The implementation of a curriculum innovation: a study of using IT for teaching and learning in the Hong Kong institute of vocational education

The rapid development of technology and explosion of information on the Internet had lead to a surge of using IT for teaching and learning among different education sectors. In the light of this, many education institutions had developed policy in implementing IT for teaching and learning to improve and enhance the quality of the courses they provided. This thesis reports a study of using IT for teaching and learning by teachers in the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE), as an implementation of a curriculum innovation. The aim of this study was to investigate how teachers behaved in the implementation process rather than to investigate the effectiveness of IT brought to teaching and learning. Different research methods were used to answer the research questions posed for the study. An “Implementation Rubric” was established to find out how the innovation was implemented by IVE teachers. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to identify the factors that hindered and enhanced the implementation. Document analysis was also adopted to triangulate the evidence gathered from surveys and interviews. Results of this research indicated that, in general, the innovation was implemented by IVE teachers, although the degree of implementation of individual dimensions and sub-dimensions varied. This study identified eight critical factors that hindered the implementation of the innovation. Although some of the factors have been commonly mentioned in the literature, the study adds additional perspectives to it, in particular in the context of vocational education in Hong Kong. Each of these factors is discussed in detail and compared with the literature for better interpretation. This study also investigated the issues IVE teachers encountered during the implementation of the innovation and the ways they resolved these issues. The implications of the findings are discussed, and finally eight recommendations for improving the current practices and four suggestions for further research are proposed.