Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemSchool organization as an internal teaching context : case studies of two Hong Kong aided secondary schools( 1996)In this study, school organization is investigated as a teaching context from the teachers' perspective. The study investigates the theoretical position that characteristics of the school organization affect teachers' job-related attitudes which, in turn, affect educational outcomes. A review of the literature shows that various characteristics of school organization are related to teachers' attitudes and performance and educational outcomes of schools. In this study, the case study approach is adopted and both qualitative and quantitative research methods are used. The teachers' job-related attitudes of two aided secondary schools in Hong Kong are analyzed. The internal teaching contexts of the schools are then described in terms of structural, cultural and social relations perspectives. Factors of school organization which may affect teachers' attitudes are identified. The findings from this study provide support for previous research into the influence of teachers' working environments or the internal context of teaching on school effectiveness. Implications for efforts directed at improving workplace conditions in Hong Kong secondary schools and an agenda for further research are discussed.
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ItemAttitudinal differences of gifted students to school, work, teachers, parents and friends: Chinese and Australian perspectives( 1998)This study investigated the views, perceptions and attitudes of gifted Chinese and Australian students towards school, teachers, parents, work and friends. The sample consisted of 275 secondary school students in Hong Kong and Melbourne, Australia. The ages of the students ranged from 10 to 18, and there were over twice as many girls as boys. Literature reviewed for the study focused on relevant aspects of gifted education as related both to Chinese and Australian students. The study used survey methodology with a questionnaire requiring responses based on a five-point Likert scale. The results of the survey indicated that there were differences in attitude between Chinese and Australian gifted students in relation to friends, school, academic school work, teachers and behaviour at school. Chinese students did not generally feel as positive about school or as confident about their academic performance as their Australian peers. They were not as negative about their teachers, although they felt their teachers gave them too many tests and not enough advice. Chinese students also felt their parents expected more of them than did parents of the Australian sample. The findings of the study suggest that there are a number of significant differences in attitude which affect the performance of Chinese gifted students in Australian schools. The study offers therefore some support for the need for greater awareness of the social and academic needs of international students. Recommendations are also made for an extension of the role of international student coordinators, together with greater provision for professional development for both their E.S.L. and mainstream teachers.
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ItemBeing good: values discourse in educational policy and management( 1996)This study is concerned with the way prevailing realities of government policy are reflected in educational policy and styles of management, by being reproduced and sustained through values discourse. The largest education system in the world is to be found in the People's Republic of China. China's current values discourse is constructed from traditional values and, more recently, from socialist theory. Concepts of Utopia, and the influences of Marx, Lenin and Mao are explored. The views of Foucault and Fairclough reveal the way language powerfully constructs reality and defines social order. A literature review considers the contributions of previous research to issues explored in this thesis. This study analyses how official values education material in China reflects prevailing government policy. The data was collected in Nanjing and Shanghai from October 1993 to January 1994. It consists of Leaders Handbooks for the Young Pioneers, Large and Small Young Pioneers Posters, classroom values education texts, and interview material. The methodology of Textually Oriented Discourse Analysis as proposed by Fairclough (1992(b)) provides a helpful framework for the analysis of sample discourses which represent current values. Further chapters will explore contemporary directions in values discourse and consider the trend towards conscientisation and empowerment. The limitations of the values discourse are discussed. Within a worldwide framework, current scholars, such as Freire, use concepts such as conscientisation, liberation and empowerment to define the future for values discourse. What is the role of educational institutions regarding values discourse? Are there opportunities for dissenting voices to be heard? Previous theories of management have focussed on the values of efficiency, corporate culture and models of excellence. Do these values simply ensure further control over individuals and organisations by constructing a prevailing reality too narrowly defined? Participating in the 'struggle' for the prevailing discourse through being involved in micropolitics and realising the importance of critical language awareness can enable us all to construct a reality which empowers rather than limits those involved in education.
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ItemA metalanguage for teaching and evaluating writing: an application of systemic functional linguistics in the analysis of argumentative essays written by senior secondary students in Hong Kong( 1997)In Hong Kong, the skill of writing is the main focus in the English syllabus. This is especially true for senior secondary students who have to sit for competitive public examinations in which essay writing is a major component. However, what constitutes good writing is often not explicitly taught in the classroom. In evaluating composition assignments, teachers tend to focus on identifying grammatical mistakes, mostly at the sentence level. This impoverished approach is found to be wanting in helping students become competent writers. In view of the problem in evaluating student writing, the present study attempts to draw on a theoretical framework, namely, Systemic Functional linguistics in analyzing the essays written by senior secondary students in Hong Kong. The model provides a useful tool in understanding and explaining writing quality at the text level including the overall schematic structures and the operation of register variables. The genre of argument was selected for the study as it is one of the important text types emphasized in the examination syllabus. Three texts representing three achievement groups (i.e. rated as 'good', 'average' and 'poor') were selected from twenty nine essays written by a class of Form six students as part of an internal examination. The texts were then analyzed using the grammatical systems of Theme, Mood and Transitivity with respect to their schematic structures and register choices. It was found that the top essay demonstrated the best control of configurations of the three grammatical systems in making textual, interpersonal and experiential meanings. The middle piece was moderately successful in that there were lapses in the grammatical choices whereas in the bottom piece, inappropriate and inconsistent choices resulted in an unsuccessful piece of writing. However, all the three essays reveal the problem of a lack of relevant subject knowledge and show the inadequacy of the existing writing syllabus. The analysis, though it cannot claim to be exhaustive, helps illuminate the features of writing quality that have hitherto been ignored in the English classroom in Hong Kong. It is therefore concluded that SF grammar is a useful tool for writing pedagogy and a metalanguage based on the grammar is recommended for classroom teaching.