Esther Sui Chu Ho

Family Effects on Student Achievement in Hong Kong

We examine the effects of family structures and processes on student achievement in Hong Kong. Specifically, we show that the negative effects of single parenthood in past studies are not universal. In Hong Kong, 4,405 15-year-old students completed a questionnaire, and tests in reading, mathematics and science. We analysed the data using multilevel models of Rasch test scores and Warm estimated indices of questionnaire items. In all subjects, the scores of children living with single parents did not differ significantly from those of children living with two parents. Moreover, students living with no parents had lower reading and science scores than other students, and this effect was mediated by lower family investment and involvement.We examine the effects of family structures and processes on student achievement in Hong Kong. Specifically, we show that the negative effects of single parenthood in past studies are not universal. In Hong Kong, 4,405 15-year-old students completed a questionnaire, and tests in reading, mathematics and science. We analysed the data using multilevel models of Rasch test scores and Warm estimated indices of questionnaire items. In all subjects, the scores of children living with single parents did not differ significantly from those of children living with two parents. Moreover, students living with no parents had lower reading and science scores than other students, and this effect was mediated by lower family investment and involvement.

Educational decentralization in three Asian societies: Japan, Korea and Hong Kong

Purpose – This paper aims to identify and compare the nature of decentralization that has emerged in three important Asian societies after a decade of their involvement in the decentralization movement.Design/methodology/approach – Data from the first cycle of the program for international student assessment were analyzed to investigate educational decentralization in three Asian societies: Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea. Cluster analysis was used to reveal the nature and extent of decentralization of the schooling systems in the three societies.Findings – The results revealed four models of decentralization: highly centralized, school‐driven, teacher‐driven, and highly decentralized. Whilst the school‐driven model was dominant in Hong Kong, indicating that the school itself is largely responsible for making school‐related decisions, the centralized model was dominant in both Japan and Korea, indicating that authorities outside the school are largely responsible for making school‐related decisions.Research l...

Effective Classroom Pedagogy and Beyond for Promoting Scientific Literacy: Is There an East Asian Model?

East Asian countries/regions including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Japan, and Korea are often the strong performers in PISA’s assessment of scientific literacy. This study seeks to explore if there is a “pattern” that characterizes these East Asian countries/regions in terms of their scientific literacy performance, attitudes, and pedagogy. Based on the secondary analysis of the PISA 2006 data using HLM, we found some commonalities and differences between these top East Asian regions and the equally strong-performing Western countries. The East Asian students are relatively better in science contents, while the Western students are better in understanding the process and nature of science. East Asian students are lower in self-concept in face of science tasks, but they do enjoy science learning as their Western counterparts. East Asian science teaching tends to be more traditional: fewer hands-on activities, less interaction, and less emphasis on the application of science. Interactive teaching, however, seems not benefiting the East Asian students as it did for the Western students: the more interactive the lessons, the poorer the students performed within a region, particularly for the Japanese and Korean students. Common to the East Asian and Western regions are that student performance and enjoyment get enhanced when there is more application of science in class and more outside classroom science activities. But investigation is negative to both performance and attitudes for all countries/regions. These East Asian educational characteristics are further discussed in connection with the Confucian Heritage Culture.

Levelling Up and Sustaining Educational Achievement: The Case of Hong Kong

In search of levelling up from “good” to ‘great’ and ‘excellent’, the major challenge for Hong Kong is to have a balanced development of cognitive and non-cognitive abilities as well as hard and soft skills. The purpose of this chapter is fourfold: First, it is a comprehensive review of the social-cultural-political-economic context of HK education reform and the major accomplishments and challenges of its basic education system. Second is the empirical examination of the various forms of decentralized-centralized system advocated and implemented globally and locally in Hong Kong. Third is the analysis of the major actors and the main decision areas delegated to schools as well as the actual impacts of SBM on students’ outcomes in Hong Kong. Fourth is the examination of the centralization policy of quality assurance mechanism and accountability system under the SBM in Hong Kong. Finally, it is argued that SBM and multilevel assessments, as used tactically in strong performing countries, could be cost-effective tools for sustaining educational improvement.

Effects of Parental Involvement and Investment on Student Learning

This chapter assesses the effects of different forms of parental involvement and investment along with a set of individual and school factors on students’ self-concept and their academic achievement. We first present the general characteristics of student respondents and then examine profiles of parental involvement and investment found in the families of primary school students in Hong Kong. Then, eight HLM models are conducted to examine the effect of different types of parental involvement on eight aspects of students’ cognitive and affective learning outcomes.

The Use of Large-Scale Assessment (PISA): Insights for Policy and Practice in the Case of Hong Kong.

