Globalisation and Education Reforms in Hong Kong: Paradigm Shifts

Abstract

Hong Kong is an international city and a meeting point of the West and the East, with a strong tradition of echoing global trends. As in some other parts of the world in recent years, education in Hong Kong has experienced two waves of reforms and is starting a third wave in this era of globalisation. The three waves of educational reforms are based on different paradigms and theories of educational effectiveness, and they employ different strategies and approaches for changing schools and education (Cheng, 2001a; 2002). Since the 1970s, the first wave emphasised internal effectiveness with a focus on internal process improvement through external intervention. Since the mid-1990s, the second wave pursued interface effectiveness in terms of school-based management, quality assurance, accountability, and stakeholders’ satisfaction, focusing on macro-social reforms. Now, in response to challenges of globalisation, information technology, and a knowledge-driven economy for the new century, Hong Kong is starting a third wave of educational reform pursuing future effectiveness concerned with future generations and a globalised society. Reflecting on the issues of the first and second waves of education reforms, this chapter aims to analyse how Hong Kong, as an international city, is addressing the challenges of globalisation as it moves towards the third wave of educational reform. Implications for policy development, reform practice and research in international contexts are also discussed.