Atara Sivan

Peer Assessment of an Individual ‘s Contribution to a Group Project

Abstract In an optometry subject which utilised group projects, students complained that awarding the same mark to all group members was often not a fair reflection of individual effort. Accordingly, an examination was made of procedures for assessing the contribution of an individual to a group project. A classification system for such schemes is given. One subject in the optometry course used a system which modified the group mark by a two‐part weighting factor. A detailed evaluation and critique of this scheme is given. A simpler scheme with a one‐part multiplicative weighting factor was derived from the best elements of the initial scheme. The simplified scheme is described and examples of the calculations given. Its use in another subject in the same course is described and evaluation data presented.

Leisure education: definition, aims, advocacy, and practices – are we talking about the same thing(s)?

Abstract This paper centres on leisure education. It looks at the way leisure education has been defined, advocated, and implemented. While examining the “What”, “Why” and “How” questions of leisure education that have been mostly raised in the West, it brings to light additional perspectives from Asia. The paper points to the possible fluidity of the term “leisure education”, the sometimes all-encompassing nature of its definition, and the gap between its advocacy and implementation. It further draws attention to recent trends in Asia that could potentially facilitate a successful adoption of leisure education. Calls are made for further investigation of perceptions of leisure education and its practices internationally.

Helping Hong Kong business students to appreciate how they learn

Hong Kong students enrolling in the tertiary sector exhibit tendencies to passivity and non-participation. There is also some evidence that, in common with other countries, the tertiary educational environment in Hong Kong may encourage the adoption of inappropriate approaches to learning. A programme was developed within the first year of a business studies degree with the purpose of enhancing students’ approach to learning. This was attempted by making them aware of different approaches, giving them the analytical tools to examine their own conceptions of and approaches to learning and by involving them in different forms of learning experience. Most students conceived ofieaming as a quantitative increase in knowledge. They exhibited similar patterns in respect of SPQ scores to other Hong Kong students, scoring slightly higher than their Australian peers with respect to “deep” and “achieving” approaches and slightly lower on the “surface” approach. Evaluation of the programme was based on a range of sources including unprompted views using the “slip” technique, course evaluation questionnaires and a second administration of the SPQ at the beginning of the students’ second year. The evaluation shows that student reaction to the programme was mixed, though with an overall balance in favour. The SPQ results showed.that although the mean scores for the “surface” approach rose and those for the “deep” and the “achieving” approach fell, they did so to a much lesser extent than on similar programmes.

Leisure Education in Educational Settings : From Instruction to Inspiration

Abstract Leisure education is a significant process for enhancing people’s quality of life. Underpinned by the perceived contrasting and yet complementing relationships between leisure and education, leisure education is advocated to be undertaken in educational settings. Rapid developments of trends in leisure patterns and perceptions together with a growing demand for schools to develop lifelong and life-wide learning and to facilitate learning for enjoyment have brought with them the need to further develop this process. Despite the growing advocacy for leisure education in schools, it has not been broadly implemented. The present paper examines the process of leisure education in schools, highlights the challenges associated with it and provides responses and implications for future directions. These relate to internal issues of curriculum planning and organization, teacher preparation and pedagogy and external issues of global changes and the impact of different socialization agents on children and adolescents’ leisure and development. t

Leisure participation of Hong Kong elderly: policy and practice.

Abstract The paper examines the leisure participation of Hong Kong elderly. Based on data gathered through a recent study and secondary data from territory-wide surveys, the paper depicts the type, frequency rate and companionship in leisure activities. It further reviews the Hong Kong governments policy for the elderly. Results indicate that while the government encourages the elderly to maintain their active lifestyle, they participate in different types of leisure activity and especially in physical and sports activities. Their participation rate is similar to those at their adulthood years and even higher in certain activities. Results are discussed in light of three theories of experience in later life suggesting the application of the activity and continuity theories. Implications are drawn for future longitudinal research on leisure of adults and elderly and for further implementation of leisure education so as to enhance the quality of life of older people in Hong Kong.

Determinants of Participation Disposition in Leisure Among Hong Kong School Students

Abstract The present paper investigates the contribution of several key variables to the inclination of adolescents to participate in leisure in the future, a variable which is coined here as participation disposition or (PD). This variable is distinguished from the commonly used variable leisure participation which is based on participation frequencies in past activities. By subjecting data collected from 7570 students attending primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong to analyses with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), the relative strengths of Leisure Satisfaction, Leisure Attitude, Leisure Participation and Perceived Well-being in predicting participation disposition (PD) was established. In addition, results of the study indicate the relative contributions of Leisure Satisfaction, Leisure Attitude and Leisure Participation to Perceived Well-being of adolescents. The study suggests a holistic model which indicates the potential contribution of participation disposition to other variables related to leisure and well-being of people. Recommendations are made to investigate this model on a longitudinal basis.

