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Papers by Paul Morris

Constructing Modern Asian Citizenship, 2014

Comparative Education, 2020

This book examines the approach to civic education in six societies located on the Pacific Rim: A... more This book examines the approach to civic education in six societies located on the Pacific Rim: Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, and the US. In these scrupulously designed studies, the contributors investigate the recent re-emergence of civic education in this region. Developments such as globalization, nationalism, and sovereignty have profound effects on how schools make "good citizens." These essays reveal how definitions of citizenship are contested and revised under such influences, and interrogate differences in civic education from nation to nation. As societies attempt to strike a balance between obedience and critical thinking, schools become the primary site of these transformations. Analyzing both educational policy and its implementation, these contributors offer a groundbreaking, comparative study that grounds civic education historically and politically.

Research in Education, 1983

Comparative Education, 2015

Since Hong Kong's retrocession the Government has endeavoured to strengthen local citizens' ident... more Since Hong Kong's retrocession the Government has endeavoured to strengthen local citizens' identification with the People's Republic of China (PRC)-a project that acquired new impetus with the 2010 decision to introduce 'Moral and National Education' (MNE) as a compulsory school subject. In the face of strong local opposition, this policy was withdrawn in 2012, and implementation of MNE made optional. This article seeks to elucidate the background to the MNE controversy of 2012 by locating the emergence of a distinctive Hong Kong identity in its historical context, and analysing successive official attempts (before and after the 1997 retrocession) to use schooling for purposes of political socialisation. We argue that the school curriculum has projected and reflected a dual sense of identity: a 'Chineseness' located mainly in ethno-cultural qualities, and a 'Hongkongeseness' rooted in civic attributes. While reinforced by schooling, local civic consciousness has been intimately related to a tradition of public activism strongly evident since the 1970s, and further strengthened post-1997.

Compare

This Open Issue is comprised of five articles, two Book reviews and a PhD abstract. The articles ... more This Open Issue is comprised of five articles, two Book reviews and a PhD abstract. The articles focus on the following national contexts: Greece, Indonesia, UK, China and Serbia. The first four articles are all concerned with issues related directly or indirectly to the educational provision for and experiences of cultural minorities or marginalised groups across various national contexts. The articles provide a salutary reminder that despite the promotion of policies designed to promote goals such as compulsory education, multiculturalism and interculturalism, there are major challenges, at both the policy and operational levels, which serve to constrain their impact. Consequently, whilst significant progress is being made in many societies to expand educational access and improve literacy, marginalised groups are often not benefitting and the gap between them and the rest is widening further. The first article by Palaiologou and Faas focuses on Greece, a nation that has, along with many others, experienced a significant inflow of migrants since the end of the cold war. Using studies undertaken in 2001 and 2007, they analyse the discourse of various groups towards ‘intercultural education’, which is the overall educational policy response designed to deal with migrant children from other cultures. They describe the differential reactions of different stakeholders and highlight the overall tendency for stakeholders, despite the rhetoric of policy statements, to focus on seeing migrants as a problem, stressing assimilationist responses. They argue that within schools, cultural diversity was promoted primarily through folkloristic celebrations without moving toward acceptance of different cultures and religions. They analyse the contradictions that arise from policies, such as the creation of specialist Intercultural Schools, and highlight the critical role of preparing teachers to work with migrant pupils. The next article, by Raihani, addresses a similar concern, but in a very different context and using a different research approach. He reports on an ethnographic case study in an Islamic Boarding school in Indonesia designed to analyse how multicultural education was provided to pupils. In contrast to the portrayals of Islamic schools as centres of religious radicalism, this article suggests that Islamic schools in Indonesia are emerging as modern institutions that are promoting democratic values, such as tolerance of diversity, which support multiculturalism. However, he notes that the promotion of such values is stronger in the non-formal than the formal curriculum. He argues that this pattern, and many of the other challenges the school faces, mirrors the government’s lack of clarity and support for the promotion of multiculturalism. Compare Vol. 42, No. 4, July 2012, 561–562

International Journal for Lesson and Learning Studies, 2012

The respected former minister describes the very real gap that exists between the work of educati... more The respected former minister describes the very real gap that exists between the work of educational researchers and policy makers. He makes a plea for researchers to focus on topics that will help to directly answer the general question,“How do we achieve educational success?” He provides a number of very specific questions that pre-occupy policy makers, which he says researchers have failed to adequately address. Although the topics are undoubtedly important, the questions (eg What is the best way to organise schools and to ...

