Continuity and change in the meanings of citizenship: A case study of the primary social education curriculum in Hong Kong

Social Education has been one of the major vehicles for implementing civic education in primary schools in Hong Kong since 1967. In the decades that followed, there have been changes in the meanings of citizenship in curriculum content in accordance with changing contexts. But at the same time, as a means of socialization, curriculum content has also been designed to preserve certain mores and values that are conducive to the well-being of society. Hence, out of the current of change, there has been an untertow of continuity in curriculum content. This paper uses the primary Social Education curriculum as a case study. By comparing and contrasting the various syllabuses of Social Education from 1967 to 2002, it aims to yield light on the changes and continuities in the meanings of citizenship in the primary school context. It is expected that the paper will add a further intellectual dimension and expand the research repertoire of studies of citizenship education in Hong Kong.