Support services to secondary school teachers in Hong Kong

This study examines the support services to Hong Kong secondary schools in the light of two service delivery models. The first model is the traditional model which focuses on direct, remedial, and individual-oriented services. The second model is the alternative model which accommodates indirect, preventive, and system-oriented services. The study consisted of two phases. The first phase employed qualitative method and information was collected from 5 focus groups of teachers, social workers and educational psychologists. The data collected in the focus groups paved the way for the quantitative research in the second phase of the study. Three questionnaire surveys were conducted with 1,185 secondary school teachers, 66 school social workers, and 9 educational psychologists, respectively. The surveys examined the utilization of support services among the teachers, the difficulties encountered by the teachers, the perspectives of the school social workers and educational psychologists on the scope, availability and difficulties of their services. It was found that secondary school teachers in Hong Kong did not have much support when they encountered difficulties in their work. It was most obvious for the difficulties which were embedded in the systems, such as heavy work-load and excessive administrative duties. This finding supported the need to change from the model of direct, remedial, and individual-oriented services to the model of indirect, preventive, and system-oriented services. It was corroborated with the results of the surveys with the school social workers and educational psychologists. These professionals also expressed a strong desire to switch from the traditional to the alternative model of service delivery. Copyright © 1998 The Chinese University of Hong Kong.