This study compares public stigma towards three types of infectious diseases- human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and tuberculosis (TB)-tests an attribution model of stigma, and explores the relationships between stigma and public attitudes towards government policies in Hong Kong. Using a population-based telephone survey, 3011 Hong Kong Chinese adults were randomly assigned to one of the three disease conditions and were interviewed about their attitudes and beliefs towards the assigned disease. Findings showed that public stigma was the highest towards HIV/AIDS, followed by TB and SARS. Using multi-sample model structural equation modeling, we found that the attributions of controllability, personal responsibility, and blame were applicable in explaining stigma across three disease types. Knowledge about the disease had no significant effect on stigma. Participants with less stigmatizing views had significantly more favorable attitudes towards government policies related to the diseases. The study is an important attempt in understanding the attributional mechanisms of stigma towards infectious diseases. Implications for stigma reduction and promotion of public awareness and disease prevention are discussed.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused thousands of death in China. Prior research suggests that individuals’ perceived severity of the COVID-19 is related to a range of negative emotional and behavioural reactions among the Chinese public. However, scant research has examined the underlying mechanisms. Drawing upon the risk-resilience model, this study proposes that self-control, as a resilient factor, would potentially moderate the association between perceived severity of the COVID-19 and mental health problems. Data from a national survey was used to examine this possibility. Participants were 4,607 citizens from 31 regions in China (Mage=23.71 years, 72.5% female) who completed a national survey at the beginning of February 2020. Results of hierarchical regression showed that after controlling for demographic variables, perceived severity of the COVID-19 and self-control were positively and negatively related to mental health problems, respectively. More importantly, self-control moderated the “perceived severity of the COVID-19 – mental health problems” association, with the said link attenuating as the levels of self-control increased. These findings suggest that compared to those with high self-control, individuals with low self-control are more vulnerable and are more in need of psychological aids to maintain mental health in the encounter of the COVID-19 outbreak.

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THE STUDY AIMED TO EXAMINE the relationship between early childhood teachers' beliefs about good creative practices and their actual instructional practices; namely, characteristics of a creative teacher, environmental settings important for developing creativity, teaching strategies used for developing creativity, and criteria for judging creativity in children. The participants were 15 early childhood teachers from five early childhood settings in Hong Kong. Individual structured interviews and classroom observations were used to collect data. Results showed that most teachers held similar beliefs about good creative practice and these beliefs generally aligned with those suggested in the literature. Findings from the classroom observation revealed both congruity and inconsistencies between teachers' stated beliefs and their classroom practice. Their actual practices were a function of many influences rather than just their beliefs. The findings have implications for professional development programs and the implementation of creativity reform.

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Teacher leadership is widely thought to be critical to the success of local school improvement efforts. But it’s often unclear what teacher leadership entails, precisely. Supported by district-level staff, and with assistance from a university-based research team (the authors of this article), a group of science teacher leaders created a conceptual framework to guide their work. Teacher leadership, they concluded, involves four main activities: collaborating with teachers, modeling effective instruction, providing resources, and advocating on teachers’ behalf.

This study aimed to develop and validate an instrument, the Early Childhood Creative Pedagogy Questionnaire (ECCPQ), which can be used to understand preschool teachers' beliefs about creative pedagogy as a means of fostering creativity. Items were initially constructed from a review of the literature and interviews with 27 preschool teachers in Hong Kong regarding their beliefs about creative pedagogy. A sample of 564 Hong Kong preschool teachers completed the initial survey. Exploratory, followed by confirmatory, factor analysis resulted in a 22-item, 4-factor scale reflecting selfinitiated pursuits, interpersonal exchanges, possibility thinking, and teacher-oriented pursuits. Although the first 3 domains align relatively well with the Western literature, the teacher-oriented pursuit factor seemed to be related to the Hong Kong educational context. These preliminary results suggest that the ECCPQ can be used for revealing Hong Kong preschool teachers' beliefs about creative pedagogy, and they provide a general framework for further research on the important aspects of fostering creativity in preschool classrooms. The findings also have implications for early childhood teacher education programs and professional development in Hong Kong.

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