Perceived benefits of studying general education for undergraduate students in the self-financing institutions in Hong Kong

ABSTRACT

The Hong Kong Secondary Education system moved from the traditional “5 + 2 + 3” system to a new “3 + 3 + 4” structure in 2012 with emphasis on whole-person development. Under the new reform, students are required to undertake a block of new general education (GE) subjects apart from their disciplinary-specific education in their university curriculum. While prior studies mainly investigated the reform of GE and curriculum design, empirical studies on the perceived benefits of GE are sparse.

The current study primarily aims to investigate the impact of GE on the generic skills of university students. A survey of 424 undergraduate students enrolled in a self-financing programme in four higher educational institutions in Hong Kong was conducted. The perceived benefits of GE were measured by seven variables, including communication, critical thinking and problem solving, team-work, leadership, lifelong learning and information management skills, ethics, and professional moral knowledge. This study can contribute to the understanding of the interrelationship between GE and the development of generic skills. Results will provide a guideline for educators and management when planning, developing, designing, and reviewing the general education curriculum.

KEYWORDS:

• Generic skills
• general education
• whole-person development
• self-financing higher education
• Hong Kong higher education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Irene Szeto

Dr Irene Szeto is a Lecturer of Faculty of Management & Hospitality, Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong. She obtained her BBA from the University of Technology, Sydney. She also possessed the MBA and MATESOL from the University of New South Wales, Australia & The Education University of Hong Kong.  Last, she obtained her DBA from University of Newcastle, Australia.  Since 2020, she has moved to the School of Continuing & Professional Education, City University of Hong Kong.

Peggy Mei Lan Ng

Dr Peggy Ng is a Senior Lecturer of the Division of Business and Hospitality Management. She obtained her Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of British Columbia (UBC). After graduation from UBC, she further pursued a Postgraduate Certificate in Professional, Vocational and Higher Education at PolyU, and Master of Business at Curtin University of Technology. In 2014, she obtained her DBA from Heriot-Watt University.  Her work has appeared in referred journals including the Journal of Marketing Management, Online Information Review, Higher Education, Social Responsibility Journal, and International Journal of Educational Management.

Wai Sum Phoebe Wong

Phoebe Wong is a Senior Lecturer in Marketing and Public Relations at the School of Professional Education and Executive Development (SPEED), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She gained her PhD from Lancaster University. She read General Linguistics at the University of Helsinki, Finland, followed by postgraduate studies in Marketing at University College Dublin, Ireland. Her work has appeared in refereed journals including the Journal of Marketing Management, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Consumer Behaviour, Online Information Review, and Higher Education Research.

Leslie Yip

Leslie Yip has retired from academia.