Research Excellence in Education and Emerging Areas

In the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject 2015, the Institute ranked third in Asia and 15th in the world in Education. The results of the latest 2015-16 research funding applications, released by the Research Grants Council in late June 2015, reaffirms the Institute’s leadership role in Education, with 47 successful projects awarded a total of HK$25.5 million, representing a significant increase of 40 per cent when compared with the last funding cycle.

Under the subject discipline of Education, of the 42 projects awarded to local universities, 35 supported by the General Research Fund (GRF) and seven by the Early Career Scheme (ECS), the Institute secured HK$10.3 million for its 19 projects (16 GRF and three ECS projects), for 47 per cent of the total funding amount. This placed the Institute first in Education, as it was in the last round, in terms of the number of funded projects and amounts awarded. The Institute similarly shone in other disciplinary areas as well. Under the subject discipline of Psychology and Linguistics, it was awarded HK$7.9 million (HK$4.2 million for six GRF projects, and HK$3.7 million for five ECS projects, for 51 per cent of the total awarded ECS funding). These results gave the Institute a rank of second in GRF and first in ECS funded projects and amounts awarded. Ground-breaking achievements were also made in science-related subject disciplines. Under Civil Engineering, Surveying, Building and Construction, and Mechanical, Production and Industrial Engineering, three successful ECS projects were awarded a total of HK$1.57 million.

In the latest Research Assessment Exercise in 2014, 70 per cent of the Institute’s research projects in the Education and Social Sciences panels were graded 2 (international standing), 3 (internationally excellent) and 4 (world leading) stars, signifying that our research is on par with or above international standards, and has a global influence. The performances of the Institute’s new research areas in Psychology and Political Science are also comparable to its local counterparts.

Knowledge Transfer Initiatives

The Institute’s Knowledge Transfer (KT) strategies encourage academic units and staff to enhance the impacts of their research through KT activities. To facilitate their work and map out policies on the protection of intellectual properties and patent and product licensing applications, a KT Unit was set up under the Research and Development Office in July 2014. At the same time, ongoing KT-related activities are being held to disseminate research findings through various communication platforms including print, electronic and new media, professional development courses, local and international conferences, seminars and workshops. The KT impacts of some of the research projects are illustrated as follows.

SMILE Project

The Supporting and Maximising Individual Learning Efficacy (SMILE) project is led by Professor Kenneth Sin Kuen-fung. The three-year (2013-16) project provides school support services with ways to enhance the development of inclusive education, such as on-site support for teachers, staff development programmes and talks given to parents regarding the handling of students with attention deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and intellectual disabilities (ID). Already in its second year of operation, it is envisaged that upon project completion, a total of 24 schools will receive the intensive school-based support and 120 schools will receive consultancies with the SMILE project team, ultimately benefiting 4,500 students with special needs (mostly ADHD and ID learning difficulties).

Compendium of Hong Kong Literature 1919-1949

Launched in 2011, this research project was initiated in response to the lack of a representative and comprehensive anthology of Hong Kong literature. With the Institute’s Professor Leonard Chan Kwok-kou as the Chief Editor and Dr Chan Chi-tak as the Associate Editor, the Compendium has won various accolades including a funding award from the National Publication Foundation of the Chinese government, and the Eighth Hong Kong Book Prize (2015). It has also attracted extensive media attention, with coverage in newspapers (such as Ming Pao, Sing Tao Daily, The China Daily and South China Morning Post), magazines (such as Hong Kong Literature), electronic media (Radio Television Hong Kong and Phoenix Television) and new media (House News and Chinawriter.com, among others). A public lecture series was organised in 2014 and conferences on using the Compendium for literature education in local schools will be held in 2016.

Study on the Well-being of Ethnic Minority Students

Educational Experiences, Self-Identity and Spirituality: A Study on the Well-being among Students from Diverse Cultures in Hong Kong is a project led by Dr Celeste Yuen Yuet-mui which draws on the experiences of different groups of students. They include ethnic minority students (Indians, Pakistani and Nepalese), cross-border students, immigrant students from Mainland China and Hong Kong’s mainstream students. The study provides the government with evidence of the need for new curriculum initiatives promoting positive youth development in an equitable society. The preliminary research findings, disseminated at a press conference in mid-2014, were covered by 10 local newspapers and radio programmes, and the international TV network Al Jazeera – all of which addressed the importance of understanding ethnic minorities in Hong Kong. Twelve school-based feedback sessions were conducted with frontline teachers, policy makers and curriculum developers. Other dissemination platforms included seminars, talks, courses, e-television talks and hands-on student empowerment projects.

These projects represent just a small sample of the influential research shaping the community. In a single year, the Institute’s KT activities have benefited 12,733 schools, 7,035 principals, 57,267 teachers and 550,000 students.*

Nurturing Young Researchers and Developing Multidisciplinary Research

The President’s Award for Outstanding Performance in Research was established in 2011-12 to honour research excellence among individual academic staff members or teams, and to recognise, encourage and reward outstanding research of significant benefit to the wider community. The Research Excellence Award and the Early Career Research Excellence Award honour established and developing academic staff members, respectively.

Following a rigorous selection process, Professor Chou Kee-lee (Professor, Department of Asian and Policy Studies) was awarded the Research Excellence Award. The Early Career Research Excellence Awards went to three young academic staff members: Dr Keith Ho Wing-kei (Associate Professor, Department of Science and Environmental Studies), Dr Ian Lam Chun-bun (Assistant Professor, Department of Early Childhood Education) and Dr Zhang Xiao (Assistant Professor, Department of Early Childhood Education).

To spur research development and the cross fertilisation of knowledge, the Institute has identified the following strategic areas where academic and teaching staff members are encouraged to tap into their individual expertise and collaborate in promoting multidisciplinary research.

• Educational Development, Policy and Leadership
• Special Education and Applied Psychology
• Early Childhood and Well-being Studies
• Social and Policy Studies
• Science Education and Environmental Studies
• Humanities, Creative Arts and Culture
• Literature and Historical Studies

The findings of the aforementioned research will have great application value, and can be transferred as knowledge that facilitates learning and teaching in the education community and beyond.

* The total beneficiaries have been calculated according to the number of activities involved. Some beneficiaries and schools may have been involved in more than one activity.