Comparative Education Research, 2014

Journal of Education Policy, 2012

Education reform is increasingly portrayed as a quest to achieve a 'world class' education system... more Education reform is increasingly portrayed as a quest to achieve a 'world class' education system through a process of identifying and adopting the practices of those systems whose pupils perform best in league tables of achievement. This is the rationale for the range of new policies proposed by the coalition government in the schools White Paper published in November 2010, which promotes whole-system reform in England. This article examines the White Paper and analyses the sources and nature of the evidence for reform and the congruence between the policy intentions and their associated policy actions. The analysis suggests that the evidence for the proposed reforms and policy actions is at best tenuous. Both the White Paper and its key sources of evidence are characterised by: a selective use of data: a propensity to mix and match the sources of comparison; and an overall tendency to employ comparisons with high-performing systems elsewhere as a façade to legitimate preferred policy options.

Journal of Curriculum Studies, 1986

This report describes the features of a matrix designed to differentiate between alternative stra... more This report describes the features of a matrix designed to differentiate between alternative strategies of curriculum development. The development and use of the matrix was undertaken as part of a policy-oriented study1 which attempted to determine the criteria by which curriculum development strategies could be distinguished, and the alternative specific elements within each of the criteria identified. Many attempts to undertake this task are either pitched at a very broad level of description, frequently being more prescriptive than ...

The Curriculum Journal, 2010

Increasingly countries around the world are promoting forms of "critical" citizenship in the plan... more Increasingly countries around the world are promoting forms of "critical" citizenship in the planned curricula of schools. However, the intended meaning behind this term varies markedly and can range from a set of creative and technical skills under the label "critical thinking" to a desire to encourage engagement, action and political emancipation, often labelled "critical pedagogy". This paper distinguishes these manifestations of the "critical" and, based on an analysis of the prevailing models of critical pedagogy and citizenship education, develops a conceptual framework for analysing and comparing the nature of critical citizenship.

Comparative Education, 2013

ABSTRACT Education reform in England is increasingly portrayed as a quest to create ‘world class’... more ABSTRACT Education reform in England is increasingly portrayed as a quest to create ‘world class’ schools through the transfer of features of ‘high performing’ school systems. The demand for evidence to support policy borrowing has been serviced by an influential intermediary network, which uses international data banks to compare education systems, and to identify and promote evidence of ‘what works’. The approach to comparisons has been portrayed as a ‘New Paradigm’ by its advocates, and whilst the network has been extensively critiqued, this has largely focused on its deviation from the norms of academic comparative education. This article explores how the ‘New Paradigm’ operates, identifying its inherent features and the strategies used to overcome the methodological issues associated with policy borrowing. This is pursued through an analysis of the rationale; assumptions; underlying ideology; methodology; omissions and silences; dealing with critics; and language and presentation of four of its influential publications.

Cambridge Journal of Education, 2011

Hong Kong University Press 14/F Hing Wai Centre 7 Tin Wan Praya Road Aberdeen Hong Kong © Hong Ko... more Hong Kong University Press 14/F Hing Wai Centre 7 Tin Wan Praya Road Aberdeen Hong Kong © Hong Kong University Press 2010 Hardback ISBN 978-988-8028-01-6 Paperback ISBN 978-988-8028-02-3 All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Secure On-line Ordering http://www.hkupress.org British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data ...

Discovering critical conditions of …, 2002

HKIEd Home. ...

Journal of Basic Education, 1997

Our goal in this paper is to address two interrelated questions. Firstly, what features of educat... more Our goal in this paper is to address two interrelated questions. Firstly, what features of educational reforms and the strategies used to promote them are perceived as problematic by school personnel? Secondly, what practices did schools introduce which facilitated school improvement? Our analysis draws on a study we are currently conducting which is designed to examine the impact of the Target Oriented Curriculum in Hang Kong primary schools. Policy makers tend to portray reforms as singular entities which take ...

Education and Change in the Pacific Rim: meeting the challenges, Wallingford: Triangle Books, 1998

Abstract: This chapter looks at the commonalities and differences among the four countries known ... more Abstract: This chapter looks at the commonalities and differences among the four countries known as the Little Asian Tigers in the context of their economic and educational development. The first part of the chapter focuses on identifying and characterising the Asian Tigers as economies and polities while the second part focuses on their educational systems and educational policies. While there are differences in the education system, the authors conclude that education has played a supportive or facilitative range of roles in ...

