The voice of teachers in a changing Hong Kong society: The study of the effectiveness of a school guidance program me for teacher

This research study examines the development of a school guidance programme in a teacher education institute in a turbulent Hong Kong environment. The focus of the study is the teachers' awareness of the impact of change, their beliefs in human nature, and the skills gained from the programme in dealing with student guidance issues in their classrooms. The study describes the political, economic and social changes in Hong Kong society after 1997 and the consequent impact on primary school teachers, educated and brought up in traditional Chinese families now facing student problems in their classrooms that are being addressed using Western humanistic theories and models. The researcher has used a variety of essentially qualitative strategies. These include: participants' self-reflection; researcher's observation and interviews on campus and in school classrooms; and teaching and learning materials. The effectiveness of the programme is judged to be in the teachers' awareness of the theories imparted, and the relevant skills that they gained, in dealing with these behavioural issues in their classrooms. The study explores how contemporary teachers deliver cognitive knowledge to pupils, but also can learn to play the role of guidance helper to their pupils. Thus, the focus is on affective professional teacher development. The contribution this research makes to our understanding is in its attempt to relate teachers' values and beliefs to their professional behaviour. It also contributes to an understanding of how Eastern and Western values interact in solving global educational issues. The study enters into the professional reflections of new generation of teachers in Hong Kong's recent period of rapid cultural change.