The Chinese University of Hong Kong

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Winners without Losers
Development Research Project Motivation and
Models of Learning among Primary School Students
in the Subjects of Chinese, English and
Mathematics

• The Chinese University of Hong Kong

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Members of the Research Team

• Principal Investigator Prof. Wong Hin-wah
• Chinese Subject
• Ms. Chui Ching-ying, Mr. Ng Mau-yuen, Eric,
• Prof. Tong Choi-wai, Mr. Yeung Chi-kwan
• English Subject
• Prof. Man Yee-fun, Evelyn, Mr. Sze Man-man, Paul
• Mathematics Subject
• Mr. Lau Ying-chuen, Mr. Law Huk-yuen
• Mr. Tang Kon-ming, Prof. Wong Ngai-ying
• Researcher Prof. Lee Chi-kin, John
• Assistant School Development Officer Ms. Chu
  Ka-wing, Julia
• Project Assistant Ms. Ho Bik-yu, Beatrice, Ms.
  Yu Wing-sze, Taina

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Participating Schools

• LKWSFL Wong Yiu Nam Primary School

CUHKFAA Thomas Cheung School
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1. Foreword(1)

• The focal point of this project is not only
• confined to the students academic
• achievements we are more concerned about
• the students maintenance of their interest
• and engagement in learning, and the
• multiplicity of their learning models.

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1. Foreword(2)

• The foci of the project centers round
• Motivation and Models of learning
• Learning engagement
• Teacher empowerment
• Reflective teaching and Action research
• Professional development of teachers and
• curriculum leaders
• Collaborative Partnership

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2. Views on individual differences

• Each student is an individual different from all
  other students
• Over emphasis on pencil-and-paper exam results
  may neglect students effort
• Catering for individual differences is not solely
  to reduce the differences in test or exam
  results. Rather it is to lead students to find
  personal meaning in learning and to learn how to
  learn.

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3. Strategies in catering for individual
differences(1)

• Concept and Goals
• Our starting points are not the school
  organizational system or the structure of the
  curriculum. Instead, we begin with the status
  quo, with reality.
• We believe that to analyze thoroughly the
  teaching problems in schools and consider
  theories about student motivations in learning
  will develop school teachers sensitivity to
  individual differences among students.

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3. Strategies in catering for individual
differences(2)

• Strategy of development adopted
• T Task
• A Authority
• R Recognition
• G Grouping
• E Evaluation
• T Time
• (Epstein, 1989)
• We aim at changing the present learning model,
  performance-goal orientation, to one of
  mastery-goal orientation.

TARGET
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Operational Mode of strategies
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Operational Mode of strategies
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Enhancement of teachers motivation and models of
teaching Maintenance of students learning
motivation and models of learning
Individual Difference
Subject Meetings/ Workshops on Subject
Teaching Core Group (on teaching and learning)
Meeting Interview with Principals Parents
Meeting Interview with Students
Parents School-wide Dissemination Consultants
Meeting with CDI officers
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5. Research Design

• 5 aspects of the study
• Study of the students
• Study of the teachers (including PSM(CD)s)
• Study of the principals
• Study of the parents
• Study of the researchers
• Multiple channels and angles of observation to
  collect and analyze data (Table)

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6. Improvement in learning and teaching

• Change in school culture
• Individual to collaborative culture
• Collective lesson planning, Peer lesson
  observation, etc. and the formation and
  development of the Core Group of Teaching and
  Learning
• Improvement in subject teaching
• A wide range of various strategies are developed
  by teachers at two participating schools to
  enhance their teaching and learning.

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7. Research findings Changes taking place in
participantsStudents(1)

• Student questionnaire
• (refer to ER-p.16, 7.1.1. CR-p54, 7.1.1.)
• Findings
• Students self concept is generally high in the
  first year. Then it tends to get slightly lower
  in the second and third year.
• When students get to a higher form, they will
  encounter more difficult subject content, and
  their interest and motivation in learning and
  learning motivation will likely be adversely
  affected.

