Department of Early Childhood Education holds 13 Research Impact Clusters (RICs) funded by the Faculty of Education Human Development. These RICs aim to extend our research and knowledge exchange benefiting various stakeholders in the community including children, parents, schools, and organizations locally, regionally, and internationally. Throughout collaboration initiatives and community connections building, our RICs engage the members within the Department, across departments in the Faculty, and also in the community.
Project Leader
EdUHK Project Leader - Prof. Sue Saltmarsh (ECE)
EdUHK Members:
Dr. NG Sau Man Catalina, Associate Professor (ECE)
Dr. KWOK, Kan Diana, Associate Professor (SEC)
Dr. Darren Bryant, Associate Professor (EPL)
Dr. VALDEZ Jana Patricia, Assistant Professor (ECE)
Dr. ZHOU Yanling, Assistant Professor (ECE)
Ms. Anika Saxena, Lecturer I (ECE)
Parallel Team (from the School of Education, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia):
ECU Project Leader - Dr. Nicola Johnson, Associate Professor, Associate Dean, Research
ECU Members:
Dr. Christine Cunningham, Senior Lecturer
Dr. Michelle Striepe, Senior Lecturer
Dr. Kay Ayre, Lecturer
Vision:
The Challenging Childhoods Research Impact Cluster (RIC) seeks to build and consolidate an active research agenda and collaborative network concerned with challenging social and geopolitical issues that impact on the lives of contemporary children. This group aims to produce research that is responsive to current and emergent crises that contribute to multiple and multidimensional adverse experiences that additionally are implicated in and perpetuate challenging childhoods. The team is interested in how these experiences impact on children's social worlds, and the implications for their learning, wellbeing, and school experience. The RIC team is an intercultural, interdisciplinary, cross-faculty and international group of collaborators, who are committed to addressing challenging childhoods, and to better understanding the intersection of challenging childhoods with the work of schools.
Project Leader
Dr. BAUTISTA Alfredo
Members:
Dr. Catherine CAPIO
Dr. CHAN Po Lin, Pauline
Dr. SIU Tik Sze, Carrey
Dr YANG Weipeng
Dr. SUN Jin (Faculty of Education, University of Macau)
Dr. LI Yixun Annie
Vision:
To conceptualize, theorize, and feature high-quality “glocal” pedagogies that are viable and socio-culturally appropriate within the Hong Kong local kindergarten system, and also applicable in other Asian societies.
Project Leader
Prof. LEE Chi Kin John
Project Co-coordinators
Dr. LEUNG Wai Man Vivienne
Dr. HU Xinyun Annie
Dr. SUN Jin
Dr. LAM Wai Man Winnie
Dr. LEE Hoi Man
Vision:
The project will provide high-quality STEM experiences including 1) conducting a pilot study of developing early learning STEM teaching packages to promote positive STEM learning experiences for children 2) examining the needs, difficulties and challenges of early childhood educators to implement STEM activities in their current curriculum context. 3) supporting early childhood educators through professional development workshops and co-develop STEM teaching packages.
Project Leader
Dr. CHAN King Chung Derwin
Project Members
Dr Cheng, Elaine
Dr Hau, Joyce
Dr Chung, Ellie
Ms Wan, Alison (PhD student)
Ms Tang, Tracy (PhD student)
Vision
The RIC of “Caregivers’ Support to Infants’ and Toddlers’ Health in Hong Kong” focuses on how parents, and secondary caregivers (e.g., grandparents, domestic helpers) may support infants’ and toddlers’ health and health behaviours. We would like to investigate the current status of health for infants and toddlers in Hong Kong to inform how caregivers and the society may better support young children’s health status and health behaviours.
Project Leader
Dr CHEUNG Sum Kwing Sam
Members
Dr Cheung Yuen Man Rebecca
Dr Tam Mei Ngan Tammy
Dr Li Jianbin
Vision:
Co-Project Leaders
Dr LI Jianbin
Members
Dr SUN Jin
Dr Cheung, Rebecca
Dr Leung, Vivienne
Dr Lam, Jessie
Vision:
To promote Chinese early childhood educators' happiness and meaningfulness
Co-Project Leaders
Dr CHEUNG, Sum Kwing Sam
Dr HUANG, Qi (Post-doctoral Fellow, CEDS)
Members:
Dr Zhang, Qiaoping (Assistant Professor, MIT)
Dr Yang Weipeng
Dr SUN, Jin (Faculty of Education, University of Macau)
Dr Hu Xinyun, Annie
Miss Chen Linli (Local kindergarten Teacher)
Vision:
To promote a child-friendly and application-oriented approach in early mathematics education ;
To enhance children’s mathematics thinking and problem solving ability since early years.
