Arts and creativity in Hong Kong Kindergartens: A document analysis of quality review reports

Jerry YEUNG, Alfredo BAUTISTA ARELLANO, Carrey Tik-Sze SIU, Po Chi Pansy TAM, Kit Mei Betty WONG

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlespeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In Hong Kong, the Education Bureau (EDB) regularly assesses the quality of services provided by publicly subsidized kindergartens to children aged 3 to 6. Quality Review (QR) reports are written by government officials and published on the EDB's website. This study analyzes the feedback pertaining to Arts and Creativity to better understand the role this learning area plays in Hong Kong kindergartens. Lexical and content analyses were applied on 164 QR reports published between 2017 and 2020. Findings showed that: (1) the role of Arts and Creativity in the QR reports is relatively minor, which suggests that this learning area is somewhat secondary in Hong Kong kindergartens; (2) presence of the various art forms differs significantly, with Music and Visual Arts being more frequent than Drama and especially Dance; and (3) classroom activities seem to be teacher-centered, product-oriented, and reproductive. Findings suggest that the Arts and Creativity pedagogies enacted in Hong Kong kindergartens are not fully consistent with the official kindergarten Curriculum Guide, which draws on a Western conceptualization of creativity in the arts. We argue that this curriculum/practice gap reveals the need for local stakeholders to embrace a "glocalization" paradigm. Limitations, future research, and implications are discussed. Copyright © 2022 Jerry Yeung et al.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)87-107
JournalCreativity
Volume9
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01 Jun 2022

Citation

Yeung, J., Bautista, A., Siu, C. T.-S., Tam, P.-C., & Wong, K.-M. (2022). Arts and creativity in Hong Kong Kindergartens: A document analysis of quality review reports. Creativity, 9(1), 87-107. doi: 10.2478/ctra-2022-0005

Keywords

  • Arts and creativity
  • Kindergarten education
  • Curriculum
  • Pedagogy
  • Educational policy
  • Document analysis

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Arts and creativity in Hong Kong Kindergartens: A document analysis of quality review reports'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.