Celeste Y.M. Yuen

Strategies and policies for Hong Kong's higher education in Asian markets: Lessons from the United Kingdom, Australia, and Singapore

Purpose – The main purpose of the present paper is twofold: to examine and compare the current strategies and policies that are employed by the UK, Australia and Singapore and to recommend appropriate strategies and policies to higher education institutions and the Hong Kong government and elsewhere that are interested in expanding their efforts in recruiting the growing number of students from other countries who are planning to study overseas.Design/methodology/approach – The data for this project were obtained primarily from documents and in‐depth interviews. Documents include government reports, policy addresses, official statistics, etc. The in‐depth interviews were conducted in Hong Kong as well as in the four studied cities – Mumbai, New Delhi, Jakarta, and Kuala Lumpur. Interviewees included government officials, academics, higher education institutions’ representatives, consultant generals, and officials from policy bodies.Findings – It is clear from the findings of this present study that a set ...

Promoting Hong Kong's higher education to Asian markets: Market segmentations and strategies

Purpose – The main purpose of this study is threefold: to analyze the current conditions of higher education services offered in the three target markets; to conduct market segmentation analysis of these markets; and to recommend the most appropriate market entry strategies for Hong Kongs education service providers.Design/methodology/approach – The data for this project were obtained primarily by questionnaire survey and interviews. The research team collected 1,370 questionnaires and conducted a total of 121 individual and focus group interviews in the four studied cities – Mumbai, New Delhi, Jakarta, and Kuala Lumpur.Findings – The study found that there was a high unmet demand for higher education overseas and that the visibility of Hong Kongs higher education was relatively weak in these Asian markets. In order to capture the continued rise of students in Asia, higher education institutions and the Hong Kong government need to work together to analyze the potential markets critically and employ mar...

The intercultural sensitivity of student teachers in three cities

This study represents an initial attempt to determine and compare the levels of the intercultural sensitivity of three samples of student teachers in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore using the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). A total of 317 student teachers participated in the study. Across the three samples, the majority of participants tended to see the world from an ethnocentric perspective and tended to simplify or polarize cultural differences. They also had a tendency to emphasize commonality and universal norms, and showed difficulties in comprehending and accommodating complex cultural differences. Based on the results, the study offers recommendations for the development of a suitable intercultural training programme to achieve greater intercultural sensitivity for future teachers in each of the three cities.

Gender differences in life satisfaction and spiritual health among the junior immigrant and local Hong Kong secondary students

This article examines differences in life satisfaction and spiritual health (SH) between male and female and between immigrant and local Chinese junior secondary students in Hong Kong. Both the Multi-Dimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS) and Spiritual Health and Life Orientation Measure (SHALOM) were employed. The sample comprised 6917 junior secondary students, aged 12–15. Results indicate that gender differences exist in specific domain scores of MSLSS and SHALOM. Overall, girls reported higher levels of life satisfaction and SH than boys. Segmented and differentiated interaction effects were identified. Greater interaction effects with regard to religious affiliation were noted among SA students compared to Hong Kong Chinese and CIS. Religious Chinese immigrant boys scored higher on their personal–communal combined life satisfaction but lower on their transcendental well-being compared to their Hong Kong counterparts. Significant parental education and family income moderation effects were only observed on the SH of local Chinese girls.

Religious belief and its association with life satisfaction of adolescents in Hong Kong

Abstract The present study seeks to understand the association of adolescents’ religious belief with life satisfaction in Hong Kong. Data of 5,812 adolescents’ key demographic information and life satisfaction were gathered through stratified sampling in order to reflect four distinctive adolescent groups in Hong Kong: Hong Kong Mainstream Chinese Students (HKMCS), Non-Chinese Speaking South and south-east Asian Students (NCS), Chinese Immigrant Students (CIS) and Cross-Boundary Students (CBS) from Mainland China. The Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS) was used to explore life satisfaction of the four student groups. Results indicate that there were significantly different levels of life satisfaction across the four groups. Key demographic variables were significantly but dissimilarly associated with different groups of students’ life satisfaction. Religious belief was substantially important for the life satisfaction of NCS in particular. Implications for research, policy and practice are discussed.

Towards Inclusion of Cross-Boundary Students from Mainland China in Educational Policies and Practices in Hong Kong.

Every society has an obligation to provide quality education to children regardless of their socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. The number of cross-boundary students (CBS) from Mainland China in Hong Kong schools is increasing. This article reviews educational policy and provision for educating CBS, presenting data from an empirical study. Data from three school-based case studies (pre-primary, primary and secondary) reveal an absence of systematic school-based policy or provision for newcomers. This article draws on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to review educational practices with regard to CBS populations. Despite the rapid growth in numbers of CBS, the case studies suggest that Hong Kong regional government’s policies fail to meet students’ transitional needs or guarantee their rights. There remains a serious policy gap that is left to schools and teachers to address as best they can. The article concludes by discussing implications for policy making and teacher professional development.

Enhancing early childhood schooling of South Asian children in Hong Kong: beliefs and perceptions of kindergarten teachers and principals

Enhancing quality early childhood education and enabling access for ethnic minority South Asian (SA) children in kindergartens have increasingly been a social concern in Hong Kong. This empirical study examines the beliefs and perceptions of kindergarten teachers and principals towards educating SA children in their own educational settings. The research focus was sharpened by a case-study method to examine the effectiveness of SA children from two different kindergartens with significant demographic differences. In total, 10 focus group interviews with 29 teachers and individual interviews with the 2 principals were conducted to understand their perspectives on the learning and transitional needs of SA children. The findings reveal a remarkable difference between the beliefs and perceptions of both teachers and principals from the two kindergartens in response to the diverse needs of SA children. School policy, practice and the implications for the development of early years education are discussed.

A SWOT Analysis of Exporting Hong Kong’s Higher Education to Asian Markets

With the rapid economic growth and development of the Asian economies in recent decades, there has been a continued rise of students in Asian countries studying outside their home country. The importance of the Asian market has been acknowledged by countries keen on exporting educational services. Hong Kong is aspiring to be an education hub. If this is to be achieved, strategic analysis in relation to how the territory can export its education service to the Asian region is much needed. This study attempts to highlight the major strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of Hong Kong’s higher education in relation to its potential of being a regional education hub in Asia. It follows the study visits which the researchers conducted in such Asian countries as India, Malaysia, and Indonesia, which are important sources of international students in the region. To ensure that the latest trend of development can be accurately reflected, further literature review and documentary studies subsequent to the visits were conducted. The paper concludes by examining the implications for the Hong Kong government and the higher education sector when they seek to capture these increasingly growing Asian markets.

Effective Strategies and Policies for Exporting Hong Kong’s Higher Education to Asian Markets: Lessons from Other Countries

The main purpose of the present study was to explore effective strategies and policies for exporting Hong Kong’s higher education to Asian markets. It examined and compared the current strategies and policies that are currently employed by Australia, the United Kingdom, and Singapore. The data for this project was obtained primarily from documents and in-depth interviews. Documents included the latest government reports, policy addresses, and official statistics. The in-depth interviews were conducted in Hong Kong as well as in the four studied cities—Mumbai, New Delhi, Jakarta, and Kuala Lumpur. Interviewees included government officials, academics, higher education institutions’ representatives, consulate generals, and officials from policy bodies. It is clear from the findings of this present study that a set of favorable policies and strategies at the national level was behind the success of these competitors. Such policies are not confined to educational policies but extend to population and employment policies.