Tag: EdUHK

Although the importance of investigating the enabling role of student feedback literacy has been widely covered in the literature, a measurement instrument is still lacking. A study by Dr Jane Zhan Ying, Assistant Professor at the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, The Education University of Hong Kong, used a construct validation approach to validate the self-developed student feedback literacy scale, with two types of examinations: within- and between-network examinations. Within-network examinations use reliability and confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) to explore the dimensional structure of the scale. Between-network examination performs correlation analyses to investigate the correlation between the scale and other constructs theoretically related to the scale.

Previous research has found that at the very beginning of the feedback process, students must actively elicit feedback from others; comprehend the feedback received, judge its quality and extract information to enable subsequent action; and take actions to revise their work. Feedback can help them better understand their learning by identifying their learning strengths and weaknesses from the perspectives of others, learning from others, and enhancing their self-reflection. They must be emotionally ready to engage with feedback (readiness to engage). And they must devote their time and effort to making changes in their learning and strive to continuously improve by conquering difficulties and finding extra support or resources. Based on the literature review, the author constructed six dimensions of student feedback literacy: three related to the students’ capacity to elicit, process and enact feedback; and three related to the students’ disposition in terms of appreciation of feedback, readiness to engage and commitment to change.

In this study, the author issued the developed 24-item student feedback literacy questionnaire to 555 university student participants in mainland China to validate the scale. Both confirmatory factor analysis and multi-group confirmatory factor analysis showed that the scale was valid and that its structure was stable among students of different genders and in different majors. The between-network analysis presented a significant correlation between the six dimensions of student feedback literacy and students’ intrinsic and extrinsic learning motivation.

Future studies could use the validated scale in this study to capture its temporal changes or explore the complex relationships between student feedback literacy and its influencing factors. It will enable higher-education teachers to systematically analyse student feedback literacy, such as the critical development period and possibly unbalanced development. This will help teachers reflect on their current feedback practices to see whether they create conditions conducive to the development of targeted aspects of student feedback literacy and what measures they can apply to facilitate its development.

Numerous studies highlight vocabulary as a critical predictor determining word and text reading comprehension in monolingual and bilingual children, but when measuring vocabulary, most studies focus on either breadth or depth, or conflate the two, which devalues the unique role each dimension plays in reading comprehension.

A study by Dr Tong Xiuhong, Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychology, The Education University of Hong Kong, examined the links between breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension, and the mediating impact of word reading on these links within and across first language (L1) Chinese and second language (L2) English among 391 Chinese-English bilingual second graders in Hong Kong mainstream primary schools where Chinese is the medium of instruction and English is taught as L2.

Parents and caregivers filled out a questionnaire on family demographics, children’s language background, and home language use, with four questions: the language the child prefers (1) when speaking with parents, (2) when watching TV/videos, and (3) when reading books and magazines; and (4) the main language parents use to speak with their children.

To measure vocabulary breadth and depth, parallel measures of L1 Chinese and L2 English vocabulary were administered. For L1, Chinese receptive vocabulary breadth, and expressive vocabulary breadth and depth were measured. For L2, English receptive vocabulary breadth and expressive vocabulary depth were measured.

To measure reading, parallel measures of L1 Chinese and L2 English word reading and reading comprehension were administered to all participants.

Control measures included assessing children’s nonverbal reasoning ability, L1 Chinese phonological awareness and L2 English phonological awareness.

The study demonstrated the occurrence of a cross-language association between L1 Chinese vocabulary and L2 English reading comprehension, and revealed different ways in which L1 receptive vocabulary breadth and depth contributed to L2 reading comprehension.

The findings extend contemporary models of reading comprehension to include bilingual readers and suggest that one theoretical framework assuming either a direct or indirect effect on vocabulary cannot adequately explain the complexity and specificity of the relation between oral vocabulary and reading comprehension.

Moreover, by highlighting the mediating role of word reading in the link between vocabulary and reading comprehension within and across languages, the findings reinforce the non-selective view of the lexical access of bilinguals and underscore the interaction between L1 and L2 lexicons in reading comprehension.

