainees could apply the initial single loop learning cycle to their work and report on the outcomes of this. They also suggest that neophyte reflections are improved through online collaboration and asynchronous communication. Thus, the online virtual learning environment can be an effective vehicle for facilitating reflective practice during practicum. However, more research in this field is required as despite these positive results, deeper levels of reflection attempting to apply the second or double loop learning cycle were found to be relatively rare, even when those interactions were co-constructed using tutor Socratic dialogue to guide participant thinking processes. The study concludes by arguing that there is a strong case for this kind of research as it provides trainee teachers with a virtual space to exploit the opportunities that arise during block practice for reflective practice capability development

Going global? International students, UK higher education and the pursuit of an international career

This thesis explores the extent to which international student mobility reinforces existing social inequalities by providing differentiated access to global higher education and, subsequently, a global labour market. Based on case studies of three universities in the UK, this research draws on interviews with 55 international students from outside of the European Union (non-EU) who were enrolled in or had recently completed postgraduate studies as well as three career staff to examine the following issues. Firstly, this thesis investigates the process by which international students make higher education choices. The study demonstrates the socially and spatially differentiated flow of international students across the case universities in the UK. Students’ experiences of choice-making are qualitatively different by access to the range of resources obtained from various spheres of their lives. This decision-making process is further complicated by their class, age, gender and race/ethnicity, as well as the intersections of these social divisions. In addition, this thesis examines the institutional contexts which generate a divergent field of possibilities and choices for international students after graduation. It identifies variations in the effects of attending three different UK universities, whilst highlighting the ways in which individual institutions shape students’ aspirations and transitions after graduation. It also finds that the institutional effects are mediated differently by students’ social characteristics, indicating the complexity of post-study aspirations and pathways through UK higher education. Lastly, this thesis analyses whether international higher education confers positional advantage in the global labour market by facilitating an international career. By looking at how an international career is understood and experienced by international students in the UK, this research empirically contests the dominant conception of an international career that centres on transnational mobility and illuminates the multiple ways of pursuing an international career which take on a circumventive or subversive potential