Abstract

Excessive workload of teachers puts them under professional pressure which consequently affects their mental health and teaching effectiveness. All over the world, numerous researches have been done on teachers’ working hours. To look into the workload of Hong Kong primary teachers of both government and subsidized schools, the Hong Kong Primary Education Research Association conducted a survey. Subjects were teachers from the 732 government and subsidized primary schools in Hong Kong. In early 1999, 6 questionnaires were sent to each primary school. Schools randomly picked out 2 senior teachers and 4 teachers to fill in the questionnaires anonymously.

Results indicated that the average teaching hours of primary teachers were about 4 hours. Teachers spent about 1 hour for preparation and 2.7 hours for marking assignments and assessment task. They also spent some time on student discipline and guidance. On average, the total daily workload of a primary teacher was about 9 hours. Moreover, the total weekly working hours that a primary teacher spent on teaching and school works amounted to about 60 hours if we took the 11 un-scheduled teaching hours into account as well. Further, the variations between teachers’ workload and their backgrounds had also been analysed and the influences of the recent education reform on the workload of teachers and the quality of education in Hong Kong were also presented. Several practical suggestions were made to improve the identified situation.

[Full text in Chinese. Please refer to the Chinese website of JQSE]

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