Literature has confirmed that teacher appraisal can and should facilitate the professional development of teachers. In the past, teacher appraisal in China has been conducted mainly for administrative purposes; nowadays, it is increasingly being viewed as a means of teacher professional development. However, the way in which teacher appraisal affects teacher professional development has not been fully recognized. This case study, of a junior secondary school in Shanghai, China, explores how teacher appraisal has been carried out and how teachers and administrators have perceived it in relation to teacher professional development. The research findings identify the mechanism by which the teacher appraisal system in question facilitates professional development. The system creates pressure and extrinsic incentives that 'push and pull' teachers to improve, and supports their growth through guidance and directions. In addition, environmental factors such as school culture contribute to the positive impacts that teacher appraisal has on professional development.

Background/Context For centuries, the notions of citizenship and citizenship education have been associated with the nation-state and civic elements. However, since the late 20th century, these traditional notions have been challenged by globalization. In the discourse of globalization, citizenship, and citizenship education, some scholars suggest a simplistic replacement or shift from national citizenship to global citizenship, regional citizenship, or local and group identities. Against these simplistic, single-leveled approaches is the argument for both the continuing importance of nation-specific characteristics of citizenship and the strong need to diversify the nation-state-oriented and civic-specific framework to form multileveled and multidimensional ones. They accommodate individuals’ engagement in the various domains of human activities and their memberships at various levels, ranging from individual to community, local, national, and international or global ones. Some scholars have advocated a multidimensional model of citizenship education by regrouping human relationships and activities into four major dimensions—personal, social, spatial, and temporal—which can intersect with various levels in the multilevel polity. However, these general, static frameworks are not backed by strong empirical evidence and do not explain the complexity of interplay among different actors at the same level and/or between levels. Purpose The purpose of the article is twofold. First, it aims to provide empirical evidence for the general framework of multileveled and multidimensional citizenship education by assessing students’ views of citizenship in a multileveled polity with reference to Hong Kong and Shanghai in China. Second, with the help of the comparative study, the article is intended to supplement the general framework by proposing a theoretical framework that explains the complex interplay of different actors in their choices of citizenship elements from a multileveled polity. Setting The study took place in three public junior secondary schools in Shanghai and three aided secondary schools in Hong Kong and assessed their students’ views of the global, national, local, and personal-social domains of multiple identities in a multileveled polity. Research Design The study adopted a mixed methodology of observations, questionnaires, and interview surveys to collect data. Data Collection and Analysis Data are drawn from questionnaires completed by 1,402 students attending Grades 7–9, and 38 interviews with principals, teachers, and students from both societies between 2002 and 2003. Conclusions/Recommendations The study shows that although students of Hong Kong and Shanghai were aware of having multiple citizenships, some of their views of the relative importance of, and the interrelationships among, four dimensions of citizenship differed. The patterns of their perceptions of multiple citizenships reflect similarities and differences in the organization of citizenship education between schools in Hong Kong and Shanghai, the nation-state's influences on local citizenship curricula, and local governments’ development considerations in remaking collective identity. With the help of the comparative study, the article supplements the general framework by proposing a theoretical framework for interpreting citizenship and citizenship education as dynamic, context-bounded, and multi-leveled social constructions reinvented through the intertwined interactions of different actors in response to social changes, including globalization.

The lack of public funding available for schools in China is a serious problem. To alleviate this situation, the government urges schools to engage in ‘creating income’ by running factories, opening shops, renting out school premises, etc., in order to advance educational provision and improve teachers’ welfare. This article reports upon a recent study of 21 secondary schools in an urban district of Guangzhou. It describes and analyzes how the practices identified above can improve facilities and equipment, boost morale, facilitate innovation and increase autonomy at the school level. In addition, it examines some of the problems that may be generated by such practices.

Education in Hong Kong has developed rapidly since the seventies in parallel with the economy boom. To support such development, the government has invested heavily in initial teacher education and will soon impose professional training and graduate qualification as prerequisites for entering the profession. Continuous Teacher Education (CTE), generally regarded as equally important to initial teacher education if not more, is not given comparable emphasis. This paper is set to study CTE in Hong Kong, including its policy, practice and provision at the system level. Some special features of the system are identified and scrutinised, including ad hoc, policyled, and competence-based. The centrally provided CTE is also closely examined in terms of its relevance to the profession, impact on schools, and cost-effectiveness.The paper ends with a close look at its latest development, obstacles encountered and prospect. 1 revised on 18/2/2002 B.Ed (Primary) programme was launched in 1988.

In recent years, an increasing number of students with special educational needs (SEN) continue their studies into tertiary education. Students with SEN undergo a transition process that reveals more vulnerabilities and make additional efforts to cope with the challenges in higher education. This study investigated the self-esteem and psychological distress of students with SEN in higher education, drawing on secondary analysis of data gathered by the Annual Student Survey of one higher education institution in Hong Kong that included background information (e.g., demographic characteristics, SEN status, family income, etc.) and measures of self-esteem and psychological distress of depression, anxiety, and stress. Students were assessed at the beginning of an academic year (designated T1) and again at the beginning of the following academic year (designated T2). The results showed that the self-esteem of students with SEN deteriorated significantly at T2. Symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress also increased. The findings strongly suggest that supportive services should be provided for students with SEN to help them face the challenges of transition from secondary to tertiary education and assist them in coping with the challenges of higher education.