A study of Hong Kong secondary school civic education curriculum development (1984-1986)

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of changing political demands upon Hong Kong's secondary school civic education during the transition period 1984-1986, in which Hong Kong prepared for its transition from a British colony to a 'Special Administrative Region' under China beginning in 1997.;Easton's systems analysis framework, modified to incorporate both the 'political culture' approach of Almond & Verba and the 'domains of curriculum' of Goodlad was used in this study.;Major questions directing this research focused upon: (1) the environmental factors influencing the goal of civic education in Hong Kong; (2) the demands exerted upon the Curriculum Development Committee in formulating its objectives for civic education; and (3) the formal and teacher-perceived curriculum resulting from these processes.;Library research, questionnaires and interviews were the research methods employed.;Factors that were found to limit the growth of participatory politics in Hong Kong included: (1) the lack of a substantive political framework to guarantee the promises in the Joint Declaration of the two governments; (2) the Chinese Government's emphasis on 'one country' and its pragmatic consideration of capitalism as an economic system for production only; (3) the longstanding English nineteenth century colonial policy exercised in Hong Kong up to 1984 and the resulting limitations, both external and internal, on democratic structures in Hong Kong; (4) the traditional mixed parochial-subject political culture and the lack of class consciousness both on the part of the middle classes and the labour sectors of Hong Kong society.;Several factors such as modernization and industrialization were found, on the other hand, to support the construction of a democratic government and to exert important influences on civic education during this transition period.;In 1985, the Curriculum Development Committee issued 'Guidelines on Civic Education in Schools'. The objectives of the 'Guidelines' as perceived by teachers and experts, were judged to be more oriented toward Hong Kong than toward China and to reflect the democratic Participant political culture with respect to Hong Kong. Teachers and curriculum experts differed, however, in the political nature of the civic education relating to China.;Although two evaluations of the implementation of the 'Guidelines' have been issued by the government since 1985, no revision on the objectives of the 'Guidelines' had been proposed.