Thoughts of my visit to see Professor Ho at the Chinese University of Hong Kong came to mind today when I read Hugh Muir's article in the Guardian entitled: "School success – the Chinese way"
A new study reveals that British Chinese people aged 16 and over are four times as likely to be full-time students as the wider population.
Christine Yau's comments resonated very much with what I learnt during my trip to Hong Kong, as a Winston Churchill Travelling Fellow, where I met with Professor Sui Chu HO at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her research shows that there is a strong relationship between 'At Home' parental involvement and student success. In this model, parents focus less on bringing about changes at school and focus more on providing a strong learning environment at home, value-added extra-curricular activites, books, computers and, most importantly, making sure that homework assignements are completed. There is a lot to be learnt from her research as well as from the research of Professor Joyce Epstein at John Hopkins University, another leading researcher in the field of Parental Involvement and its impact on students' success.
My time in Hong Kong was spent meeting with Professor Ho at the Chinese University of Hong Kong which is located in Sha Tin. Professor Ho is a leading researcher in the area of Parental Involvement and my it was exciting to meeting with her and especially to gain a cross-cultural perspective of work in this area. I also met with Professor Wong who is the Chairman of the Committee on Home-School Co-operation, an organisation that is working to increase parental involvement with schools through the formation of PTA's as well as with schools to promote parental involvement.
I was lucky to be in Hong Kong at the time of one of the largest cultural events of the year in Hong Kong - The mid-autumn festival. The festival takes place on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar year which occured on September 22nd this year. It celebrates the time when the moon is at its biggest and brightest as well as the autumn harvest. I joined locals in Victoria Park near Causeway Bay to see the most spectacular display of lights and lanterns I have ever seen in my life. Martial arts displays, acrobats, movies etc kept the crowds of children and adults - most carrying lanterns - entertained until the climax of the evening: the dragon dance. I gasped in awe at the sight of the 67 metre long Tau Hang Dragon covered in thousands of burning incense sticks as it was paraded in the park. I left Victoria Park knowing that I had witnessed an unforgettable cultural event.
The only mid-autumn tradition I missed out on was enjoying a moon cake. The duck's egg in the middle meant that I could not have one as I am allergic to eggs!
My time in Hong Kong was spent meeting with Professor Ho at the Chinese University of Hong Kong which is located in Sha Tin. Professor Ho is a leading researcher in the area of Parental Involvement and my it was exciting to meeting with her and especially to gain a cross-cultural perspective of work in this area. I also met with Professor Wong who is the Chairman of the Committee on Home-School Co-operation, an organisation that is working to increase parental involvement with schools through the formation of PTA's as well as with schools to promote parental involvement. 
The only mid-autumn tradition I missed out on was enjoying a moon cake. The duck's egg in the middle meant that I could not have one as I am allergic to eggs!
