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Article
Publication date: 25 June 2019

Ming Fai Pang and Ulla Runesson

2379

Abstract

Details

International Journal for Lesson and Learning Studies, vol. 8 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-8253

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2019

Ming Fai Pang

The purpose of this paper is to collect new evidence about the efficacy of the pedagogical principles derived from our earlier study on boosting students’ financial literacy, with…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to collect new evidence about the efficacy of the pedagogical principles derived from our earlier study on boosting students’ financial literacy, with the aim of providing a theoretically and practically powerful account of how generative learning in the domain of financial literacy can be enhanced.

Design/methodology/approach

This is an example of learning study consisting of a design experiment, which aims to test the conjectures of the variation theory of learning. A total of 156 students who were aged from 14 to 16 years were taught under the three learning conditions which embedded the test criteria, and a total of seven lessons were used by the two participating teachers for each of the classes. To assess students’ appropriation of the object of learning, four tests were conducted, i.e. a pre-test, post-test immediately after the lessons, delayed post-test after six weeks and second delayed post-test after six months.

Findings

This study shows that a systematic use of the pattern of “contrast-fusion-generalization” to deal with the individual core economic concepts identified can help students lay a solid conceptual foundation for developing financial literacy. Furthermore, with the use of the meta-level pattern of “contrast-fusion-generalization” through complex everyday financial problems or situations which transcend the specific concepts, students can make effective use of the core economic concepts learned and transform them organically into one’s analytical framework. This enables students to discern and focus upon the critical aspects of novel financial situations and have a greater likelihood of making well-reasoned and sound financial decisions.

Originality/value

This paper sheds light on the ways in which students’ generative learning in the domain of financial literacy can be enhanced through the conceptual approach grounded in the variation theory of learning.

Details

International Journal for Lesson and Learning Studies, vol. 8 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-8253

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 October 2017

Ming Fai Pang and Ference Marton

The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, the authors set out to advance the thesis that lesson study should be considered as the signature pedagogy of teachers. Second, the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, the authors set out to advance the thesis that lesson study should be considered as the signature pedagogy of teachers. Second, the authors want to argue that combining the core attributes of Chinese lesson study and Learning study will improve the practice of lesson study. Third, the authors attempt to demonstrate how teachers discover necessary aspects of the object of learning (here called “keys to learning”) through their engagement in Learning studies.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper conducted a contrastive analysis of two varieties of lesson studies: the Chinese lesson study and the Learning study.

Findings

Lesson studies form a field of varieties, but the commonality among them (i.e. the focus on the lesson) makes the lesson study a strong candidate for being “the signature pedagogy” of teachers. The most important attribute of the Chinese lesson study is its close connection to the daily work of teachers through its embeddedness in teacher research group (arguably the core organisational principle of the Chinese educational system). The most important attribute of the Learning study is its theoretical grounding which helps teachers create an environment for the students to discern and appropriate necessary aspects of the object of learning.

Practical implications

Different varieties may be enriched by including the two core attributes found in the Chinese lesson study and the Learning study.

Originality/value

Two empirical studies are used to exemplify how teacher might discover previously unknown necessary aspects of the object of learning (here called “keys to leaning”).

Details

International Journal for Lesson and Learning Studies, vol. 6 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-8253

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 February 2024

Ming Fai Pang and Wing Wah Ki

The aim of this study is to illuminate the perceptions of the essential factors for sustaining Learning Study of the curriculum leaders who have led Learning Study in schools over…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study is to illuminate the perceptions of the essential factors for sustaining Learning Study of the curriculum leaders who have led Learning Study in schools over a sustained period.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted a case study research approach to explore the perspectives of the curriculum leaders regarding the sustainability of Learning Study. Data were collected through interviews, observations and document analysis. To analyse the data, thematic analysis was conducted to identify themes related to the research aim.

