Abstract
In response to several major curriculum reforms in Hong Kong since 2000, schools were required to initiate policies that catered for students diverse needs. As well academic achievement, the reforms also emphasize the affective and social outcomes of the learning experience. A whole-school approach to learner diversity includes students with low academic achievement and mild disabilities, with schools free to develop policies and practices in-line with the needs of the students, teachers and parents. Against the Chinese cultural context, where high academic achievement is highly valued, this study describes the affective and social outcomes of students in one Hong Kong primary school that streamed students according to achievement level. Four hundred and ten students across Primary 3 -5 responded to four instruments measuring academic self-concept, alienation from school, teacher-students relationship and social integration. The responses showed that when studying the regular curriculum, students in the low achievement group reported greater levels of alienation and lowest levels of social integration compared to students with the highest levels of achievement. On the other hand, low achieving students who studied a differentiated curriculum reported affective and social outcome more consistent with the responses from the high achieving students. The results suggest that there is a mismatch between the aims and practice of the educational policy reflecting learner diversity and the cultural expectations of both parents and students.
Original language | English |
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Publication status | Published - Jun 2009 |
Event | 3rd Redesigning Pedagogy International Conference - Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Duration: 01 Jun 2009 → 03 Jun 2009 |
Conference
Conference | 3rd Redesigning Pedagogy International Conference |
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Country/Territory | Singapore |
Period | 01/06/09 → 03/06/09 |
Citation
Lam, B. H. (2009, June). What are the affective and social outcomes for low-achieving students within an inclusive school in Hong Kong? Paper presented at the Redesigning Pedagogy International Conference: Designing New Learning Contexts for a Globalising World, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.Keywords
- At-risk students
- Curriculum in classroom