Technology education in Hong Kong – trends, challenges and potentials

Abstract

While education promotes technological changes, it also responds to technological changes. Technology education, with the concept of applying technology to solve problems and satisfy needs and wants, aims to develop individuals’ knowledge, skills, attitudes and values in order to maximizing their adaptability and flexibility for future employment. As a field of study, technology education was internationally recognized in the 1980s, but the history of teaching craft-based and skill-oriented subjects in secondary schools in Hong Kong began in the 1920s. Students at that time were simply needed to acquire basic technical skills and gain practical experience to prepare for earning a living. Not until the mid-1970s was the higher order design element integrated into the curriculum of the local technology education to provide students with opportunities to practise problem-solving skills. Now, technology education is a part of general education in Hong Kong. In alignment with the global education trend, by combining science, technology, engineering and mathematics education, STEM education is currently being highly promoted in local schools. Besides, sustainability is a global issue of immense importance. Hong Kong, like many other cities in the world, has implemented various strategic measures to achieve sustainability. Theoretical perspectives on sustainable development under three topics, namely value position, nature of the proposed responses and structure of the proposed responses to this issue, as suggested in the literature, revealed that technology education can effectively contribute to education for sustainable development (ESD). A coherent and cross-curricular approach across all STEM subjects can be adopted in local secondary schools for ESD. This paper reviews the trends and challenges of technology education and STEM education in Hong Kong, discusses overseas experiences on integrating ESD through technology education into the school curricula, and describes case studies in the context of STEM education for introducing green design and green products as recommended in the literature to be beneficial to the future ESD.