Digital technologies integration in three primary schools in Hong Kong

: a cultural historical activity study

Abstract

This dissertation explores the adoption of a digital-technology-based policy-driven initiative in three primary schools in Hong Kong. According to policy publications, the Hong Kong Government anticipated a significant change in education using digital technologies in schools. The government appeared to expect that learning would not be limited by textbooks and school timetables, nor would it be restricted to the classroom. However, the government appeared to want to exercise firm and centralised control over the textbook-based curriculum.

This dissertation draws upon Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) to examine teachers’ activities that were situated in a collective cultural, social, historical, and educational context. Furthermore, it aims to investigate the integration of digital technologies in three Hong Kong primary schools at the classroom, school, and policy levels.

Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with teachers and principals from three primary schools, supported by the government’s education-reform policy documents, classroom observations, school annual reports, and websites from the three schools. Thematic and dialectic analyses were employed to examine the adoption of digital technologies in the three primary schools. As a result of the analysis, themes and contradictions were identified. First, based on the teachers’ reflections, students participated more actively in technology-mediated classes than in classes where digital technologies were not used. Second, it was found that the constraints in using technology-mediated tools in the classroom were not isolated but socially bound. Third, it was found that the teachers' level of trust and the division of labour was related to leadership, school culture, and tradition. Finally, government education reform policies were found to be constrained by socio-cultural influence.

Date of Award	6 Dec 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	Sue Timmis (Supervisor) & Jennifer M K Rowsell (Supervisor)