Project Leader
Dr YANG, Weipeng
Members
Dr. BAUTISTA, Alfredo
Dr. CHAN, Wang
Dr. HU, Annie
Ms. SAXENA, Anika
Mr. LAI, Edward
Ms. WOO, Yuen Shan
Ms. XU, Rongrong (EdD student)
Vision
Curriculum-based professional learning (CBPL) anchors professional learning in high-quality curriculum approaches and materials to allow (student) teachers to encounter the learning experiences their students will receive and change their classroom practice, leading to better student outcomes (Short & Hirsh, 2020). Our RIC focusing on CBPL will delve into the good practices of curriculum and instruction in diverse early childhood settings and continually engage the ECE Department’s teacher educators in researching, promoting, and providing curriculum-based teacher education and professional development for pre-service and in-service teachers.
Co-project Leaders
Dr. Lau Yi Hung Eva
Dr. Lam Chun Bun Ian
Vision
This research aims to yield valuable findings that will enhance the understanding of the independent and interactive influences of multiple environmental systems on young children’s development. Specifically, it is well acknowledged that smartphone has become an important part of the modern lifestyle. Through understanding the uniqueness of how technology interference could affect parents and children, findings of this study will have implications for ways to help parents minimize the negative impact of parental smartphone use.
Co-project leaders
Dr. BAUTISTA Alfredo
Dr. TAM Po Chi Pansy
Members
Dr. SIU Tik Sze, Carrey
Dr. LAU Wing Chi, Margaret
Dr. WONG Kit Mei, Betty
Dr. KONG Siu Hang, Eric
Mr. LAI Nok Hang, Edward
Mr. YEUNG Cheuk Lam, Jerry (PhD Student)
Ms. HO Yan Lam (EdD Student)
Vision:
The aim of this project is to better understand how local Early Childhood Education (ECE) professionals in Hong Kong understand the notions of Arts and Creativity. The study focuses on kindergarten teachers, principals, teacher educators, and other arts specialists. Arts and Creativity is one of the learning areas articulated in the Kindergarten Education Curriculum Guide (2017). Based on Hong Kong’s context and cultural values, our aim is to investigate how different ECE stakeholders define what creativity means and how they implement arts-based creativity-fostering activities that are viable and realistic within local kindergartens. This research has the potential to guide the design of curriculum frameworks that are more culturally specific and realistic in Hong Kong.
Co-project leaders
Dr. Siu Tik Sze Carrey
Dr. Chan Wai Ling
Members
Dr. Cheung Sum Kwing Sam
Miss Melissa Pearl Caldwell (PhD student)
Vision
The current RIC broadly investigates the landscape of early childhood care and education (ECCE) for infants and toddlers in Hong Kong. We have two specific aims: (1) To examine policymakers’, childcare professionals’, and parents’ beliefs and expectations for ECCE for infants and toddlers in Hong Kong; (2) To examine the structural and process qualities of centre-based ECCE settings for zero- to three-year-olds in Hong Kong and their impact on early child development and learning. We envisage building knowledge exchanges between academia, childcare centres, and relevant organisations for a concerted effort to promote the importance of quality early experience on infant and toddler development and learning.
Co-project leaders
Dr. Capio Catherine
Members
Dr. Chan King Chung Derwin
Ms. Chan Oi Ling Irene
Mr. Ho Chuk Ming Hades (PhD student)
Mr. Fan Chun Man Thomas (EdD student)
Vision
This project aims to transform research into accessible, available, and fit-for-purpose resources in the areas of motor development and physical wellbeing. With research in this area continuing to grow rapidly, this project utilized the growing body of evidence to design and evaluate an information resource portal for early childhood educators and parents in Hong Kong. The resource portal may be accessed here: https://www.hkidsmove.info/. We emphasize on the importance of accounting for the cultural and environmental nuances in the region, and further research will evaluate and improve this resource portal.
Co-project leaders
Dr. Chan Po Lin Pauline
Dr. Lam Pui Ching Jessie
Dr. Fung Sze Wun Serena
Vision
Through this project, we intend to extend the understanding of play and improve the quality of play practice in ECE settings through international dialogues and collaborations. We aim to be able to stimulate multi-perspective investigation of the concept of play and gain insight to enrich local practitioner’s play implementation. Upon the completion of this project, our goal is to provide the various support for local practitioners’ betterment of play implementation.
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