Sufficient conditions for sustainable instructional changes in the classroom: The case of Hong Kong

摘要

The present study hypothesizes that both organizational and classroom constraints mediate the chance of making instructional changes sustainable. Behind this hypothesis is an assumption that when people faces impending changes, the level of anxiety tends to increase and creates defenses which block the change. A survey of 1,876 teachers in 65 secondary schools in Hong Kong is conducted and path analysis is employed to look at how constraints in the organization and in the classroom hamper the sustainable implementation of new modes of pedagogy toward constructivism. Findings in the study suggest that both organizational constraints and behavioral problems in the classroom reduce the sustainability of new modes of individual-focused and whole class focused instructional practices, but learning problems in the classroom increase the sustainability of alternative modes of individual-focused instructional practices. The author suggests that the sufficient conditions for sustainable instructional changes within a school are an authentic professional learning community among the teachers, and whole school arrangements to provide a peaceful learning environment in the classrooms and an individualized education program for students in need.