Choi, Cheung & Luk. The Effectiveness of Project-Based Learning – A case study of three secondary schools. (2003) Quality Education Fund. Hong Kong Education and Manpower Bureau.
Choi, N,F., Lau, W.S., & Luk, S.H.(2006) Personal Outcomes Assessment for Students. Hong Chi Association, Hong Kong.
Cheng, P.-W., Luk, S.-H., Chan, C.-K., Chiu, L.-Y., Young, A., Yiu, H.-L., Hon, G., & Yiu, F. (2008, August). Promoting literacy acquisition in Chinese through peer-assisted learning: A Hong Kong experience. Poster session presented at the APA 116th Annual Convention, Boston, Massachusetts.
Abstract: We examined the effects of a peer-assisted literacy program on the reading achievement of first graders in Hong Kong. A word and sentence reading program was developed based on research literature on peer-assisted literacy strategies (PALS) and a corpus analysis of primary school textbooks. Four grade-one classes in a local primary school were recruited to participate in the study. Two classes were randomly assigned to the experimental condition and the other two classes served as controls. Teachers in the experimental condition implemented the peer-assisted literacy program in two 35-minute periods per week for 12 weeks and teachers in the control condition practiced reading instruction in the traditional fashion in a whole-class format for the same amount of instructional time. Pre-and post-intervention reading achievement data were collected on the three measures of reading achievement : real word identification, pseudo word identification, and one-minute character reading fluency. Due to the low literacy level of the participants prior to the intervention, sentence reading fluency was administered only at the post-intervention phase. Results indicated that students in the peer-assisted literacy program demonstrated greater achievement in real and pseudo word recognition as well as sentence reading fluency. Implications for literacy instruction in Chinese in Hong Kong are also discussed.
Cheng, P.-W., Luk, S.-H., & Ho, W.-S. (2008, July). Learning to read in Chinese in Hong Kong: The linguistic demands of learning Chinese characters in the grade-one classroom. Paper presented at the XXIX International Congress of Washington, Berlin, Germany.
Cheng, P.-W.,& Luk, S.-H. (2008). From Speech to Print: Helping Children with Literacy Difficulties. MCDA International Forum, Macau.
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Cheng, P.-W., Luk, S.-H., & Pang, Y.-S. (2009). Literacy enhancement and peer support (LEAPS): Prevention and intervention of reading difficulties. Journal of Youth Studies, 12(2) .
Abstract: During the past decade, the issue of reading difficulties has received increasing attention in Hong Kong. The recent adoption by the Education Bureau of a three-tier prevention and intervention model calls for a search of effective instructional methods to address the diverse learning needs of our students. Based on a thorough review of relevant research literature, we describe our attempts to utilize a peer support learning system as a tier-1 preventive reading program for beginning readers and as a tier-2 supplemental remediation for struggling adolescent learners. Our investigative efforts indicate that the proposed peer support reading scheme holds promise as a preventive procedure in reducing reading failure in beginning readers. In contrast, how to turn this scheme into a feasible and effective intervention for older students remains a challenge to be resolved by further consolidation and investigations.
Cheng, P.-W., Luk, S.-H., Chiu, L.-Y., & Chan, C.-K. (2009, June). What strategies do beginning learners use to learn Chinese characters? Insights from reading and spelling error analysis. Poster session presented at SSSR Conference, Boston, MA.
Abstract: How do children learn to read and spell words? In alphabetic languages, especially in English, it is generally agreed that mastering of the alphabetic principle (knowledge of grapheme-phoneme correspondence) is essential for literacy acquisition (e.g., Adams, 1990; Ehri, 1998). Simply put, phonological skills are important in learning English. In contrast, it is less clear cut whether phonological skills play an equally important role in learning Chinese. It has been observed that early phonological activation is involved in reading Chinese words (Perfetti & Zhang, 1995). However, due to the logographic nature of the Chinese writing system, it is argued that visual-orthographic skills are more crucial in learning to read and write Chinese (e.g., Huang & Hanley, 1995).
Luk, S.-H., Cheng, P.-W., Leung, K.-Y. & Lui, K.-F. (2009, October). How many classifiers are our children required to learn in primary school years? A corpus analysis of Chinese classifiers in Hong Kong primary textbooks. Poster session presented at 13th International Conference of the Processing of East Asian Languages, Beijing, China.
Abstract: Chinese has a large number of classifiers. This study offers a systematic analysis of the Chinese classifiers corpus learned by children in Hong Kong. The sources of analysis are primary textbooks by six different publishers. This selection represents 97% of the school textbook market in Hong Kong. The results of the analysis show that Hong Kong schoolchildren are required to learn about 115 classifiers from their textbooks. However, it was also found that the first 15 high-frequency classifiers cover over 50% of the total corpus. The current study represents a first attempt to methodically examine the learning demands of classifiers implicated in major Hong Kong textbooks. It provides a foundation for a better understanding of students’ acquisition of Chinese classifiers throughout the six years of primary school learning. Implications for teaching struggling readers in terms of mastering major classifiers in Chinese are discussed.