Findings

Four themes were deemed crucial by the curriculum leaders for sustaining Learning Study: (1) integrating Learning Study into the overall development plan of the school, with milestones recognisable by all stakeholders; (2) developing a shared understanding of and patience towards the different developmental needs of stakeholders; (3) developing a sustained programme of professional development for teachers regarding variation theory of learning, which underpins Learning Study; and (4) creating an improvement culture and a safe environment for sustaining professional development. We argue that Learning Study models should be flexible that they fit various school contexts while retaining the aim of enabling learning.

Originality/value

Sustaining Learning Study in schools becomes a challenge if support in the form of government funding and research involvement from tertiary institutions is withdrawn. This study is the first to voice the opinions of school curriculum leaders regarding this complex issue, who play a key role in initiating, implementing and sustaining Learning Study.

Details

International Journal for Lesson & Learning Studies, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-8253

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 May 2019

Kwok-Kuen To and Ming Fai Pang

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how different arrangements, such as lesson structures and patterns of variation, enhance students’ genre awareness, their understanding…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how different arrangements, such as lesson structures and patterns of variation, enhance students’ genre awareness, their understanding of genre features of informative text and can generate new learning.

Design/methodology/approach

This is an example of learning study consisting of a design experiment, and embedded in the design was the selected test criteria. The variation theory of learning served as the major guiding principle for the pedagogical design, lesson analysis and evaluation.

Findings

The findings of this study give support to variation theory being a powerful pedagogical tool for improving students’ understanding of informative texts and enabling them to generate new learning. Students in the target group who had more opportunities to encounter the “first contrast, next contrast and last generalisation” pattern of variation performed better than those in the comparison group, who were exposed to the “first generalisation, next contrast and last generalisation” pattern. The pure hierarchical lesson structure used for the target group was found to be more conducive to learning than the mixed structure (sequential–hierarchical structure) used in the comparison group.

Originality/value

Both the lesson structure and patterns of variation and invariance used are extremely important in developing a powerful method of enhancing students’ genre awareness, their understanding of genre features of informative text and to generate new learning.

Details

International Journal for Lesson and Learning Studies, vol. 8 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-8253

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 May 2016

Liz Jackson, Ming Fai Pang, Emma Brown, Sean Cain, Caroline Dingle and Timothy Bonebrake

Although researchers have identified correlations between specific attitudes and particular behaviors in the pro-environmental domain, the general relationship between young…

Abstract

Purpose

Although researchers have identified correlations between specific attitudes and particular behaviors in the pro-environmental domain, the general relationship between young people’s development of environmental knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors is not well understood. Past research indicates that geographic context can play a role, while social factors such as age and gender can have a more significant impact on predicting attitudes and behaviors than formal education. Few studies have systematically examined the relationships between education and environmental attitudes and behaviors among youth in Hong Kong. The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a study comparing secondary school students’ environmental attitudes and behaviors with age and related factors in two international schools and two government schools in Hong Kong. Students’ attitudes and behaviors were compared based on school type (curriculum), while the authors additionally compared the significance of social factors and attitudes on students’ behaviors.

Design/methodology/approach

Attitudes were measured using the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) and the NEP for Children (NEPC), the most commonly used, internationally standardized tools for investigating environmental attitudes and values of adults and young people for comparative purposes. The authors compared NEP/NEPC scores and student self-reported environmental behaviors using a short questionnaire.

Findings

No significant differences were found in attitudes or behaviors based on school type. However the authors did observe a significant effect of gender and age on students’ attitudes, and a significant correlation of student attitudes in the NEP with students’ self-reports regarding air conditioning consumption.

Originality/value

This study builds a foundation for cross-national studies and for evaluating the impact of curricula over time.

