Abstract:
Deviance and its control is an integral part of Sociology study. Academic literature analyzing the juvenile delinquency and its control are easily accessible at the academic databases. In Hong Kong, reportages on students’ misbehavior in and outside the campuses of secondary and tertiary institutions, like (cyber) bullying; shop and campus theft, drug abuse and sexual offence, prop up in newspapers almost every day and comments from different stakeholders (teachers, parents, scholars, social workers, and the police) are available on the web as well. As such topics are closely related to the modules in General Studies, Liberal Studies and Social Sciences subjects in primary, secondary to in tertiary institutions, teachers and students frequently look for the relevant resources, both primary fact and data and secondary scholarly analyses resources to facilitate their classroom instruction and learning. This topical dimension of learning, paradoxically, is absent from an organized and well-developed set of reference materials by local academics that may benefit the pedagogical effectiveness.
On the other hand, appropriate empowerment of students has also been emphasized in the design and revision of Universities’ syllabuses so as to enhance the learning and teaching outcomes in undergraduate studies. New initiatives are encouraged by the University as well as Government funding authorities to enhance students’ mastery of the knowledge they learnt in classrooms, and apply them to understand and explore social phenomena in real world. Students’ ability on independent-study, project management, team collaboration could be improved.
Code:
T0139
Principal Project Supervisors:
Keywords provided by authors:
Subjects:
- Juvenile delinquency -- Study and teaching -- Computer network resources
- Deviant behavior
- Education and crime
- Computer network resources
Start Date:
01 Aug 2014
End Date:
31 Jul 2015
Status:
Completed
Result:
The project was formally launched in August 2014. Five student researchers were recruited after a selection had been conducted based on the academic achievements of the BALSE cohorts who have shown their initial interest in community research projects. Four professional advisers were appointed in honor basis. They were all former police officers who have engaged in crime investigation, crime prevention and youth education duties and they were at Assistant Commissioner, Senior Superintendent, and Chief Inspector to Sergeant rank upon their retirement. An honorable academic adviser was invited as well as planned in the project proposal.
Upon the commencement of the project, the students were acknowledged to form their own research topics and plan under the stewardship of PI and four professional advisers. Campus deviance was set to the theme of their community research, and finally the student researcher team confirms the drug, alcoholic and substance abuse among university students in Hong Kong as their main research areas. With the arrangement from professional advisers, student researchers visited the Hong Kong Police College and the headquarters of Police Tactical Unit, informally interviewed the senior police officers. Several retired police officers and veteran social workers were also interviewed and their views towards youth deviance were solicited for the consolidation of research framework and plan.
The students then moved forward for the quantitative survey and qualitative focus groups in both HKIEd campus and the other sister's tertiary institutions in Hong Kong. Questionnaires were set with reference to the academic literature, local NGO's studies on youth deviance, and the suggestions from academic advisers. 500 questionnaires were completed and 10 focus groups were conducted between January to August 2015.
Impact:
This project enhances students' independent research and project management capacity, and their learning outcomes may also transfer to the HKIEd members and their community partners. Students were benefited in several ways:
raising their interests in social affairs;
having stronger capacity to do independent study under professional guidance;
engaging HKIEd to the professional communities by picking up a theme of research (i.e. campus deviances and their policing and management) which has both practical and scholarly values;
engaging in this new sustainable platform of knowledge dissemination, transfer and accumulation under the management of HKIEd.
Self-appraisal from student researchers are all positive and their intellectual abilities, personal confidence in public presentation and awareness of social affairs are all impressive as assessed by the professional advisers and audiences of conferences and academic workshop moderator, Prof Peter Manning. The recruited advisers all showed their appreciation to students' efforts, and agreed to serve for another round of mentor if the project re-embarks or even expands in the nearby future.
Deliverables:
Seminars/Presentations/Sharing Sessions
Ho, K. K. (2015, November). Empowering Students through Community Research: The study of campus deviant behavior. Sharing Seminar on Teaching Development Grant Projects, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, China. (No of participants = 7)
Student Academic Workshop on Policing Issues in Hong Kong organized by Department of Social Sciences on June 29-30, 2015 at The Hong Kong Institute of Education, China.
Ho, L., Kwong, B., Wong, Y. Y., Leung, H., and Suen, R. (2015). Student Perspectives on the Politics of Policing in Hong Kong and Macao I, Panel presentation of at Annual Conference of The Hong Kong Political Science Association organized on 17 October 2015 at The Hong Kong Institute of Education, China.
Chan, B., Lau, S., Lau, K., Lo, D., Chow, L., Lau, B., and Cheung, C. (2015). Student Perspectives on the Politics of Policing in Hong Kong II, Panel presentation of at Annual Conference of The Hong Kong Political Science Association organized on 17 October 2015 at The Hong Kong Institute of Education, China.
Financial Year:
2013-14
Type:
TDG