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Research
Scholarship that connects classrooms, families and policy across Hong Kong and the region.
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Research that reaches practice
The Faculty of Education and Human Development brings together five departments whose research spans early childhood, curriculum, policy, psychology and special needs. Academic staff work closely with schools, government bureaux and community organisations, so that findings move quickly from the seminar room into classrooms and clinics across Hong Kong.
Research themes
Learning Sciences and Pedagogy
Investigating how students learn and how teaching can be redesigned around evidence, from formative classroom assessment to technology-enhanced instruction.
Child Development and Family Studies
Following how children grow within families and communities, and how early relationships, care routines and home environments shape later development.
Language, Literacy and Culture
Examining biliteracy, mother-tongue teaching and the cultural dimensions of language acquisition across Hong Kong's Chinese-English bilingual classrooms.
Educational Policy, Leadership and Assessment
Studying how schools are led, how systems are governed, and how assessment can measure learning fairly and usefully at every level.
Research at a glance (Faculty Research Office, 2026)
150+
Competitive grants awarded, past five years
80+
Active research projects
300+
Peer-reviewed publications a year
120+
Research postgraduate students
Where our research lands
7
in every 10
of our funded projects run with a Hong Kong school or early-years setting as a partner, not as a study site. Source: Faculty Research Office, 2026.
How our research capability was built
Faculty research themes established
Four cross-departmental themes replaced project-by-project bidding, giving early-career staff a standing group to join rather than a proposal to write alone.
Human Research Ethics Committee restructured
A single Faculty committee took over review for studies involving children and schools, cutting the median turnaround for a standard application to under three weeks.
Research Postgraduate Hub opened
A shared workspace and supervision programme for MPhil and PhD candidates, with a structured milestone review in each year of candidature.
Schools Partnership Network formed
Formal agreements with partner schools gave researchers a standing route into classrooms and gave teachers a route into the evidence.
Open research repository launched
Faculty outputs, instruments and anonymised datasets published in one place, so a finding and the material behind it travel together.
Research support and governance
Competitive Research Grants
Staff compete for external funding such as the Research Grants Council's General Research Fund and Early Career Scheme, alongside Faculty and university internal grants that seed new projects. The Research Office supports proposal development, budgeting and post-award administration, so academic time stays focused on the research itself.
Ethics and Integrity
All studies involving children, schools or other vulnerable groups are reviewed by the Faculty's Human Research Ethics Committee before data collection begins. A code of research integrity, mandatory training and clear procedures for handling concerns apply equally to staff and to research postgraduate students.
Research Postgraduate Students & Support
MPhil and PhD candidates are guided by two-member supervisory teams and a structured programme of milestones, from proposal defence to final oral examination. Funded studentships, dedicated writing seminars and an active postgraduate research student association support students throughout their candidature.
Research Awards
The Faculty recognises outstanding scholarship each year through its Research Excellence Award and Early Career Researcher Award, alongside citations for work that has demonstrated clear impact on schools, policy or professional practice beyond the university.
Related pages
Competitive research grants, 2025/26
| Scheme | Project | Principal investigator | Award (HK$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GRF | Classroom talk and conceptual change in junior secondary science | Professor Lam Sze Wing | 1,184,000 |
| GRF | Family literacy practices in Hong Kong kindergartens | Professor Ho Sau Lan | 968,400 |
| ECS | Teacher agency under curriculum reform | Dr Tsang Ka Wai | 742,000 |
| ECS | Peer support and school belonging among students with SEN | Dr Wong Yuen Han | 689,500 |
Resources for applicants
Guidance and forms for internally reviewed and externally funded applications.
Research partnerships
Working with schools
Most of the Faculty’s research is carried out with schools rather than about them. Colleagues run lesson-study cycles with partner primaries and secondaries, trial materials in timetabled lessons, and advise on curriculum planning at panel and whole-school level.
Schools that would like to take part in a study, or to host a placement, are welcome to get in touch with the research office.
Research Office
Block B, 3/F
10 Lo Ping Road, Tai Po
Telephone (852) 2948 7169
Office hours 09:00-17:30, Monday to Friday.