The findings have educational implications for biliteracy practices. First, since quantity and quality of vocabulary affect L1 Chinese and L2 English reading comprehension, biliteracy programs may consider targeting both to increase L1 and L2 lexical richness. Second, the facilitative effect of L1 Chinese vocabulary on L2 English reading comprehension suggests that biliteracy teaching and intervention programs should utilise L1 language skills to scaffold the acquisition of L2 vocabulary and reading comprehension.

Past studies have shown that providing bilingual versions or side-by-side translations of texts can improve bilingual children’s literacy development. Thus, when reading and writing, bilingual students should be encouraged to use their L1 and L2 language repertoires to think, reason, imagine, and organise ideas.

The study was conducted together with Dr Shelly Tong Xiuli, Associate Professor in the Department of Human Communication, Development, and Information Sciences at The University of Hong Kong.

Amid the global concern over the pollution of radioactive wastes in the ocean, The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK), the City University of Hong Kong and The University of Hong Kong have conducted a cross-institutional study, which has found that ‘Artificial Mussels’ (AMs) can effectively measure low concentration of radionuclides in the sea. It is believed that this technology can be applied as a reliable and effective solution for monitoring radioactive contamination around the world.

Akin to natural mussels, the AMs – invented over a decade ago by Professor Rudolf Wu Shiu-sun of the Department of Science and Environmental Studies at EdUHK – have a remarkable ability to soak up a variety of metals, and therefore can be used to measure the concentration of metallic pollutants in the marine environment. As of today, AMs have already been in use in 29 countries around the world.

Addressing the problem of radioactive pollution in the ocean, Professor Wu and his team in 2022 selected three radioactive substances (i.e. uranium, strontium and caesium), commonly found in nuclear waste and disposal, as research targets. The research team then placed the AMs in seawater containing various concentrations of radionuclides, in an attempt to test the devices’ absorption and releasing abilities.

Following a series of experiments, results showed that it only takes seven to eight weeks for the AMs to complete the absorption process. After that, they release the radioactive substances on returning to clean seawater, demonstrating that the device can provide a reliable estimate on the concentration and variation of these radionuclides in seawater.

Unlike existing methods, using AMs does not require collecting hundreds of litres of seawater for concentration and analysis, therefore saving the required manpower and cost for sampling and pre-treatment. The cost of each AM is just US$1 (approximately HK$8), making it viable for long-term and large-scale monitoring of nuclear wastewater.

Pioneering the study, Professor Wu said, “The risks posed by nuclear wastes to marine ecology and human health cannot be underestimated. The study confirms that AMs can resolve the limitations presented by traditional detection methods. The device can play a role in safeguarding environmental and food safety, as it offers authorities around the world a practical and cost-effective way to monitor radionuclides in waters.”

The research findings have been peer-reviewed, and published in the Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. For the original publication, please visit https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/11/7/1309.

The use of veterinary antibiotics is not uncommon in the fields of animal husbandry and fisheries to speed up growth and prevent disease. However, residual antibiotics may damage human gut microbiota, promote antibiotic resistance, and even delay the growth and development of brain cells, posing hazards to human health.

Since 2015, Dr Deng Wenjing, Associate Professor in the Department of Science and Environmental Studies at The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK), and her research team have been examining the use of antibiotics and their impact in the context of local environmental ecology, food safety and children’s health. They have found that these practices not only cause water pollution, but also contaminate food, eventually affecting human health.

Environmental ecology

In 2021, the research team collected 13 river water samples and 15 sea water samples across Hong Kong. The results showed that the samples were extensively contaminated with antibiotics, including tetracyclines (three types), sulfonamides (10 types), quinolones (nine types), and macrolides and streptomycin. Some types were detected in all samples. In areas with a larger number of farms, such as Yuen Long, both the number of types and the concentration of antibiotics detected were higher. Compared to the initial study in 2015, the team found that the concentration rate of target antibiotics had decreased, but antibiotics were detected in more locations, indicating a broader coverage of antibiotics in local waters.