International Journal of Social Education, 1999

Abstract: Examines the nature and role of civic education in the formal curriculum of schools in ... more Abstract: Examines the nature and role of civic education in the formal curriculum of schools in Hong Kong. Provides an overview of civics, citizenship, and political education and an historical background on the changing role of civic education. Reviews the impact of the reunification of Hong Kong with the People's Republic of China.(CMK)

The Life and work of teachers: International perspectives in changing times, Apr 27, 2000

This chapter explores, through the perspectives of policy makers and teachers, the rise and fall ... more This chapter explores, through the perspectives of policy makers and teachers, the rise and fall of an educational reform, namely the Target Oriented Curriculum (TOC), which was introduced for Hong Kong primary schools in the early 1990s. Three distinct phases were identified. The first was characterized by the conflicting views of the two parties towards the reform. The second phase saw a move to a more flexible and supportive approach to curriculum change by both groups. A vagueness and lack of commitment have ...

New teacher education for the future: International perspectives, Jun 30, 2001

The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is currently engaged in promoting a... more The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is currently engaged in promoting a wide range of educational reforms in an attempt to improve the quality of schooling and enhance the future competitiveness of the economy. These reforms will face a number of hurdles, some of which will arise from the nature and process of policy-making, whilst others will arise from the contexts within which reforms are implemented. Our concern in this chapter is to analyze some of the implications of the reforms for teacher education. ...

Constructing Modern Asian Citizenship, 2014

Comparative Education, 2020

This book examines the approach to civic education in six societies located on the Pacific Rim: A... more This book examines the approach to civic education in six societies located on the Pacific Rim: Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, and the US. In these scrupulously designed studies, the contributors investigate the recent re-emergence of civic education in this region. Developments such as globalization, nationalism, and sovereignty have profound effects on how schools make "good citizens." These essays reveal how definitions of citizenship are contested and revised under such influences, and interrogate differences in civic education from nation to nation. As societies attempt to strike a balance between obedience and critical thinking, schools become the primary site of these transformations. Analyzing both educational policy and its implementation, these contributors offer a groundbreaking, comparative study that grounds civic education historically and politically.

Research in Education, 1983

Comparative Education, 2015

Since Hong Kong's retrocession the Government has endeavoured to strengthen local citizens' ident... more Since Hong Kong's retrocession the Government has endeavoured to strengthen local citizens' identification with the People's Republic of China (PRC)-a project that acquired new impetus with the 2010 decision to introduce 'Moral and National Education' (MNE) as a compulsory school subject. In the face of strong local opposition, this policy was withdrawn in 2012, and implementation of MNE made optional. This article seeks to elucidate the background to the MNE controversy of 2012 by locating the emergence of a distinctive Hong Kong identity in its historical context, and analysing successive official attempts (before and after the 1997 retrocession) to use schooling for purposes of political socialisation. We argue that the school curriculum has projected and reflected a dual sense of identity: a 'Chineseness' located mainly in ethno-cultural qualities, and a 'Hongkongeseness' rooted in civic attributes. While reinforced by schooling, local civic consciousness has been intimately related to a tradition of public activism strongly evident since the 1970s, and further strengthened post-1997.

Compare

This Open Issue is comprised of five articles, two Book reviews and a PhD abstract. The articles ... more This Open Issue is comprised of five articles, two Book reviews and a PhD abstract. The articles focus on the following national contexts: Greece, Indonesia, UK, China and Serbia. The first four articles are all concerned with issues related directly or indirectly to the educational provision for and experiences of cultural minorities or marginalised groups across various national contexts. The articles provide a salutary reminder that despite the promotion of policies designed to promote goals such as compulsory education, multiculturalism and interculturalism, there are major challenges, at both the policy and operational levels, which serve to constrain their impact. Consequently, whilst significant progress is being made in many societies to expand educational access and improve literacy, marginalised groups are often not benefitting and the gap between them and the rest is widening further. The first article by Palaiologou and Faas focuses on Greece, a nation that has, along with many others, experienced a significant inflow of migrants since the end of the cold war. Using studies undertaken in 2001 and 2007, they analyse the discourse of various groups towards ‘intercultural education’, which is the overall educational policy response designed to deal with migrant children from other cultures. They describe the differential reactions of different stakeholders and highlight the overall tendency for stakeholders, despite the rhetoric of policy statements, to focus on seeing migrants as a problem, stressing assimilationist responses. They argue that within schools, cultural diversity was promoted primarily through folkloristic celebrations without moving toward acceptance of different cultures and religions. They analyse the contradictions that arise from policies, such as the creation of specialist Intercultural Schools, and highlight the critical role of preparing teachers to work with migrant pupils. The next article, by Raihani, addresses a similar concern, but in a very different context and using a different research approach. He reports on an ethnographic case study in an Islamic Boarding school in Indonesia designed to analyse how multicultural education was provided to pupils. In contrast to the portrayals of Islamic schools as centres of religious radicalism, this article suggests that Islamic schools in Indonesia are emerging as modern institutions that are promoting democratic values, such as tolerance of diversity, which support multiculturalism. However, he notes that the promotion of such values is stronger in the non-formal than the formal curriculum. He argues that this pattern, and many of the other challenges the school faces, mirrors the government’s lack of clarity and support for the promotion of multiculturalism. Compare Vol. 42, No. 4, July 2012, 561–562

