Fostering Critical Thinking Through Collaborative Group Work

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-ix

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2. Has Critical Thinking Been Fruitfully Married to Group Work in Hong Kong?

   • Dennis Chun-Lok Fung, Tim Weijun Liang

   Pages 1-9

3. The Research on Group Work, Critical Thinking and Confucian Heritage Culture: What Does a Thematic Review Tell Us?

   • Dennis Chun-Lok Fung, Tim Weijun Liang

   Pages 11-33

4. Research Design: A Mixed Methods Approach with a Three-Theme Investigation and Pedagogical Intervention

   • Dennis Chun-Lok Fung, Tim Weijun Liang

   Pages 35-68

5. How Effective Is Group Work in Improving Students’ Academic Performance?

   • Dennis Chun-Lok Fung, Tim Weijun Liang

   Pages 69-101

6. How Effective Is Group Work in Improving the Attitudinal Aspects of Student Learning?

   • Dennis Chun-Lok Fung, Tim Weijun Liang

   Pages 103-127

7. How Does Chinese Culture Exert an Influence on Group Work?

   • Dennis Chun-Lok Fung, Tim Weijun Liang

   Pages 129-151

8. Summary, Concluding Remarks and the Way Forward

   • Dennis Chun-Lok Fung, Tim Weijun Liang

   Pages 153-172

This book reports on studies contextualised within the curriculum development of General Studies in primary education and Liberal Studies in secondary education in Hong Kong. Both areas call for a learning environment that is conducive to the use of collaborative group work to foster critical thinking. By employing a mixed-methods approach and undertaking a teaching intervention based on Anderson et al.’s (2001) study, the book evaluates the effectiveness of group work in learners’ development of critical thinking skills and mindsets. In addition, it examines the influence of Chinese culture on the practice of group work. Findings from primary and secondary classrooms are subjected to a comparative analysis, yielding valuable insights into the relevance of group work for promoting critical thinking.

• Group Work
• Critical Thinking
• Primary Education in Hong Kong
• Secondary Education in Hong Kong
• General Studies
• Liberal Studies
• Small Class Teaching
• Chinese culture in education
• collaborative learning
• learning and instruction

• The University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong, Hong Kong

  Dennis Chun-Lok Fung

• The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

  Tim Weijun Liang

Dennis Chun-Lok Fung is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong. He has served as principal investigator or co-investigator in several core projects including ‘Implementation of Group Work and the Learning of Science and Critical Thinking in Hong Kong Primary Schools’ (HK$ 28,200) and ‘Fostering Communities of Practice to Enhance Small Class Teaching’ (HK$ 3,567,480) since joining the HKU in 2010. One major focus of his current research is cooperative learning and critical thinking in General Studies and Liberal Studies. He received his undergraduate and post-graduate education at the HKU and completed his MPhil and PhD in Education at the University of Cambridge.


Tim Weijun Liang is a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong. He received his BA in English Language and Literature from Shantou University and his MA in TESOL from the HKU. His research interests include computer-assisted collaborative learning, critical thinking and dialogic education. He has published in Oxford Review of Education and Asia Pacific Education Review.

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