The author tested a model hypothesizing that students' self-perceived academic support (from parents, teachers, and peers) is related to their achievement directly and indirectly through their own perceived academic engagement. The participants were 270 adolescents (M age = 15.41 years, range = 14-20 years) from 3 grade levels (Forms 3-5, equivalent to Grades 9-11 in the United States) in a Hong Kong secondary school. The school principal and teachers helped to collect data based on these adolescents' responses to a self-report questionnaire, consisting of a demographic profile and 4 scales assessing their self-perceptions of the extent of parental, teacher, and peer support, and their own academic engagement. Academic achievement was measured by self-reported grades in math, English, and Chinese. Structural equation modeling analyses revealed that adolescents' perceived parental, teacher, and peer support were all indirectly related to their academic achievement mediated by their own perceived academic engagement. The strength of the relationships, however, varied by support system, with perceived teacher support to achievement being the strongest, followed closely by perceived parental support, and then perceived peer support. In addition, both perceived parental support and perceived teacher support were directly related to academic achievement. However, perceived teacher support made the most total (direct and indirect) contribution to student achievement. Perceived peer support had the smallest, nonetheless significant, indirect relationship to academic achievement. However, the negative, direct influence of perceived peer support canceled out its positive, indirect influence on academic achievement.

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During the last century, early childhood curriculum (ECC) in China has undergone a series of monumental transformations, shaped by the interaction between local cultural and global forces. In this case study, we seek to address two questions: (1) How has the ECC in China evolved and been revolutionised over the past century? (2) How has the interaction between the local cultural and global influences informed the development and changing nature of ECC in China? We critically analyse three major waves of ECC reform in China, with a particular emphasis on the social and cultural forces that have shaped the evolution and revolution of ECC in China. Our analysis reveals the effects of these different forces in inducing change and how they propelled innovative reform of ECC. Furthermore, we deconstruct China's history of adopting and adapting curriculum ideologies and models from other cultural contexts with the opposite concepts of cultural relativism and cultural universalism. The findings suggest three important lessons we could learn from China: (1) teacher education is critical; (2) top-down model does not work; and (3) changing ideas does not necessarily mean changing practices. Last, we offer recommendations for the changes needed to achieve successful innovation in ECC.

Researchers have long been interested in understanding factors affecting student achievement. To contribute new insights to the literature, this study investigated grade-level differences in the relationships of students' perceived academic support (from parents, teachers and peers) to academic achievement directly and also indirectly through their perceived academic engagement. Questionnaire data were collected from 270 Hong Kong adolescents in Forms 3—5 (equivalent to Grades 9—11 in the United States). Structural equation modelling analyses revealed important and interesting grade-level differences in the academic support-based achievement relationships. Specifically, perceived parental support was negatively linked to academic achievement for Form 4 students, but it was positively related to academic achievement through perceived academic engagement for Form 3 students. Perceived teacher support was a significant predictor of academic achievement only for Form 3 students. Surprisingly, perceived peer support had no significant direct or indirect relationship to student achievement. These findings were interpreted from cultural, educational, socioeconomic and developmental perspectives. Suggestions for promoting particular sources of academic support for adolescents in different grade levels were discussed.

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