Children’s health

In other research in 2016, the team collected 31 urine samples from local children aged between four to six. None of them had taken any medical antibiotics within a month before the test, but 77.4% of their samples were found to be positive for antibiotics, with the highest concentration reaching 0.36 ng/mL. The detection rate was higher than that in Shanghai and Korea. Although the levels of concentration were lower than the World Health Organisation’s international standard, other studies have revealed a significant correlation between the use of antibiotics in animals and children being overweight or obese. The situation, therefore, should not be ignored.

Food safety

To examine the relationship between food safety and the consumption of antibiotics in animals by children, the team tested in the same year chicken, pork, freshwater and saltwater seafood, and organic eggs bought from markets near the residences of the surveyed children. The team discovered that using traditional cooking methods, such as boiling, slow cooking, stir-frying, roasting, and steaming, did not remove antibiotics from the food.

Tetracyclines and streptomycin were also found in ‘organic eggs’ with ‘free from antibiotics’ claims, which could have been contaminated during packaging. This is in addition to the low concentration rate of oxytetracycline detected in drinking water, which indicates that the use of antibiotics in animals has already impacted our daily life on various fronts.

Dr Deng said, “The aim of these studies is to understand the use of antibiotics in animals in Hong Kong. They have revealed that even after high-temperature cooking, antibiotics cannot be completely removed from food, and ultimately enter the human body, posing a threat to our health”

She called on parents to take heed of the excessive intake of antibiotics, which could alter the intestinal environment and even lead to antibiotic resistance. More research in this area and frequent food testing are needed to understand the health risks of antibiotics on children. In the long run, it is necessary to strengthen regulatory control in this area to prevent the situation from worsening.

The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) garnered seven awards – a Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury, a Gold Medal and five Bronze Medals – at the 48th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva. The award-winning inventions covered a wide range of areas, including green technology, healthcare, educational technology, food safety, acoustic novelty, metaverse and sport innovation.

An innovation for the rapid quantification of microplastics, developed by Dr Chris Tsang Yiu-fai, Associate Professor at the Department of Science and Environmental Studies (SES), received a Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury in the ‘Protection of the Environment – Energy’ category. This is the first time that any of EdUHK’s inventions have received this prestigious recognition at the Geneva event, and less than 16% of this year’s inventions were awarded such honour.

Dr Fu Hong, Assistant Professor at the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology (MIT), has invented an ocular misalignment measurement system which received a Gold Medal.

The expo is widely recognised as the world’s most important event exclusively dedicated to inventions. This year, it attracted innovations from over 42 countries and regions, featuring a total of 820 exhibits. EdUHK’s award-winning inventions are:

Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury

1. Rapid Quantification of Microplastics Using Total Organic Carbon Analysis with Simple Sample Pretreatment

Principal investigator: Dr Chris Tsang Yiu-fai, Associate Professor, SES

An all-in-one semi-automatic sample pre-treatment device that can efficiently and accurately quantify microplastic abundance in water and slug samples.

Gold Medal

2. An Intelligent Ocular Misalignment Measurement System

Principal investigator: Dr Fu Hong, Assistant Professor, MIT

This fully automated machine measures ocular misalignment, with enormous potential to help mitigate the shortage of eye professionals and provide an objective method with high granular measurement.

Bronze Medals

3. Audio-Tactile Chinese Characters: Bringing Multisensory & Novel Learning Experience to people with visual impairment and with Special Needs

Principal investigator: Dr Hung Keung, Associate Professor, Department of Cultural and Creative Arts

Chinese radicals in several 3D tactile character models allow students to experience the structural formation of Chinese characters through touch and sound. This multi-sensory learning kit is designed to break visual and social learning barriers, especially for people with visual impairment or special needs.

4. Nano-Sensor System for Meat and Seafood Monitoring

Principal investigator: Professor Stephen Chow Cheuk-fai, SES

A food monitoring device that offers a new and convenient way to monitor food safety, with a series of chemo sensors to detect the chemical substance released from rotting food.