Making departmental changes through action research, based on adult learning principles

Action research was used as a means of introducing adult learning principles into the teaching of an optometry department. The department took as an overall development theme the move from teacher-directed to leamer-directed activities. Pilot studies were used as a mechanism for trialling particular innovations. Lessons learnt from the pilot studies are shared with the remainder of the department for incorporation into other subjects, thus evolving a mechanism for departmental change. The paper shows how change occurred by reporting briefly two pilot studies as examples. The first used group project teams to prepare class presentations for specified topics. Some novel presentation methods were used by the student teams. Peer assessment was introduced into this subject in the second cycle of the pilot study as a result of feedback from the first cycle. The second pilot study introduced active learning methods in place of lectures.

Motivation and Leisure Satisfaction of Mass Media Use among Hong Kong Adolescents

Abstract This paper examines the role of mass media use as leisure activity among Hong Kong adolescents. It specifically investigates the reasons for using different mass media and the leisure satisfaction derived from this use. Data collected through a questionnaire administered to students (n=7570) were subjected to descriptive and structural equation modeling analysis. Results indicate that adolescents use mass media for expressive, social, relaxation and intellectual reasons and different mass media serve different functions. Age and gender differences are found in relation to the reasons for using mass media and the leisure satisfaction derived from that use. The older the adolescents, the more they tend to use the various types of mass media for expressive, social and intellectual reasons. Females are found to derive more leisure satisfaction from participation in mass media activities than from other leisure activities. Females also derive mostly the educational type of leisure satisfaction and especially from engaging in reading. Overall, the study sheds light on the positive aspects of mass media use among adolescents and thus balances the recent trend of focusing on their adverse effects. It further calls attention to the roles of a wide range of mass media, and to age and gender differences in mass media use which deserve further examination.

Leisure education in schools: challenges, choices and consequences

ABSTRACT Despite the growing advocacy for implementing leisure education in schools, its application lags behind its global expectations. Unlike the US trend of “back to basics” educational philosophy which prioritizes the learning of core subjects over leisure related subjects, countries in Asia have been changing their curricula to nurture the whole person development and thus paving the way for infusing leisure education into school systems. One example is Hong Kong which has undergone a major education reform in the last two decades. Even though scholars have suggested numerous channels and strategies for leisure education in schools, a lucid framework which takes into account the views of those for which leisure education in planned was not developed. This study is to explore the underlying dimensions of leisure education as it is manifested by teachers’ and students’ views. A Seventeen-item questionnaire has been submitted to 105 teachers and 1187 students from seven schools geographically distributed around Hong Kong. Responses were analyzed through Smallest Space Analysis (SSA). The SSA solutions among both students and teachers have yield three-dimensional solution with coefficient of alienation .14. The solutions indicated a division to five dimensions: values and attitudes, self-development, motivation, ends and means and education among teachers and three combined dimensions among students: motivation and ends and means, self-motivation and education which includes active engagement, and values and attitudes. The identified dimensions resonate well with the suggested channels and strategies for leisure education in schools which incorporate various offerings, freedom of choice, trial and error and experiential learning. Whereas this similarity could facilitate the utilization of leisure education in schools, there is a need to consider the nature, strategy and context of such implementation. The paper addresses these challenges and draws implications for teacher training, parent education and continued advocacy for the right for leisure and its significance for whole person development.

Leisure education in schools from students' perspectives: the case of Hong Kong.

This paper examines the views of Hong Kong secondary school students regarding leisure education and its practices in their schools. Data were collected through questionnaires (N=401) and semi-structured interviews (N=35). Results of the study indicated gaps in students’ perceptions related to six areas of learning of leisure education in general and those applied in schools in particular, suggesting that what students experienced in school did not meet their expectations. Schools implemented leisure education through three strategies: “constraining,” “enabling and facilitating,” and “advocating and fostering,” and in various forms ranging from academic classroom teaching to out-of-class recreational activities. Students’ accounts illustrated how leisure education in their schools enhanced their knowledge, developed their skills, changed their attitudes, and consequently affected the way they went about their leisure. They regarded school leisure education practices as useful and expressed an interest in obtaining more guidelines while maintaining their freedom of choice among different activities. Findings of the study are discussed with reference to the different approaches to leisure education, the recommended ways for its implementation in schools and in the context of educational reform in Hong Kong.