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Selected Development Project
 
Project Title

Provision of Services for Study on Arts Education Schemes Organized by Audience Building Office
 
Principal Investigator Dr LAU, Chung Yim
 
Area of Research Project
Creative Arts and Culture Development
 
Project Period
From 09/2010 To 12/2011
Objectives
The objectives of this study are to:
  • Collect profiles of the participants such as their sex, school grade, preferable art forms, etc;
  • Collect the feedback of the participants of ABO’s arts education schemes on individual programmes in each scheme and the scheme as a whole;
  • Identify areas for improvement based on views of participants in this study;
  • Trace the development of the participants’ interest and participation in performing arts; and
  • Propose a framework for assessing the effectiveness of ABO’s arts education schemes which may be carried out in the future.
Methods Used
This study was conducted in two phases using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies:
  • Phase 1:   Survey – specially designed questionnaires for each of the four schemes were distributed to participating students and teachers in Hong Kong
    • 16,336 valid questionnaires were collected throughout the 2010-2011 academic year
  • Phase 2:   Focus group – two focus groups for Arts Experience Scheme for Senior Secondary Students (AES) and School Arts Animateur Scheme (SAAS)
    • Focus groups were organised with a view to collect detailed and descriptive data on students’ satisfaction and expectations for the AES and SAAS, their perceived effects and the changes on them after participation in these schemes
    • Teachers from selected schools were asked to select students based on certain criteria
    • 19 secondary students were interviewed for AES, and 11 students (inc. 6 primary students, and 5 secondary students) were interviewed for SAAS.
Summary of Findings
  • Understand multiculturalism by exploring its meanings in Chinese context
  • Find out the difficulties of promoting cultural responsiveness and multicultural competence at schools
  • Explore how teachers and students define their roles in classrooms
Impact
According to the findings of the study, the likelihood of behavioral changes is significantly associated with the enhancement of cognitive skills. To ensure sustainable development of the arts in Hong Kong, it is necessary to encourage students to have more participation in arts activities with a view to transferring their cognitive development to behavioral changes in the long run and continued resources have to be injected. To this end, the way forward is proposed with the following considerations:
  • To provide additional resources for ABO to organize more quality arts education programmes of various art forms for students to enhance their cognitive skills which could influence behavioral changes in ticket purchases for cultural programmes in future;
  • To share the survey findings with participating arts groups for reference in devising themes of programmes and the related interactive activities to suit needs and teaching requirements of schools;
  • To launch the New Synergy Arts Animateur Scheme on a trial basis in the 2012/13 school year in response to students’ views for voluntary rather than compulsory participation where students who have previously enrolled in composition or script writing training projects can apply at their own discretion to further develop their artistic potential; 
  • To explore possibilities of parental involvement in school arts education activities as parents are the prime decision-makers in students’ arts participation, particularly for primary students who are financially reliant on their parents to support participation in the arts.  Also, organization of child-parent activities could be explored at the community level with a view to offering youth the opportunity to participate in arts activities on a voluntary basis together with their parents; and
  • To draw reference from the study for future assessment on the effectiveness of the schemes including: i) effects on students’ cognitive development; ii) effects on students’ tendency of behavioral changes; and iii) overall effects on the schools and students.
Output
Lau, C. Y., Tam, C. O., & Lai, M. H. (2012). Study of Arts Education Schemes Organised by the Audience Building Office of Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Hong Kong: HKIEd & LCSD.
Biography of Principal Investigator
Dr. Lau Chung Yim studied Fine Arts and received his initial teacher education in the National Taiwan Normal University. He obtained his Master of Visual Arts from The University of Melbourne, and Certificate in Arts Administration in Grant MacEwan Community College. He completed a PhD at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University. Before joining the institute, he had taught art in kindergarten, junior and senior high schools in Taiwan for eight years. In 1998, he received an Art Teacher Award from the Taipei Municipal Bureau of Education. Dr. Lau is currently Assistant Professor of the Department of Cultural and Creative Arts at the Hong Kong Institute of Education. His research interests include investigations concerning issues in postmodernist pedagogy, understanding images of young adolescent, visual culture in art education, and art teacher education. Dr. Lau’s publications are mainly related to visual culture in art education, teaching art in the postmodern era, contemporary art curriculum.
Funding Source

Leisure and Cultural Services Department