Problems and practices in promoting global education in Hong Kong primary schools: A case study

In response to the challenges of globalization, global learning is given special emphasis in the current curriculum reform in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. A new learning stand, Global Understanding and the Information Era, is included in the General Studies curriculum, a core subject which takes the major responsibility for citizenship education at the primary level. However, there is a concern that the curriculum initiative may represent another "symbolic change" and may not be able to be translated into the classroom practice. This paper aims to explore through a case study what and how global learning is conducted in General Studies classrooms with a view to analyzing the problems encountered. The findings helped to inform teachers' practice and shed light on the further development of this increasingly important area of learning in the basic education curriculum. Copyright © 2007 Pacific Circle Consortium for Education.