Shi, L., Wang, D., Chu, W. C. W., Luk, S.-H., Yeung, D. K. W., Wayne, M. (2009, August). Detection of morphological and functional neuro-changes in Chinese children with dyslexia. Poster session presented at the 6th Annual World Congress for Brain Mapping and Image guided Therapy, Boston.
Chu, W. C. W., Luk, S.-H., Wang, D., Shi, L., Yeung, D. K. W., Waye, M., Cheng, P.-W., & Ahuja, A.T. (2009, May). Functional MRI findings in Chinese (non-alphabetic) reading dyslexia children: What is different from alphabetic-language dyslexics? Paper presented at the 46th Annual Congress European Society of Paediatric Radiology, Istanbul, Turkey.
Abstract: Recent fMRI studies for dyslexic readers of English (alphabetic) language dyslexics showed reduced activity at left temporoparietal and occipitotemporal regions. As Chinese (non-alphabetic) language relies on arbitrary association between character forms and pronunciation (graphic forms are mapped to syllables), the functional disturbance in Chinese dyslexic readers might be different from the Western readers. The objective of the study is to determine the regional difference of brain activations between dyslexic Chinese children and age matched normal controls. Materials and methods Twenty-three Chinese dyslexia children (14 boys, nine girls, mean age 8 years, 8 months, SD 10 months) and six typically developing age matched controls (four boys and one girl, mean age 8 years, 1 month, SD 13 months) were recruited for participating in a fMRI experiment using word recognition and comprehension as an experimental task in a blocked design. All children were native speakers of Cantonese, the major dialect of Hong Kong and the language of instruction in school. They were strongly right-handed. The results show that Dyslexic children showed reduced activation at left parahippocampal and left frontal superior and left frontal mid region when compared with normal controls. On the other hand, dyslexic children showed greater right hemispheric activation in a variety of regions closely related to the contralateral hemisphere including right parahippocampal, right frontal mid and right frontal inferior region (two sample t test, p<0.001 uncorrected). Conclusion Neural circuits involved in reading disorder seem to vary across language. Chinese dyslexia demonstrated functional abnormality involving mainly frontal and temporal regions (for processing of logographic Chinese), which are different from the more posteriorly located temporoparietal and occipitotemporal regions involved in processing of English (alphabetic) language. Regions in non-dominant hemisphere might be recruited to support compensatory reading strategies in Chinese dyslexia
Cheng, P.-W., Luk, S.-H., Chiu, L.-Y., & Chan, C.-K. (2009, November). A framework of teacher professional development: The case of reading instruction in Chinese. Poster session presented at the 60th Annual Conference of the International Dyslexia Association, Orlando, Florida.
Abstract: Built upon the findings of previous research on reading acquisition in English and in Chinese, a framework of teacher professional development is developed for Chinese language teachers in Hong Kong. A three-ring model is proposed to comprise the specific components of professional development. The three rings are : (1) knowledge of dyslexia and related problems, (2) knowledge of language and reading development, and (3) understanding of emotional consequences of dyslexia. Guided by the three-ring model, specific objectives and course modules are formed. Basically, the framework integrates the following key components : (a) knowledge of specific learning disabilities and related reading problems, (b) knowledge of Chinese language essentials including metalinguistic awareness of various language components, (c) understanding of the Response-to-Intervention model and its implication for preventive reading instruction and early intervention, (d) skills to implement small group supplemental instruction and individualized intensive instruction, and (e) strategies in dealing with the emotional and familial problems encountered by students with dyslexia. We conclude with a complete framework to illustrate the specific elements included in each course module and reveal how the elements are inter-related. Limitations of our work are addressed.
Luk, S. H., & Cheng, P. W. (2009). Supporting students with specific learning difficulties through applying the three-tier invention model: Concepts and practices. Journal of Basic Education, 18(2), 87-103.
Liu, K., Shi, L., Chen, F., Waye, M. M., Lim, C. K., Cheng, P. W., Luk, S.H., Mok,C.T., Chu, C.W. & Wang, D. (2015). Altered topological organization of brain structural network in Chinese children with developmental dyslexia. Neuroscience letters, 589, 169-175.
Sarah Luk (2018). A Journey towards MUTUAL success: Practice Model of School Consultation on Career and Life Planning Intervention. Annual CLAP Conference 2018, Hong Kong.
Sarah Luk & Clara Tam (2019). Capacity Building: Standard-Driven Career Guidance Interventions in Secondary Schools in Hong Kong. Annual Conference of APCDA (2019) .
Department of Educational Psychology 