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7. Research findings Changes taking place in
participantsStudents(2)

• Student interview
• (refer to ER-p.17, 7.1.2. CR-p.58-7.1.2.)
• The topics of the first two interviews focus on
  dimensions of students experiences and
  impression of school life how they see going to
  school, attending class, homework,
  dictation, teachers, classmates and
  school.

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7. Research findings Changes taking place in
participantsStudents(2)

• The interview data is summarized from two
  dimensions
• (1) How the students view learning
• (refer to ER-p.17, 7.1.2.1. CR-p.59,
  7.1.2.1.1.)
• (2) How the students view their teachers
• (refer to ER-p.18-7.1.2.2. CR-63,
  7.1.2.1.2.)

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7. Research findings Changes taking place in
participantsTeachers(1)

• Observations by the university researchers
• Increase in taking the initiative in teaching
• Self-reflection
• Opening up the classroom and meeting challenges
• Using research to enhance teaching and
  professional development
• (refer to ER-p.19, 7.2.1. CR-p.64-7.2.1.)

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7. Research findings Changes taking place in
participantsTeachers(2)

• Interviews with teachers The Changed and the
  Unchanged
• (refer to ER-p.20, 7.2.2. CR-p.70, 7.2.2.)
• Changes in teacher
• Changes in teaching model, beliefs, concepts
  about teaching
• (refer to ER-p.24, 7.2.2.1. CR-p.71,
  7.2.2.1.)
• Views on collaborative lesson planning
• (refer to ER-p.21, 7.2.2.1. CR-p.77,
  7.2.2.1. b)
• Views on collaboration among teachers
• (refer to ER-p.22, 7.2.2.1. CR-p.79,
  7.2.2.1. c)
• Views on teacher empowerment, teacher autonomy
• (refer to ER-p.23, 7.2.2.1. CR-p.82,
  7.2.2.1. d)
• Views on reflective teaching
• (refer to ER-p.23, 7.2.2.1. CR-p.84,
  7.2.2.1. e )
• Views on co-operating with parents
• (refer to ER-p.23, 7.2.2.1. CR-p.84,
  7.2.2.1. f)

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7. Research findings Changes taking place in
participantsTeachers(3)

• Reasons for the teachers changes
• (refer to ER-p.24, 7.2.2.2. CR-p.85, 7.2.2.2.)
• Students reactions and changes
• Collaboration among colleagues
• The leadership of subject leaders
• The support of university experts
• Identifying with the model TARGET
• The parents impetus
• The principals encouragement and support
• The mobilization of the whole school
• Some teachers are self-motivated
• To be answering the call of educational reform

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7. Research findings Changes taking place in
participantsTeachers(4)

• Changes out of expectation
• (refer to ER-p.24, 7.2.2.3. CR-p.89, 7.2.2.3.)
• Teachers personal change and growth
• Materials-design with own efforts
• The project could reap quick returns
• Begin to realize that pressure can be minimized
  if teachers are able to collaborate nicely and to
  achieve professional growth in due course.

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7. Research findings Changes taking place in
participantsTeachers(5)

• The Unchanged
• (refer to ER-p.25, 7.2.2.5. CR-p.91, 7.2.2.4.)
• The curriculum content of some subjects is still
  packed
• Some teachers in the schools still do not accept
  reform
• Principals support the teachers strongly
• Parents concern about their children.

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7. Research findings Changes taking place in
participantsTeachers(6)

• Teachers personal growth
• (refer to ER-p.25, 7.2.2.5. CR-p.93, 7.2.2.5.)
• Enhanced understanding of the curriculum
• Raised teachers sense of autonomy over the
  curriculum
• More active concern over students
• Increased team spirit
• More capable of designing learning activities
• More patient with students
• Increased confidence in teaching

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7. Research findings Changes taking place in
participantsTeachers(7)

• Relationship between teachers personal growth
  and the development of the school tightly
  interconnected
• (refer to ER-p.26, 7.2.2.6. CR-p.96, 7.2.2.6.)
• Relationship between the project and the
  development of the schools to hasten the overall
  development of the schools
• (refer to ER-p.26, 7.2.2.7. CR-p.97, 7.2.2.7.)