AbstractThis paper examines to what extent and how the data and results of PISA have been used for various education stakeholders and to what extent PISA affect educational policy and practices in Hong Kong. From the point of view of the government, PISA has played an important role in supporting and legitimising government educational reform since 2000. It has supported curricula frameworks and to some extent development and reform from the philosophical and educational viewpoints. However, the mass media and general public seldom went beyond ranking to look at other variables that might inform policy with the exception of some researchers and curriculum developers. Nonetheless, considerable effort has been expended by key researchers in Hong Kong in disseminating information about PISA prior to and after the administration of each assessment and in sharing the Hong Kong results, through such means as press conferences, seminars, international conferences, research and professional development. Experienc...Abstract This paper examines to what extent and how the data and results of PISA have been used for various education stakeholders and to what extent PISA affect educational policy and practices in Hong Kong. From the point of view of the government, PISA has played an important role in supporting and legitimising government educational reform since 2000. It has supported curricula frameworks and to some extent development and reform from the philosophical and educational viewpoints. However, the mass media and general public seldom went beyond ranking to look at other variables that might inform policy with the exception of some researchers and curriculum developers. Nonetheless, considerable effort has been expended by key researchers in Hong Kong in disseminating information about PISA prior to and after the administration of each assessment and in sharing the Hong Kong results, through such means as press conferences, seminars, international conferences, research and professional development. Experience from the case of Hong Kong suggested that, by keeping international assessment low stake but making good use of it to inform different stakeholders and initiating teacher professional development could be a cost-effective tool to drive educational reform. However, there is a tendency of overuse or abuse of international assessments by making international assessment high stakes, which might create unnecessary pressure for participating schools, teachers and students.

Elucidating the Complexity of Parental Involvement in Primary Schools: Three Ethnographic Case Studies

This chapter aims to describe the nature of parental involvement as enacted and experienced by the parents as well as induced and perceived by the principals and teachers in three primary schools. A grounded-theory approach is used to explore the different facets and manifestations of parental involvement so as to understand the underlying values and the implicit meanings different stakeholders ascribe to it (Glaser and Strauss 1967; Strauss and Corbin 1990). The practice of parental involvement in a school setting is a complex phenomenon. Given different styles of school leadership, established parent–teacher relationships and dispositions of different stakeholders, the forms of parental involvement evolved in different schools will differ. Certain forms of parental involvement tend to result from actions and interactions between and among groups of stakeholders in the education of children in contemporary society, including principals, teachers, parents and students. These actions and interactions take place in specific organizational, policy and community contexts. Table 2.1 identifies the respective contexts of the three primary schools taking part in the case studies. Table 1 Background characteristics of the three participating schools Characteristics School A School B School C School establishment year 1996 1988 1999 School size 30 classes 27 classes 30 classes School instruction time Whole-day Whole-day Whole-day School location A new town A new town A new town Students’ socio-economic backgrounda Middle-class Working-class Lower-middle class PTA/HSC team establishment year 1999 1996 2000 Level of parental participation as of 1999–2000 High Low Medium aA crude measure based on the occupation of students’ parents and the type of housing they live in

Construction and Validation of the Career and Educational Decision Self-Efficacy Inventory for Secondary Students (CEDSIS)

This study aims to construct and validate the Career and Educational Decision Self-Efficacy Inventory for Secondary Students (CEDSIS) by using a sample of 2,631 students in Hong Kong. Principal component analysis yielded a three-factor structure, which demonstrated good model fit in confirmatory factor analysis. High reliability was found for the whole scale and each subscale, and construct validity was exhibited by the positive correlations with general self-esteem. Overall, evidence indicates that CEDSIS is a valid and reliable tool for effectively and efficiently assessing the educational and career decision-making self-efficacy of secondary students. Finally, implications and limitations of this study are discussed.

Nature of Parental Involvement: Perspectives from Principals, Teachers and Parents

This chapter examines the practice of and factors related to parental involvement based on the experiences and perspectives of principals, teachers and parents. After presenting the general characteristics of the fields where parental involvement takes place, we will describe the enactment of parental involvement in school from the experiences of principals and teachers as well as the practice of parental involvement at home and in school from the experience of parents. The habitus of these three groups of stakeholders will then be compared. With knowledge about their views and ideologies on home–school collaboration, participation of parents in school-based management and related aspects, we will assess how their habitus and the objective conditions of different fields as well as different types and amounts of capital maneuvered by parents affect parental involvement enacted or practiced at the field of home and school. In the final section, a summary of key findings that have strong implications for establishing an effective and efficient home–school collaboration model will be presented.

What Comes Next – Insights for Reform Initiatives and Future Research

Education is a key component of human development. Education can develop a person’s capability so that an individual can pursue ways of being and doing what one has reasons to value (Sen, 1999). By putting Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach in the context of basic education, the ultimate goal of education is to develop the capabilities of children and youth so that they are able to live a life they value.