Past studies have found male students to have more confidence in using technology for learning than do female students. Males tend to have more positive attitudes about the use of technology for learning than do females. According to the Women’s Foundation (2006), few studies examined gender relevant research in Hong Kong. It also appears that no studies have examined these gender differences in the perception of confidence in using technology for learning specifically in Hong Kong. The aim of this study was to examine gender difference regarding confidence toward using technology (e.g., AutoCAD, SPSS, Compiere, Arena, and programming language, such as C, Java, Visual Basic, etc.) for learning in higher educational institutions in Hong Kong. The study employed a survey methodology collecting 211 questionnaires from one specific university in Hong Kong. The findings confirmed that male students have more confidence in using technology for learning than do female students because gender imbalances in computing are socially constructed and not related to a learner’s innate ability. It is recommended that the universities should set up training courses for female students so these students can build confidence in using technology for learning.

Propionibacterium acnes is a major skin commensal and is associated with acne vulgaris, the most common skin disease. Here we report the draft genome sequences of two P. acnes strains, the type strain ATCC6919 and an antibiotic-resistant strain, HL411PA1.

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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the perceptions of a sample of Hong Kong principals and teachers of the extent to which quality management (QM) has been effectively implemented in primary schools. The features of QM improvement implemented in Hong Kong primary schools include: values and duties, systems and teams(ST) resources and changes(RC) and meeting pupil needs and empowering staff.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative, survey questionnaire was adopted in this study. A total of 322 respondents (83 principals and 239 teachers) out of 83 primary schools responded to the questionnaire.FindingsThe finding shows that all four features of QM are perceived as being implemented in Hong Kong primary schools. There are significant differences between the perceptions of principals and teachers towards “value and duties”, “ST”, “RC” of QM. However, there is no significant difference between the perceptions of principles and teachers towards “meeting pupil needs and empowering staff” of QM.Originality/valueThis paper is a first step towards extending the theory and practice of QM to principals and teachers in Hong Kong primary schools.