5. Learningverse – A 3D Metaverse for Online Collaborative Learning

Principal investigator: Dr Song Yanjie, Associate Professor, MIT

A 3D metaverse providing a custom virtual tool for online collaborative learning in school education. It enables customising of avatars and mirrors users’ interactions with a computer and a webcam to enhance immersive learning.

6. A Tuneable Multi-Feature Active Noise Cancellation Headset

Principal investigator: Dr Steve Mung Wai-yin, Research Assistant Professor

A wireless headset with tuneable active noise control and sound equaliser functions, developed for dedicated applications. It comprises multiple features which can be adjusted to suit the needs of different users.

7. Sitting Light Volleyball and Its Functional Sports Garment

Principal investigator: Dr Leung Ka-man, Assistant Professor, Department of Health and Physical Education

Sitting light volleyball is developed to promote the physical and mental health of people with physical disabilities or older athletes. This garment solves limitations and movement restrictions during the exercise.

A delegation led by President Professor Stephen Cheung Yan-leung of The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) met with officials of Cambodia’s Directorate General of Higher Education (DGHE) of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, in Phnom Penh, last month. The purpose of the visit was to follow up on discussions held during DGHE representatives’ visit to EdUHK in February 2023, and to strengthen educational collaboration between the University and the Cambodian Government.

During the meeting, His Excellency Mak Ngoy, Director General of DGHE, and Professor Cheung discussed the potential areas in which EdUHK could contribute to education in Cambodia, such as providing more capacity-building opportunities to in-service teachers in the country, recruiting quality candidates from Cambodia to study on scholarships at the University, and jointly supervising doctoral students. Both parties agreed to further promote educational cooperation, enhance the professional competencies of higher education teachers, and foster collaborative research and knowledge transfer.

On 24 April 2023, Professor Cheung signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Rector of the National University of Battambang (NUBB) His Excellency Sok Khorn. The MoU provides a framework to facilitate strategic education collaboration between the two universities, marking the beginning of a new phase of close cooperation.

His Excellency Sok Khorn expressed his wishes to deepen cooperation with EdUHK, particularly in areas of student and staff exchange, joint research projects, and organising online seminars and workshops for students and staff at NUBB.

Four Doctor of Education students from Cambodia recently arrived at The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) as part of a World Bank project.

The students were awarded doctoral scholarships funded through the World Bank’s Higher Education Improvement Project. The project aims to improve the quality of higher education learning and teaching, as well as to enhance the research capacity and governance of the Cambodian higher education sector. To attain these goals, EdUHK is collaborating with RUPP, and has been working in partnership with the south-east Asian country’s ministry of education and six universities to set up the Centre of Excellence in Higher Education Teaching and Learning Innovations (CEHETLI).

Passing the torch

With the support of the EdUHK-CEHETLI team, the students will continue their learning journey at the University to build their capacity for quality research, teaching and learning. After graduation, they will serve as key personnel to manage the Centre and its activities, and contribute to quality enhancement of higher education teaching and learning in Cambodia. Also part of the World Bank project, EdUHK and CEHETLI have co-organised a series of policy dialogue events. The fourth of these took place online in February and brought together 48 university leaders and senior higher education management officials from Cambodia and EdUHK, to celebrate the 21 master teachers’ successful completion of the Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education programme. This provides a variety of learning opportunities for the master teachers to build their capacity for quality higher education teaching and learning.

Thirty-four scholars of The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) were named among the top 2% most-cited scientists in the world, in an annual list released by Stanford University.

Among them were President Professor Stephen Cheung Yan-leung, Vice President (Academic) and Provost Professor John Lee Chi-kin, Vice President (Research and Development) Professor Chetwyn Chan Che-hin, Research Chair Professor of Geography and Environmental Science Professor Jim Chi-yung, and Advisor (Environmental Science) Professor Wong Ming-hung.