International Journal for Lesson and Learning Studies, 2012

The respected former minister describes the very real gap that exists between the work of educati... more The respected former minister describes the very real gap that exists between the work of educational researchers and policy makers. He makes a plea for researchers to focus on topics that will help to directly answer the general question,“How do we achieve educational success?” He provides a number of very specific questions that pre-occupy policy makers, which he says researchers have failed to adequately address. Although the topics are undoubtedly important, the questions (eg What is the best way to organise schools and to ...

Comparative Education Research, 2014

Journal of Education Policy, 2012

Education reform is increasingly portrayed as a quest to achieve a 'world class' education system... more Education reform is increasingly portrayed as a quest to achieve a 'world class' education system through a process of identifying and adopting the practices of those systems whose pupils perform best in league tables of achievement. This is the rationale for the range of new policies proposed by the coalition government in the schools White Paper published in November 2010, which promotes whole-system reform in England. This article examines the White Paper and analyses the sources and nature of the evidence for reform and the congruence between the policy intentions and their associated policy actions. The analysis suggests that the evidence for the proposed reforms and policy actions is at best tenuous. Both the White Paper and its key sources of evidence are characterised by: a selective use of data: a propensity to mix and match the sources of comparison; and an overall tendency to employ comparisons with high-performing systems elsewhere as a façade to legitimate preferred policy options.

Journal of Curriculum Studies, 1986

This report describes the features of a matrix designed to differentiate between alternative stra... more This report describes the features of a matrix designed to differentiate between alternative strategies of curriculum development. The development and use of the matrix was undertaken as part of a policy-oriented study1 which attempted to determine the criteria by which curriculum development strategies could be distinguished, and the alternative specific elements within each of the criteria identified. Many attempts to undertake this task are either pitched at a very broad level of description, frequently being more prescriptive than ...

The Curriculum Journal, 2010

Increasingly countries around the world are promoting forms of "critical" citizenship in the plan... more Increasingly countries around the world are promoting forms of "critical" citizenship in the planned curricula of schools. However, the intended meaning behind this term varies markedly and can range from a set of creative and technical skills under the label "critical thinking" to a desire to encourage engagement, action and political emancipation, often labelled "critical pedagogy". This paper distinguishes these manifestations of the "critical" and, based on an analysis of the prevailing models of critical pedagogy and citizenship education, develops a conceptual framework for analysing and comparing the nature of critical citizenship.

Comparative Education, 2013

ABSTRACT Education reform in England is increasingly portrayed as a quest to create ‘world class’... more ABSTRACT Education reform in England is increasingly portrayed as a quest to create ‘world class’ schools through the transfer of features of ‘high performing’ school systems. The demand for evidence to support policy borrowing has been serviced by an influential intermediary network, which uses international data banks to compare education systems, and to identify and promote evidence of ‘what works’. The approach to comparisons has been portrayed as a ‘New Paradigm’ by its advocates, and whilst the network has been extensively critiqued, this has largely focused on its deviation from the norms of academic comparative education. This article explores how the ‘New Paradigm’ operates, identifying its inherent features and the strategies used to overcome the methodological issues associated with policy borrowing. This is pursued through an analysis of the rationale; assumptions; underlying ideology; methodology; omissions and silences; dealing with critics; and language and presentation of four of its influential publications.

Cambridge Journal of Education, 2011

Hong Kong University Press 14/F Hing Wai Centre 7 Tin Wan Praya Road Aberdeen Hong Kong © Hong Ko... more Hong Kong University Press 14/F Hing Wai Centre 7 Tin Wan Praya Road Aberdeen Hong Kong © Hong Kong University Press 2010 Hardback ISBN 978-988-8028-01-6 Paperback ISBN 978-988-8028-02-3 All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Secure On-line Ordering http://www.hkupress.org British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data ...

