This study focuses on the early years program at International School Hong Kong (ISHK), a school with an explicit mission towards global mindedness. The program aims to move beyond narrow conceptions of us/them, north/south, and east/west binaries. Instead, ISHK urges children to view the world holistically through a range of perspectives. Within…

This study aimed to design mediated prompts as dynamic assessment (DA) intervention to enhance young students' English-speaking abilities in storytelling tasks and to explore the effects of the designed mediated prompts as DA intervention on English-speaking abilities of young students. The research was conducted in two phases. The first phase…

This dissertation investigates the actual versus perceived knowledge of oral language development strategies among early years teachers in international schools. Employing Prestwich's (2012) "Teacher's Knowledge of Oral Language Development" (TKOLD) survey, it assesses teachers' knowledge in critical areas such as promoting extended…

Limited research has examined the well-being of international preschool teachers, while intervention targeting their well-being is even rarer. The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a 2-month EASP (i.e., Early Advancement in Social-Emotional Health and Positivity) positive psychological intervention program based on the…

The purpose of this Dissertation in Practice was to explore the relationship between cultural intelligence and burnout in teachers. This purpose was rooted in a growing trend of teachers reporting a significant degree of burnout and education frequently being noted as one of the most stressful professions in the job market (Johnson et al., 2005;…

This is a study of progressive education in the context of virtual preschool. The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged teachers globally to adapt to new e-learning environments while finding creative solutions to support child engagement and learning. In this case study, we examined a preschool program in a progressive and multilingual Hong Kong…

P-12 (pre-school -- grade 12) international schools educate increasing numbers of local and expatriate students, who make up a growing proportion of tertiary (university level) international students. Using the transnational social fields framework, this phenomenological study focused on the experiences of 19 students from international schools in…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how leadership practices and attitudes affect teacher connectedness. A single research question guided the study: From the perspective of teachers and principals, what practices and attitudes of school leadership can help teachers to become better connected to their schools? Researchers have…

International Academy of South East Asia (IASEA) is a preschool - grade 12 independent, non- profit international school with the vision of being a world leader in education cultivating exceptional thinkers prepared for the future. The school has determined that personalized learning is a pathway to the achievement of the vision. A personalized…

Professional development is an essential element in teachers' growth, and subsequently, students' success. Moreover, teachers' sense of motivation and their sense of organization citizenship behavior are factors that can greatly benefit organizational success by empowering teachers and increasing workplace productivity. The purpose of this study…

As an officially trilingual special administrative region of China and an economic powerhouse in Asia, Hong Kong has invested heavily in dual language schools that emphasize learning English alongside of Cantonese or Mandarin at all levels of education. Little research has explored how learning and language use takes shape within these schools,…

Using a qualitative case-study approach, this small-scale pilot study explores the potential challenges and opportunities faced by early childhood educators in their first year of implementing a dedicated Outdoor Learning Environment (OLE) at their school. Participants include two Kindergarten teachers working at a large international school in…

Mandarin Chinese is the fastest growing foreign language by number of students in the world [Ding and Saunders 2006. "Talking up China: An Analysis of China's Rising Cultural Power and Global Promotion of the Chinese Language." "East Asia" 23 (2): 3-33], but little is known about how it is taking hold in compulsory education in…

Play is a natural and significant aspect of children's learning and development. Adults can be important to children's play, as they act as "play agents." Their involvement significantly influences the quality of the play activities in which children engage. The author briefly reviews the theoretical assumptions about adults' role in…

Whilst many practitioners value positive and effective working relationships with parents, enhancing home-school interactions can be complex, especially within highly diverse contexts. Within the UK, partnership working with parents is widely advocated. However, there may exist subtle, but crucial differences between interactions that…