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7. Research findings Changes taking place in
participantsTeachers(7)

• Problems and challenges faced by teachers
• (refer to ER-p.26, 7.2.2.8. CR-p.97, 7.2.2.8.)
• Not really know how best to help those students
  who are weak in learning ability or have great
  difficulties in learning learn with efficiency
• Not enough manpower or time
• Some teachers in the schools are still skeptical
  about the efficiency of the project
• Really need help from experts in the relevant
  field

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7. Research findings Changes taking place in
participantsPrincipals(1)

• Interview with principals
• (refer to ER-p.27, 7.3. CR-p.99, 7.3.)
• Principal A
• (refer to ER-p.27, 7.3.1. CR-p.99, 7.3. A-E)
• Changes in the teachers perceived by the
  principal
• Recognized that students can change teachers
• Self reflection on the principal himself
• Continuation of the project in the school
• Problems and challenges

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7. Research findings Changes taking place in
participantsPrincipals(2)

• Principal B
• (refer to ER-p.28, 7.3.2. CR-p.104, 7.3. A-C)
• Changes in the role of the principal
• Reflection on the principals role
• The Unchanged
• The attitude of the parents in co-operating with
  the school

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7. Research findings Changes taking place in
participantsParents

• Interview with parents
• Parents perception of the teaching in the school
  and the students
• learning (refer to ER-p.29, 7.4. CR-p.110,
  7.4.)
• Reasons for changing schools
• (refer to ER-p.29, 7.4.1. CR-p.111,
  7.4.)
• Views on subject teaching
• (refer to ER-p.30, 7.4.2. CR-p.112,
  7.4.)
• Changes in students
• (refer to ER-p.30, 7.4.3. CR-p.113,
  7.4.)
• New understanding of students homework
• (refer to ER-p.30, 7.4.4. CR-p.114,
  7.4.)
• Change in views towards dictation
• (refer to ER-p.31, 7.4.5. CR-p.114,
  7.4.)
• The understanding of the relationship between
  reading
• and learning
• (refer to ER-p.31, 7.4.6. CR-p.115,
  7.4.)

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7. Research findings Changes taking place in
participantsResearchers

• Interview with researchers
• (refer to ER-p.32, 7.5. CR-p.129, 7.5.)
• The understanding of the conceptualization of the
  project
• The role of the project researchers
• The understanding of the entire project
• The experience gained in participating in the
  project and its relevance to teacher education

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8. The dissemination of the project

• To disseminate the experience of the project with
  CDI
• (refer to ER-p.34, 8.1. CR-p.138. 8.1.)
• Publication of monographs
• (refer to ER-p.34, 7.2. CR-p.141, 8.2.)
• Application of one participating school to join
  the Seed Project for the sake of
  experience-dissemination
• (refer to ER-p.34, 8.3. CR-p.142, 8.3.)
• Presentation in 3 regions conference on
  Curriculum Leadership Evaluation

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9. Conclusion(1)

• No educational problems can be solved by one
  party, so the concept of collaborative
  partnership becomes a bridge connecting
  educational theory and practice.
• Teaching is an interactive process. This means
  not only that teachers and students interact. It
  also means interaction between school and family.
• Learning by doing is a central tenet of the
  Project.

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9. Conclusion(2)

• Educational reform required time. Its
  effectiveness may not be measurable by
  quantification. On the long march to educational
  reform, wayfarers need to hold steady their
  educational principles, pay attention to
  students needs, be sympathetic to and have faith
  in teachers capacity. We need patience and
  persistence. It really requires the support and
  understanding of every stakeholder, indeed every
  citizen. That, too, is part of the true meaning
  of No one is dispensable.

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Theoretical consideration

• 1. Zeichner and Gore(1990)suggest that interface
  between individual teachers and their schools
  reveals a critical gap in our understanding of
  change. (Richardson, ed., 2001, 4th Handbook of
  Research on Teaching, p.929)

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Theoretical consideration

• 2. Effects of Teacher Change on Students. Few
  studies of teacher change in either the
  individual or organizational literature move
  toward examining what happens to student learning
  when teachers change their practices. Within a
  community, student learning should be assessed
  longitudinally to determine the effects of
  teacher change on student learning over a number
  of years.(Richardson, ed., 2001,p.929)