EdUHK Entrusted to Research Current Status of Small Class Teaching in Infant and Primary Education in Macau
EdUHK Entrusted to Research Current Status of Small Class Teaching in Infant and Primary Education in Macau
The Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) of The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) was invited by the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau of the Government of the Macau Special Administrative Region in 2014 to conduct a three-year, six-phase longitudinal study entitled “Research on Small Class Teaching of Infant and Primary Education in Macau”. The first four phases of the study have recently been concluded. The results indicate that school principals and teachers in Macau generally agree that the implementation of small class teaching has a positive impact.
Since its establishment, the Government of the Macau Special Administrative Region has been proactive in promoting quality education through small class teaching, which includes reducing the class teacher-student ratio, providing extra funds for school-based small class curriculum initiatives and organising various teacher development training programmes for small class pedagogies.
Professor John Lee Chi-kin, Vice President (Academic) of EdUHK and Co-Director (Research) of CELT, who has been serving as the Principal Investigator since the second phase of the study, has led a research team of academic staff from various departments at EdUHK to thoroughly investigate small class teaching practices in the region.
The longitudinal study, comprising a literature review, class observations, focus group and survey interviews, is aimed at understanding the implementation of small class teaching in Macau, and identifying the causes of its effectiveness. The views and expectations of Macau education scholars, government officials, principals, teachers and students have been collected through the survey. After compilation, the research team will benchmark the findings against those from other parts of the world, before putting forth recommendations to the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau pertaining to the domains of policy, curriculum and management, and learning and teaching.
The first four phases of the study were completed in August 2016. The large-scale questionnaire findings of the second phase showed that school principals and teachers in Macau generally agreed that the implementation of small classes has a positive impact on teaching and learning, such as through catering for learner diversity, facilitating different kinds of learning activities that support student learning, and nurturing student development. Interview data further affirmed the governments’ effort in promoting, leading and supporting this reform.
In the study’s third and fourth stages, during which class observations and interviews with principals and teachers in pre-school settings were conducted, the Co-Principal Investigator Dr Tikky To-Chan Sing-pui found that the school-based curriculum of each pre-school studied had unique characteristics in favour of the development of small class teaching. The formulation of school-based development plans is becoming more common, but elements that are related to small class teaching could be further enhanced. In terms of teacher development, the findings supported the usefulness of the Macau Exchange Programme for Excellent Teachers from the Mainland in not only facilitating schools to put effective teaching into practice but also by enhancing school-based teacher professional development.
In terms of learning and teaching, the research team welcomed the adoption of small class teaching that is in favour of a student-centred approach, whereby teaching content aligns with students’ daily life experiences and meets their diverse learning needs. Self-regulation was found to be one of the key issues for teachers who tactfully use activity corners, games and inquiry learning to arouse students’ interest and active participation. The findings further suggest that improvement can be made in teachers’ questioning, feedback and use of assessment for learning.
In October 2016, the research team commenced the fifth phase of the study to investigate primary education settings in-depth. The whole study is expected to be completed in 2017, and in its final phase Principal Investigator Professor John Lee Chi-kin and Co-Principal Investigator Dr Sammy Hui King-fai will submit a final report to the Government of the Macau Special Administrative Region, outlining policy measures that will enhance the effectiveness of small class teaching.
From the left:
Ms Wang Min of the Division of Research and Education Reform of the DSEJ of Macau;
Mr Vong Iat-hang, Head of the Division of Research and Education Reform of the DSEJ of Macau;
Mr Wong Kin-mou, Head of the Department of Research and Educational Resources of the DSEJ of Macau;
Professor John Lee Chi-kin of EdUHK;
Dr Tikky To-Chan Sing-pui of EdUHK;
Dr Joyce Ho of EdUHK, and
Dr Sammy Hui King-fai of EdUHK