Discovering critical conditions of …, 2002

HKIEd Home. ...

Journal of Basic Education, 1997

Our goal in this paper is to address two interrelated questions. Firstly, what features of educat... more Our goal in this paper is to address two interrelated questions. Firstly, what features of educational reforms and the strategies used to promote them are perceived as problematic by school personnel? Secondly, what practices did schools introduce which facilitated school improvement? Our analysis draws on a study we are currently conducting which is designed to examine the impact of the Target Oriented Curriculum in Hang Kong primary schools. Policy makers tend to portray reforms as singular entities which take ...

Education and Change in the Pacific Rim: meeting the challenges, Wallingford: Triangle Books, 1998

Abstract: This chapter looks at the commonalities and differences among the four countries known ... more Abstract: This chapter looks at the commonalities and differences among the four countries known as the Little Asian Tigers in the context of their economic and educational development. The first part of the chapter focuses on identifying and characterising the Asian Tigers as economies and polities while the second part focuses on their educational systems and educational policies. While there are differences in the education system, the authors conclude that education has played a supportive or facilitative range of roles in ...

International Journal of Social Education, 1999

Abstract: Examines the nature and role of civic education in the formal curriculum of schools in ... more Abstract: Examines the nature and role of civic education in the formal curriculum of schools in Hong Kong. Provides an overview of civics, citizenship, and political education and an historical background on the changing role of civic education. Reviews the impact of the reunification of Hong Kong with the People's Republic of China.(CMK)

The Life and work of teachers: International perspectives in changing times, Apr 27, 2000

This chapter explores, through the perspectives of policy makers and teachers, the rise and fall ... more This chapter explores, through the perspectives of policy makers and teachers, the rise and fall of an educational reform, namely the Target Oriented Curriculum (TOC), which was introduced for Hong Kong primary schools in the early 1990s. Three distinct phases were identified. The first was characterized by the conflicting views of the two parties towards the reform. The second phase saw a move to a more flexible and supportive approach to curriculum change by both groups. A vagueness and lack of commitment have ...

New teacher education for the future: International perspectives, Jun 30, 2001

The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is currently engaged in promoting a... more The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is currently engaged in promoting a wide range of educational reforms in an attempt to improve the quality of schooling and enhance the future competitiveness of the economy. These reforms will face a number of hurdles, some of which will arise from the nature and process of policy-making, whilst others will arise from the contexts within which reforms are implemented. Our concern in this chapter is to analyze some of the implications of the reforms for teacher education. ...

Educational reforms are increasingly presented as a technocratic exercise designed to emulate the... more Educational reforms are increasingly presented as a technocratic exercise designed to emulate the features of educational systems that have performed well on cross-national tests of pupil achievement, such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). That process has been facilitated by the emergence of a form of comparative education that identifies and promotes transferable policies. This lecture analyses and critiques how this approach operates.

Curriculum and Assessment for Hong Kong: Two Components, One System; , 1998

This book is intended for students who are studying courses on the school curriculum, and also fo... more This book is intended for students who are studying courses on the school curriculum, and also for teachers and principals who are keen to improve the quality of schooling they provide their pupils. The book introduces the reader to the components of the school curriculum and concepts used to analyse it. This second edition has been substantially revised to reflect changes in educational policy.

Controversial History Education in Asian Contexts, Edited by Mark Baildon, Kah Seng Loh, Ivy Maria Lim, Zeliha Gül İnanç, Junaidah Binti Jaffar , 2014

Abstract: Singapore has been assigned the role of a ‘model’ nation state primarily for two reason... more Abstract: Singapore has been assigned the role of a ‘model’ nation state primarily for two reasons: its rapid rate of economic growth and its outstanding performance on cross-national tests of educational achievement, such as PISA. This has resulted in advocates of reform citing it as illustrating ‘best practices’, especially in the field of education, and it has more generally been viewed as demonstrating the benefits of economic globalization. This paper analyses from a comparative perspective the more problematic and relatively unexplored third dimension of being a model ‘global’ nation, namely its impact on income inequality and the quality of citizens’ life. We focus on the role of the system of lifelong learning which was designed generally to upgrade the skills of the workforce and specifically to provide low-paid/skilled workers with opportunities to improve incomes and enhance their socio-economic mobility. We demonstrate that despite the remarkable economic growth at a national level and the significant expansion of lifelong learning provision, productivity rates have not improved, income inequality has increased, social mobility has declined and the ‘quality of life’ is, in comparative terms, poor.