1. I think you have responded positively to my earlier comments and have tried to revise some of the
questions to make them more debatable. However, there is still room for improvement.
Let’s
revisit some of my earlier comments which are still relevant:
i.
ii.
The greatest problem is that the group might not find sufficient (non-too-academic) reports on
this area. Please also be alert that “emphasizing examination” might be a desirable cultural
characteristic.
Some challenges to the group include:
a. perhaps, to make the research question debatable, we may have to include concrete
“oerational” questions to make the research questions more debatable (i.e., not all people
agree with the same solution); e.g., we may address the questions: (i) should a student
attend grandparents birthday parties even there will be an examination in the following
day? (ii) How many hours should students study a day before it will be harmful to their
health?
b. The group may consider adding further research questions that they can have the
opportunities to show their analytical power, high-order thinking and critical evaluation of
the situations.
2.
You definitely have a set of related “questions” that you are trying to address in this project.
3.
Let’s think along the three basic characteristics of a good research (significant, non-trivial, researchable).
For significance, the chosen topic is definitely important because examiantino is always an issue of great
concern to students, parents, and teachers. However, we cannot see any research question (Questions that
we will try to answer through the research) in the proposal. We can only guess from the items being asked
in the questionnaire.
4.
From the methodology you have proposed, it seems to be a researchable topic (we can only guess what the
research questions are). The questions are related to examination, but they are not coherent enough to form
one theme.
You have to narrow down and focus on one issue. Now you jump from importance of
examinations to parents, students, and then to the changes in the NSS (new secondary school system).
Prepare more focused questions and decide what you really want to study.
5.
If you do not really have a strong framework and know enough about the topic, perhaps you should
use/supplement with in-depth interviews. My concern is that currently your questions are too superficial
and cannot provide any interesting results to your readers.
6.
The present set of questions are too simple (e.g., “will good exam results help to find a good job/career” is a
trivial question). Thus, a related issue is whether you can find sufficient non-trivial research questions to
address for the whole research. If your whole research starts with and ends with only trivial (opinions that no
one will disagree) research questions (e.g., parents think that examination is important?), then it is a low
quality research. If you think you have done sufficient background study on this topic and have hypotheses
that your friends may not be aware (or disagree with), and if you can confirm/disprove some of these
hypotheses through your research, then you have really contributed through your research (that will be a
good research).
7.
For this particular research which can easily become very trivial, the challenge is that you have to find
angles/perspectives and information that are not generally known to others (research questions that we do
not know and are eager to find out the answer). After hearing your presentations, if all your classmates and
teachers say, “I haven’t thought of that”, “I didn’t know that”, then you know you have done a good research.
8.
Try to salvage the research by focusing on a certain interesting aspects (and non-trivial) of examination.
Thus, for example, if you are really interest in the benefits /usefulness of tutorial schools, perhaps you can
interview your senior students who have/have not been to these schools and see whether you can find out
anything interesting worth reporting in this research. Or, if you are interested in the NSS, try to find out how
it may affect the students by interviewing teachers. See whether there is any discrepancy in opinion and try
to judge which side you are more convinced.
9.
Attach your questionnaire.
F.3 Cross-curricular Project Learning 2008-09
Interim Report Template
Group number: K6
Name of group leader: Leung Lok Yin 3Y(24)
Name of group members: Leung King Man 3W(18),
Lum Angus 3W(21)
Leung Terrence 3K(26)
Leung Wing Shun 3S(22)
THEME: Hong Kong Today
Project Title:
Students’ and parents’ perception of importance of examination
Background and relevant knowledge:
(1) In the present time, parents and students think that marks are really important for their study and future.
For example, if students need to study in form 6 and famous university, they need to past the exam and
get good results.
(2) We can see that the parents think that if their children don’t get good results in public examination. They
cannot have a good future.
Results of the questionnaire:
1) Do you get above 1000 marks in the previous examination?
Do you get above 1000 marks in the
previous exam?
student
34
32
數列1
30
28
26
yes
Yes: 32
yes or no
No: 28
no
2) Do you think examination results are important to your studies and your future?
Do you think examination results are
important to your studies and your
future?
student
60
40
數列1
20
0
yes
no
yes or no
Yes: 48
No:10
3) Do you think having good results in public examinations means having a good career?
3) Do you think having good results in public
examinations means having a good career?
students
40
30
20
數列1
10
0
yes
no
yes or no
Yes: 33
No: 22
4) Do you think having good results reflect what you learnt in school?
4) Do you think having good results reflect what
you learnt in school?
50
students
40
30
數列1
20
10
0
yes
no
yes or no
Yes: 40
No: 17
5) Have you been attending to tutorial class?
5) Have you been attending to tutorial class?
40
35
students
30
25
20
數列1
15
10
5
0
yes
no
yes or no
Yes: 22
No: 35
6) Do you want to get tips for exam in tutorial class?
6) Do you want to get tips for exam in tutorial
class?
25
students
20
15
數列1
10
5
Yes: 20
No:1
0
yes
no
yes or no
7). Mark the scale 1-6 to these following statement (1 is very agree and 6 is very
disagree)
a)Studying makes me grow in knowledge.
i. Studying makes me grow in knowledge.
20
18
16
14
12
10
數列1
8
6
4
2
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
b)Despite I hate learning, I still have to study for my exam.
Despite I hate learning, I still have to study for my exam
14
12
10
8
數列1
6
4
2
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
c)I don’t have to participate the HKCEE, so I don’t have to study too early.
I don't have to participate the HKCEE, so I don't have to
study too early.
14
12
10
8
數列1
6
4
2
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
8) Do your parents concern about your marks and ranks in exam?
8) Do your parents concern about your marks and
ranks in exam?
40
30
20
數列1
10
0
1
Yes: 35
2
No:5
Discussion and conclusion
After analyzed the data, we can find that in the present time, most of the parents and students also
think that marks are really important for their study and future. For example, if students need to study
in form 6 and famous university, they need to past the exam and get good results.
We can also see that the parents think that if their children don’t get good results in public examination.
They cannot have a good future. So parents are concerning about their children marks and rank in the
exam.(Ref. Q.8) In the past time, students at least got three tests that their parents thought that were
important, one in form 3 , one in form 5 and the last one in form 7. If students pasted the test, they
could continue their study. But if they failed, they needed to go to work or go to other worse school for
studying .Every time they pasted their tests, their educational background would be higher than
the students that were failed , so parents wanted their children working hard all the time.
We thought that this was the main point that’s why parents concern their children having good results in
public examinations and they wanted their children to study hard, they thought that having good results
in public examination means having a better career in the future. But now , the government said every
students can study to form 6 whatever marks they’ve got. So in year 2011, the test of form six
students at that time which their parents will think that is a important test to their children. ,
if students want to study in a university , they will need to past the test when they’re in form six , if they
failed , they will be the same educational background whichever they are famous secondary
school or not, this causes the parents’ feeling of the importance of the test increased , but
many students think that they don’t have to participate the HKCEE, so they don’t have to
study too early.