The Changing Roles of Educational Psychologists in Hong Kong

Abstract

This is a study of the roles and functions of educational psychologists in Hong Kong. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 21 Hong Kong educational psychologists in spring 1997. The purposes of the survey were to investigate how much time Hong Kong educational psychologists use in various services and with various clients, what difficulties they encountered in their work, what skills and knowledge they perceived as important to their practices, and how frequently they work with other professionals. The results of the survey indicated that Hong Kong educational psychologists have gone beyond the traditional role of psychometricians or gatekeepers of special education. Their services ranged from remediation to prevention, case work to systems work, and direct services to indirect services. Reflecting a universal trend, Hong Kong educational psychologists function in an advanced model of service delivery which is proactive and systemsoriented. However, they are still faced with many difficulties in their work. These difficulties include lack of government planning, a poor ratio between educational psychologists and students, and poor promotion prospects in their careers. On the basis of the survey findings, implications for training and the future development of the profession are discussed.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Bardon, J.I. (1982) 'The Psychology of School Psychology', in C.R. Reynolds and T.B. Gutkin (eds) The Handbook of School Psychology, pp. 3-14. New York: John Wiley.

Bottom Line (1997, 27 June) Asiaweek 25(59): 56-56.

Burden, R.L. (1994) 'Trends and Developments in Educational Psychology: An International Perspective', School Psychology International 15: 293-347.

Census and Statistics Department (1996) Annual Digest of Statistics. Hong Kong: Government Printer.

Christenson, S. , Abery, B. and Weinberg, R. (1986) 'An Alternative Model for the Delivery of Psychological Services in the School Community', in S.N. Elliott and J.C. Witt (eds) The Delivery of Psychological Services in Schools: Concepts, Processes, and Issues, pp. 349-391. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Druker, B. and De Jong, T. (1996) 'The Educational Psychologist as Organisation Development Consultant in South Africa Schools: A Framework for Conceputalizing Substantive Issues', School Psychology International 17: 17-32.

Education Commission (1990) Education Commission Report No.4. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Government Printer.

Education Department (1995) Guidelines on Whole School Approach to Guidance for Secondary Schools. Hong Kong: Government Printer.

Education Department (1996, 3 February) Recruitment advertisement for educational psychologists. South China Morning Post.

10.

Elliott, S.N. and Witt, J.C. (eds) (1986) Fundamental Questions and Dimensions ofPsychological ServiceDelivery in Schools. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

11.

Fagan, T. and Wise, P. (1994) School Psychology: Past, Present, and Future. New York: Longman.

12.

Hong Kong Government (1984) A Draft Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Future of Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Government Printer.

13.

Hu, S. , Oakland, T. and Salili, F. (1988) 'School Psychology in Hong Kong', School Psychology International 9: 21-28.

14.

Lam, S.F. , Yuon, E.F.L. and Mak, Y.S. (1997) 'Support Services to Secondary School Teachers in Hong Kong', paper presented at the 14th Annual Conference of the Hong Kong Educational Research Association, Hong Kong.

15.

Lunt, I. and Farrell, P. (1994) 'Restructuring Educational Psychology Training in the UK', The Psychologist: Bulletin of the British Psychological Society 7(6): 268-271.

16.

National School Psychology Inservice Training Network (1984) School Psychology: A Blueprint for Training and Practice. Minneapolis: Author.

17.

Oakland, T.D. and Cunningham, J.L. (1992) 'A Survey of School Psychology in Developed and Developing Countries', School Psychology International 13: 99-129.

18.

Rehabilitation Advisory Committee (1995) Report of the Working Group on the Demand and Supply of Educational Psychologists. Hong Kong: Rehabilitation Advisory Committee.

19.

Smith, D.K. (1984) 'Practising School Psychologists: Their Characteristics, Activities, and Populations Served', Professional Psychology: Research and Practice 15(6): 798-810.

20.

Smith, D.K. and Mealy, N.S. (1988) 'Changes in School Psychology Practice: A Five-year Update', paper presented at the American Psychological Association, Atlanta.

21.

Wall, W.D. (1956) Psychological Services for Schools. New York: University for UNESCO Institute for Education.