Newsletter No. 526

08 # 5 2 6 | 0 4 . 1 1 . 2 0 1 8 口 談 實 錄 / V iva V oce 怎樣結緣心理學？ 我本科在中大唸化學，偶然在圖書館發現心理測驗的書籍， 讓你塗鴉或畫一幅包括屋、樹、人的圖，就能分析出連你自 己也不知道的性格，我覺得神秘又有趣。修讀教育文憑時開 始接觸教育心理學，到唸博士時專攻心理學。 你的研究總是以數據為本，為何如此重視數據？ 質量管理之父愛德華茲 · 戴明有句名言：「上帝以外，人人 都得靠數據說話。」只有數據能反映問題的癥結，從而對症 下藥。 能舉例說明嗎？ 很多人以為，要解決小學生功課壓力問題就得找出功課多的 學校。但數據告訴我們，學校之間的功課量只有1%至5%的 差異。其餘九成來自學生之間的差異—同樣的功課，有人 花十五分鐘完成，有人花兩三小時。由此而知解決問題不在 於查找功課多的學校，而是查找做功課特別慢的學生，幫助 他們學會專注和時間分配。 學習動機方面有哪些有趣的研究發現？ 同樣考八十分的兩個學生，一個進好學校，一個進差學校， 誰的自信心會更強？數據顯示，進名校平均而言會打擊自 信，因為發現比自己優秀的大有人在。就算極注重面子的中 國人，「名校光環」仍抵消不了同學間較量的負面影響。 關於正向心理有哪些補充？ 「正向」不是一味期待愉快和成功經驗，還要樂於擁抱磨 煉與失敗。凡事向好看的同時，必須勤勤懇懇學本領，打根 基，讓自信與能力並駕齊驅。 STEM教育大行其道，對此有何見解？ 許多人把STEM教育等同於鼓勵創意，然而創意不是做夢、 空想粉筆的一百種用途，而要以自律、刻苦為基礎。就像科 學家需日以繼夜在實驗室埋頭苦幹才能有所發明，而非躺 在床上空想創意點子。 是甚麼驅動你在中大一待三十年？ 我享受每次學習新事物的機會。尤其當透過分析數據打破 迷思、找到看問題的新視角，都令我無比快樂。 這些年來最感自豪的成就是甚麼？ 如果上到天堂，上帝問我這輩子幹過甚麼，我會回答推動過 學童吃早餐。我們的調查印證醫學研究，吃早餐與否對學業 成績大有影響。 教研以外身兼多個教育中心主任、政府委員會成員，如何分身 有術？ 我打中學起就沒有休息日，從不知電視在播甚麼劇、流行哪 位歌星。但我不覺得工作是痛苦或懲罰，最重要是自己的專 長能派上用場。 你對兩個兒子是哪種家教作風？ 我相信身教。我對自己要求高，兒子看在眼裏，也養成努力 的習慣，我們仨都是工作至凌晨兩三點才肯睡的。當然這並 非值得提倡的習慣。 How did you get into psychology? Back in my undergraduate days at CUHK when I was a chemistry major, I came across a psychological test book in the library. It was intriguing to see how it could unveil your hidden personality traits simply by asking you to doodle, or draw a house, tree and person. I got acquainted with educational psychology while reading for the postgraduate diploma in education, and psychology became the field I specialized in for doctoral studies. Your research invariably speaks through data. Why do you place so much emphasis on them? W. Edwards Deming, a statistician and father of quality management, pronounced famously, ‘In God we trust; all others must bring data.’ Only data can reveal the crux of a problem and enable us to tackle it head on. Can you give us an example? Many people take the view that to relieve primary students’ homework stress, we have to identify schools with the most assignments. But data show that the variance in the amount of homework among schools is only 1–5%, while more than 90% of the variance comes from students within a school—the same work on the plate is finished by some in 15 minutes, and some in two to three hours. Hence the solution to the problem lies not in singling out schools with much work to do, but identifying students who procrastinate and teaching them to focus and manage their time well. Any interesting discovery from your studies of motivation? Suppose there are two students who score 80 in a test, with one entering a high-performing school and another a low-performing one. Guess who will become more confident in himself? Data tell us that on average, getting into an elite school takes a toll on self-confidence, as students realize there are far more brilliant souls in the class. Even for the Chinese who obsess about ‘face-saving’, the glory coming with elite schools fails to offset the negativity brought by social comparison. What do you have to say about positive psychology? Staying positive does not mean to wait for good things to happen to oneself. Rather, one has to proactively embrace trials and failures, to look on the bright side while working hard to achieve goals. Confidence should go in tandem with ability. What is your take on STEM education which is the hype of these days? Many people equate STEM education with encouraging creativity. But creativity is not born of daydreaming, or of coming up with 100 uses of a chalk. It has to be based on discipline and perseverance, just like scientists have to toil away in laboratory day and night in the hunt for a discovery. Pipe dreams won’t get you anywhere. What makes you stay at CUHK for three decades? I enjoy learning new things. There is no greater joy than using data to debunk myths and discover new perspectives on old problems. Name the accomplishment you are most proud of in your career. If God asks me what I have done in this life when I go to heaven, I will say I have promoted eating breakfast among schoolchildren. Our investigation affirms the medical research that shows breakfast has a huge impact on academic results. Besides teaching and research, you head quite a few education centres and serve as member in government committees. How do you juggle multiple roles? Day-offs have been banished from my schedule since high school. I never knew which TV programmes are showing, or who the most popular singer is. But I never regard work as a punishment, as long as my expertise is of use to this world. How do you educate your two boys? I teach by my own example. I impose stringent standards on myself, and my sons follow suit. All three of us work till two or three in the morning before going to bed, though it may not be a healthy habit to have. Christine N. 侯 傑 泰 教授 Prof. Hau Kit-tai • 教育心理學卓敏講座教授 Choh-Ming Li Professor of Educational Psychology • 教育數據研究中心主任 Director of EdData X Research Centre • 美國教育研究學會院士 Fellow of American Educational Research Association