The Lived Experience of Curriculum Change: A Hong Kong Perspective

1996 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Chi Kin Lee ◽  
Rod Gerber
2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor Tsz-lok Lee ◽  
Stephen Wing-kai Chiu

Purpose Through the study of the Liberal Studies reform in Hong Kong, this paper aims to investigate to what extent the curriculum reform makes a difference in the achievement gap between middle-class and lower-class students. Specifically, it examines the variation of the “class gap” between Liberal Studies and other traditional, core subjects in terms of the public examination results, and the major mediators underlying the class effect on the results. Design/methodology/approach Data from a survey of 1,123 students from 15 schools who studied the new curriculum between 2009-2010 and 2011-2012 in Hong Kong were analyzed using the hierarchical multiple regression models. Findings Students’ class backgrounds, mainly indicated by parental education, continue to make a substantive contribution to the achievement gap. Practical implications Given that Liberal Studies’ examination is compulsory for university entrance, the sensitivity of this reform to existing educational inequalities has a significant impact on students’ chances of entering local universities. Originality/value Sociologists have long observed the class gap in education, and this paper adds an important exogenous source, a curriculum change, to the analysis. The Liberal Studies reform has provided a unique opportunity to examine the potential effect of a curriculum change on the class gap. In addition, in view of the absence of empirical evidence in this topic, this paper is an effort to build the evidence base for understanding the outcomes of the reform.


Author(s):  
Mimi MH Tiu ◽  
Juliana YF Hong ◽  
Vincent S Cheng ◽  
Connie YC Kam ◽  
Bernadette TY Ng

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 434-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xu Wang ◽  
Yu Ye ◽  
Chris King-chi Chan

Few studies have examined the role of space in social movements. The existing studies have primarily emphasized the physical nature of space (e.g., space as distance) and overlooked other attributes of space, such as space as the materialization of power relations and space as lived experience. In this article, we explore the role of space in social movements based on a case study of the Occupy Central in Hong Kong in 2014. During the protest, the organizers occupied and reconfigured the campuses and mobilized the participants both through and in space. We find that the campus space helped stimulate the feelings and emotions of the students and increased their enthusiasm to participate in the demonstration. The participants were then sent from the campuses (mobilization spaces) to the demonstration spaces where they occupied and transformed the urban public spaces into private spaces, thus leading to contention over and of space with the state powers. Our findings reveal that the campus space is an important resource that organizers can use for mobilization. We also find that the special features of a campus, including aggregation, networks, isolation, and homogeneity, can facilitate the formation of social movements. We argue that the three attributes of space interact with one another in facilitating the social movement. Thus, our findings suggest that space acts as not only the vessel of struggle but also a useful tool and a target of struggle.


2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 277-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia L. W. Chan ◽  
Andy H. Y. Ho ◽  
Pamela P. Y. Leung ◽  
Harvey M. Chochinov ◽  
Robert A. Neimeyer ◽  
...  

2005 ◽  
Vol 186 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathy P. M. Chan ◽  
Paul S. F. Yip ◽  
Jade Au ◽  
Dominic T. S. Lee

BackgroundCharcoal-burning, a new suicide method, emerged in Hong Kong during the latest economic recession. With-in 2 months charcoal-burning had become the third most common suicide method.AimsTo examine the characteristics of suicides by charcoal-burning, and to delineate the pathways linking macro-level economic and social changes with the subjective experiences of those surviving a charcoal-burning suicide attempt.MethodBoth quantitative and qualitative methods were used. In the coroner's records study, the first 160 cases of suicide by charcoal-burning were compared with a control group. In the ethnographic enquiry, we interviewed 25 consecutive informants who had survived serious suicide attempt using charcoal-burning.ResultsPeople who completed suicide by the charcoal-burning method were more likely to have been economically active and physically healthy, and were less likely to have had pre-existing mental illness. Charcoal-burning suicide was associated with overindebtedness. Media reports were pivotal in linking overindebtedness and financial troubles with charcoal-burning.ConclusionsThe political economy of suicide by charcoal-burning illustrated how historical, socio-economic and cultural forces shaped the lived experience that preceded suicide.


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