Proceedings of The 8th International Conference on New Approaches in Education
Year: 2024
DOI:
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Outcomes of Community-Friendly Schools in Hong Kong
Kwun Hang Lau
ABSTRACT:
Facing increased competition and challenges, schools must rethink their functions and roles in fulfilling the needs and demands of different stakeholders. Community-friendly schools in Hong Kong, which integrate community resources to help students understand and contribute to social issues, not only facilitate students’ engagement in learning activities and their learning attitudes but also positively impact students’ willingness to serve the community and the school’s reputation. This research adopts both qualitative and quantitative methods, utilizing questionnaires and interviews as data-gathering instruments. The sample consists of 86 students, 19 teachers, and 30 community stakeholders for the questionnaires, while interviews were conducted with a total of 8 participants, including students, teachers, and community stakeholders. The performance of these schools is assessed in terms of their impact on students’ understanding of the community, willingness to serve the community, and school reputation. These aspects are evaluated through three tiers of community-friendly schools: community learning activities, activities in cooperation with community organizations, and community services organized by the school. The data analysis employs descriptive statistics, analyses of variance, and linear regression models to highlight the significant impacts of these institutions. It examines changes in students’ behavior before and after admission, showing significant positive correlations between the level of student engagement in community activities and improvements in understanding of the community and willingness to serve the community. This evaluation framework aims to offer insights into the effectiveness of community-friendly schools in meeting educational and social objectives.
keywords: community engagement, community understanding, school reputation, community-friendly schools, experiential learning, service learning, community-based learning