Compiled by a research team at Stanford University, the list ranked top scientists from a wide range of fields based on their career-long citation impact or single-year citation impact in 2021. The inclusion of EdUHK scholars represents the global recognition and the significant impact of their research output.

EdUHK President Professor Cheung was listed in the field of finance under the category of career-long impact. So were Professor John Lee* and Professor Chetwyn Chan, who were included in the fields of education and rehabilitation. Professor Wong Ming-hung from the Department of Science and Environmental Studies also ranked 6th out of over 100,000 scholars in environmental science.

In terms of single year impact, Chair Professor of Psychology and Gerontology Professor Cheng Sheung-tak and Chair Professor of Social Policy Professor Chou Kee-lee ranked 9th and 19th respectively, in gerontology.

Congratulating the EdUHK team, Professor Cheung said, “I am pleased that under our ‘Education-plus’ approach, we have successfully broadened our academic scope beyond our traditional strength in teacher education. Inclusion in the top 2% list attests to the solid foundation laid over the years, which has led to growing academic strengths in the fields of energy, environmental studies, marine biology and hydrobiology, as well as political science and public administration.”

For eight consecutive years, EdUHK has been ranked among the top three in Asia and the top 20 in the world in education, according to the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings. The University’s research output was also judged as “World Leading” or “Internationally Excellent” in the latest Research Assessment Exercise conducted by the University Grants Committee. The latest accolade came from the 7th International Invention Innovation Competition in Canada (iCAN) in 2022, in which the University won a record high of 26 awards since its first participation.

* Professor John Lee will be EdUHK President next September

Good hand hygiene has been found to be an effective way to prevent the spread of infectious organisms and the most important defence against disease, but studies have shown that many parents have inadequate knowledge, reporting skills, and parenting practices related to seasonal influenza. Previous research has shown a positive relationship between parents’ and children’s health practices. The research by Dr Peggy Or Pui-lai, Assistant Professor at the Department of Health and Physical Education, The Education University of Hong Kong, investigated whether there was any correlation between flu infection among parents and their kindergarten-age children, and the effectiveness of using hand hygiene interventions in kindergartens to lower kindergarten children’s absenteeism attributable to seasonal flu.

Fifteen kindergartens in Hong Kong were randomly selected, from which 58 parents and two grandparents, and their children or grandchildren were invited to participate in the hand-hygiene programme. To support the validity of the study, the WHO hand-hygiene checklist was used to ensure sufficient coverage of the objectives. An infection-control nurse conducted four weekly 45-minute training session for the children and a separate one-hour session for parents. Parents monitored their children for flu symptoms, and the kindergartens monitored their school attendance. To evaluate the effectiveness of the programme, the children and their parents were required to answer 10 true-or-false questions in a questionnaire on hand hygiene knowledge before and after the hand-hygiene programme. A research assistant explained the questions and answers clearly to the children.

The results of the study showed that children with strong parenting and good hand hygiene had fewer recorded signs and symptoms of flu-like illnesses. The absence rates in all participating kindergartens owing to flu decreased from 21.5% to 12% in the three-month study period.

In the hand-hygiene knowledge test, 6.8% of parents correctly answered the question on the seven-step hand hygiene technique before the programme, while 79.5% answered it correctly after the programme. In the hand-hygiene skills test, the parts of the hands that were not properly washed before the intervention were the back of the hands, the back of the fingers, the thumbs and the wrists. After the programme, the percentages of the properly washed areas on both hands increased significantly, in particular the wrists from 0.5% to 82%, and 27% more children showed concern about the hand hygiene behaviour of the people around them, especially their parents’. The children also shared what they had learnt with their parents, and their parents started paying more attention to proper handwashing. This also provided more common topics for conversation between them, resulting in increased communication and closer bonds.

Researchers concluded that the flu infection rate of the parents and their children was significantly correlated with P = .005. The awareness and personal hygiene skills of parents and children were both raised after the programme. The findings supported that positive parenting on hand hygiene helped reduce kindergarteners’ absenteeism from flu-like illnesses.