The Faculty of Education and Human Development brings together five departments whose research spans early childhood, curriculum, policy, psychology and special needs. Academic staff work closely with schools, government bureaux and community organisations, so that findings move quickly from the seminar room into classrooms and clinics across Hong Kong.
Investigating how students learn and how teaching can be redesigned around evidence, from formative classroom assessment to technology-enhanced instruction.
Following how children grow within families and communities, and how early relationships, care routines and home environments shape later development.
Examining biliteracy, mother-tongue teaching and the cultural dimensions of language acquisition across Hong Kong's Chinese-English bilingual classrooms.
Studying how schools are led, how systems are governed, and how assessment can measure learning fairly and usefully at every level.
of our funded projects run with a Hong Kong school or early-years setting as a partner, not as a study site. Source: Faculty Research Office, 2026.
Staff compete for external funding such as the Research Grants Council's General Research Fund and Early Career Scheme, alongside Faculty and university internal grants that seed new projects. The Research Office supports proposal development, budgeting and post-award administration, so academic time stays focused on the research itself.
All studies involving children, schools or other vulnerable groups are reviewed by the Faculty's Human Research Ethics Committee before data collection begins. A code of research integrity, mandatory training and clear procedures for handling concerns apply equally to staff and to research postgraduate students.
MPhil and PhD candidates are guided by two-member supervisory teams and a structured programme of milestones, from proposal defence to final oral examination. Funded studentships, dedicated writing seminars and an active postgraduate research student association support students throughout their candidature.
The Faculty recognises outstanding scholarship each year through its Research Excellence Award and Early Career Researcher Award, alongside citations for work that has demonstrated clear impact on schools, policy or professional practice beyond the university.
| Scheme | Project | Principal investigator | Award (HK$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GRF | Classroom talk and conceptual change in junior secondary science | Professor Lam Sze Wing | 1,184,000 |
| GRF | Family literacy practices in Hong Kong kindergartens | Professor Ho Sau Lan | 968,400 |
| ECS | Teacher agency under curriculum reform | Dr Tsang Ka Wai | 742,000 |
| ECS | Peer support and school belonging among students with SEN | Dr Wong Yuen Han | 689,500 |
Guidance and forms for internally reviewed and externally funded applications.
Most of the Faculty’s research is carried out with schools rather than about them. Colleagues run lesson-study cycles with partner primaries and secondaries, trial materials in timetabled lessons, and advise on curriculum planning at panel and whole-school level.
Schools that would like to take part in a study, or to host a placement, are welcome to get in touch with the research office.
Block B, 3/F
10 Lo Ping Road, Tai Po
Telephone (852) 2948 7169
Office hours 09:00-17:30, Monday to Friday.
