Research

Research conducted by colleagues in the Department of Education Studies informs the education discipline and practices locally and internationally, and provides timely and critical responses to emerging educational and societal issues. Our strategic aims in research are to (a) shape education policy and practice, (b) enhance school effectiveness through devising innovative pedagogies, (c) promote student well-being, and (d) advocate for educational equity. We lead education research specializing in the areas of information technology in education, STEM education, special educational needs, and whole-person approach to child and adolescent development. Our research work takes multi- and transdisciplinary orientations that draw from expertise in education, psychology, information technology, linguistics, sociology, anthropology, and neuroscience to promote innovative academic and professional knowledge through accomplished research, scholarship of teaching and learning, and engaged community service.

Faculty members of the Department have collectively built up a very creditable research record in terms of publications and successful grant applications. Our colleagues pursue research interests in four broad research areas: 1) Urban & Regional Studies of China - Hong Kong, which include a variety of social, transportational, housing and other urban and regional themes dealing with contemporary China; 2) Environmental Studies, which include, for example, the research into past and contemporary climate and environmental change, mainly in Hong Kong and China, and quaternary studies in East Africa; 3) Economic Development and Energy Resource, which focuses on economic geography, sustainable development, energy policy and governance; and 4) Remote Sensing and Environmental GIS, from which close relationships with China and Central Asia are developed through environmental studies using remote sensing technologies.  

Research work at the Department covers Comparative Government and Politics, International Relations, European and China Studies, and Language Studies. The main current research themes developed at GIS include Hong Kong and Chinese politics, European politics, integration and security, social movements and protests in China, political transitions and democratization both in Europe and Asia, Chinese foreign and security policies in particular in Central Asia and Africa, Taiwan politics and relations across the Taiwan Strait, the European Union and sustainable, smart urban development, multi-level governance in the EU, and European comparative language policies.

Members of the Department have published widely in academic journals, books and edited volumes in multiple languages. Our research, teaching and publications cover a variety of topics, periods and regions. Geographically speaking, the research interests of our Faculty members cover East Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe, North America, Africa, Oceania, Middle East, and the global world. Thematically speaking, our Faculty members teach and publish on an array of topics, including but not limited to political development, colonialism, foreign relations, the maritime world, cross-cultural studies, migration, business, expatriate communities, historiography, philosophy, education, gender, childhood, motherhood, youth, law, natural science, medicine and diseases, archaeology, material cultures, historical anthropology, religions, urban cities, and ethnicity.

Research is an indispensable component of social work education at the Department. Excellent teaching and practice in social work has been supported by vigorous research endeavors. Social work theories have to be tested and translated for effective practice, while local ones have to be developed for critical examination to cope with emerging social conditions and social problems in the Hong Kong context, the region and the global community at large. Against this background, the academics of the Department have been engaging in various different research projects pursued along the following lines: (1) youth studies, (2) mental health and well-being, and (3) social policy and community development. Responding to the global development of smart societies, research upon the implications of digitalization on disadvantaged communities, social work theories and practices has been among the concern of the three foci.

The Department of Sociology is committed to research excellence and scholarly publications. The research interests of the members of the Department cover a wide range of topics, including Chinese societies, cultural sociology, family, gender and sexuality, globalization, migration, political sociology, popular religion, social networks, social stratification and urban sociology.

The research areas of the colleagues in the Department include physical activity, exercise physiology, biochemistry of exercise, psychology, obesity and related comorbidities, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, children’s health and the study of aged populations. Further areas include wellness, physical activity and health, fitness and health assessment, physiological demands of sporting activities in children and adults, lifetime sports and recreation, sport injury prevention, high performance sports, gender and aging issues in sports and recreation, sports and leisure management, as well as sport psychology and mental health.