Details

International Journal of Comparative Education and Development, vol. 18 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2396-7404

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 1 January 2014

237

Abstract

Details

International Journal for Lesson and Learning Studies, vol. 3 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-8253

Article
Publication date: 8 May 2018

Claire Wilson

The purpose of this study is to analyse the challenges in devising a suitable formulation to determine whether a person had reasonable grounds to believe that property dealt with…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to analyse the challenges in devising a suitable formulation to determine whether a person had reasonable grounds to believe that property dealt with represented the proceeds of an indictable crime in the context of money laundering offences. The paper also examines the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal’s recent formulation in HKSAR v. Yeung Ka Sing, Carson (decided July 2016) and evaluates international standards.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology adopted is partly a technical analysis of the various interpretations of “having reasonable grounds to believe” alongside a comparative approach drawing on international standards of the mens rea threshold and the position in the UK.

Findings

The findings are that the Court of Final Appeal’s formulation of “having reasonable grounds to believe” is the best possible outcome given the confines of the statutory provisions. The study confirms that the threshold set by the Court of Final appeal surpasses international standards; however, it argues that current international standards are in need of review.

Originality/value

This paper offers insight into the latest mens rea threshold of “having reasonable grounds to believe” in the context of Hong Kong’s anti-money laundering laws and compares international standards of the mens rea threshold. The discussion is of value to a wide audience both in Hong Kong and globally. It aims to provide guidelines to legal practitioners, law enforcement personnel, persons in the private and public sectors, academics and members of the public. This paper also seeks to provoke discussion as to whether international standards on the mens rea threshold should be reviewed with a view to strengthening international cooperation on the prevention of money laundering.

Details

Journal of Money Laundering Control, vol. 21 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1368-5201

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 September 2017

Chan Ka Ming

Since the launch of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) in 2003, Hong Kong cinema is believed to have confronted drastic changes. Hong Kong…

Abstract

Purpose

Since the launch of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) in 2003, Hong Kong cinema is believed to have confronted drastic changes. Hong Kong cinema is described to be dying, lacking creative space and losing local distinctiveness. A decade later, the rise of Hong Kong – China coproduction cinema under CEPA has been normalized and changed the once pessimism in the industry. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how Hong Kong cinema adjusted its production and creation in the first 10 years of CEPA.

Design/methodology/approach

Beginning with a review of the overall development, three paradigmatic cases are examined for reflecting upon what the major industrial and commercial concerns on the Hong Kong – China coproduction model are, and how such a coproduction model is not developed as smooth as what the Hong Kong filmmakers expected.

Findings

Collectively, this paper singles out the difficulties in operation and the limit of transnationality that occur in the Chinese context for the development of Hong Kong cinema under the Hong Kong – China coproduction model.

Originality/value

This is the author’s research in his five-year study of Hong Kong cinema and it contributes a lot to the field of cinema studies with relevant industrial and policy concern.

Details

Social Transformations in Chinese Societies, vol. 13 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1871-2673

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 October 2016

Yuk-sik Chong

This paper aims to understand the implication of night soil selling at the public toilets for the shared interests between colonial state and business in nineteenth-century Hong…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to understand the implication of night soil selling at the public toilets for the shared interests between colonial state and business in nineteenth-century Hong Kong. More specifically, this paper attempts to look at the ways the toilets were sustained by the sharing interests over night soil profits between state and business sector.

Design/methodology/approach

It is argued from the political economy perspective that the night soil profit determined the public toilet development.

Findings

The successful emergence of the modern state of colonies was generally attributed to colonial modernization, a force that was widely recognized for having introduced hygienic modernity. It was easily assumed that the public toilets would be provided by colonial government. Instead, sanitary problems during the early colonization of this colony were addressed by the privately-owned public pail toilets provided by big Chinese landowners through the selling of night soil. Based on this quasi-commercial mode, these toilets, which served as night soil collection points, were certainly inefficient; they however survived for half a century into the early twentieth century.

Originality/value

The paper challenges the long-established assumptions of binary relations and hierarchical public roles that put them into zero-sum competition of capacity. It rather argues that the interests aligned with each other.

Details

Social Transformations in Chinese Societies, vol. 12 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1871-2673

Keywords

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