Welcome to the Asia-Pacific Educational Research Association
International Conference 2006
28 – 30 November 2006
The Hong Kong Institute of Education, HKSAR

 

Prof. Yin Cheong CHENG
President, Asia-Pacific Educational Research Association
Chairman, Organising Committee of APERA 2006

On behalf of the Asia-Pacific Educational Research Association (APERA, www.apera.org) and the Organising Committee, I would like to extend our warmest welcome to all of you to the APERA International Conference 2006.

This conference is jointly organised by the Asia-Pacific Educational Research Association, the Hong Kong Institute of Education, and the Hong Kong Educational Research Association, together with 20 international and local co-organisers and sponsors.

Serving the mission of the Association, the Conference aims to provide a forum for educators, researchers and policy-makers from the Asia-Pacific Region and other parts of the world to share educational innovations and initiatives, frontline experiences, cutting-edge findings, as well as the highest aspirations and visions for education development. The theme of the Conference is “Educational Research, Policy and Practice in an Era of Globalization: The Asia Pacific Perspectives and Beyond”.

In an era of globalization, educators and researchers will benefit by sharing and consolidating findings on educational research, policy and practice, from the Asia-Pacific region and the international communities. Such exchanges in perspectives will be conducive to the overall development in education.

Moving towards the future, we believe that all initiatives for the effective planning, organising, implementing, and restructuring of education should be supported by research-based knowledge. At the same time, the experiences, knowledge, and insights gained from, together with the difficulties encountered in, one country can provide valuable lessons for another.

I am very pleased to report that the Conference has received tremendous good responses from researchers and educators internationally. We have nearly 800 participants and 500 presentations from 40 countries in the Region and beyond. In addition to my president address, we are so honored to have world renowned scholars and researchers as our keynote speakers including Professor Colin Power, Dr. Jane Gilbert, Professor Oon-Seng Tan, Professor Rupert Maclean, Professor Molly Lee and Professor Nanzhao Zhou. The insights and research findings reported by these leading figures and 560 presenters were certainly very stimulating and contributing to knowledge advancement in various areas of education. We believe, the discussion and sharing among presenters and audiences during the Conference would be much fruitful and rewarding and their impacts would be long lasting on development of scholarship, friendship, networking and collaboration in research in the Region and beyond.

Without your active participation, the International Conference cannot be a success. I wish to acknowledge the generous support from keynote speakers, presenters and participants, both local and overseas. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my deep thanks to all members of organising committee and its four sub-committees, co-organisers and international sponsors for their significant contribution in turning the Conference into a reality.

Finally, my sincere thanks must be extended to our Guest of Honor, Professor Roland Chin and our Honorary Advisors, Professor Paul Morris, Professor Rupert Maclean, and Professor Ng Ching Fai for their kind support to our Conference.

I sincerely wish that this international event can help network educational researchers and scholars for educational endeavors in the Asia-Pacific Region. Also the Association and the Conference continue to serve as a platform for exchange and collaboration in educational research for policy development and practical innovation in coming years.

I hope, you have found the APERA International Conference 2006 stimulating and your stay in Hong Kong enjoyable.

 

Organisers:
Asia-Pacific Educational Research Association
Hong Kong Institute of Education-APCELSQ
Hong Kong Educational Research Association

Co-organisers: The Hong Kong Baptist University (Department of Education Studies), The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Faculty of Education), The City University of Hong Kong (Comparative Education Policy Research Unit), The Hong Kong University (Faculty of Education), The Open University of Hong Kong (School of Education and Languages) and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Educational Development Centre). Journal Sponsors: International Journal of Educational Management, Asia-Pacific Educational Review (APER) in Korea, and Educational Research for Policy and Practice (ERPP) in Australia.

International Sponsors: UNESCO-UNEVOC, International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, UNESCO-Asia-Pacific Programme of Educational Innovation for Development, UNESCO-Asia-Pacific Network for International Education and Values Education, The Australian Council for Educational Research, British Council, The China National Institute for Educational Research, Education Research Association Singapore, Korean Educational Development Institute, National Institute for Educational Policy Research, Japan, National Institute for Education Strategy and Curriculum (NIESAC) of Viet Nam, and the New Zealand Council for Educational Research.

The APERA International Conference 2006 is held in the campus of The Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong, SAR China. The 12.5 hectare campus provides a nice environment, comprehensive meeting facilities, and the professional audio-visual aids for presentations.

For more information about The Hong Kong Institute of Education, please visit: