A STUDY ON ATTITUDES OF MACAU MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS ON TEACHING-RESEARCH ACTIVITIES: AN ANALYSIS OF PRIVATE CHINESE SCHOOLS

This study aims to understand the attitudes of secondary school teachers in Macau towards teaching and research activities. Using the framework of attitude theory, it delves into teachers' perspectives across three dimensions: cognitive, affective, and behavioral. The goal is to provide empirical data and practical recommendations for improving educational quality and promoting professional development among teachers in Macau. A qualitative research approach was adopted, with data collected through semi-structured interviews. The study focused on one school leader and nine secondary school teachers from a private Chinese school in Macau.

The findings indicate that while teachers generally have a limited understanding of teaching and research activities, they hold a positive overall attitude. They recognize the necessity and purpose of these activities and believe that participating in them enhances professional growth and teaching quality. However, factors such as heavy teaching workloads, challenges in time management, and limited research resources hinder teachers’ engagement and investment in these activities. Additionally, teachers reported encountering practical challenges during participation, such as unclear policy guidance, excessive workloads, and ambiguous funding.

Based on the interview results, the study offers specific recommendations at the policy, school, and other levels. It suggests that policymakers further clarify the direction and standards of research activities, streamline administrative processes to encourage educational initiatives, and improve school-based reward mechanisms for teaching research. Schools are encouraged to enhance teacher development programs and provide clearer financial support. Other suggestions include promoting collaboration between universities and schools in research activities, expanding social resources and community involvement, and fostering resource sharing and exchange. These measures aim to motivate teachers to engage more actively in research activities, ultimately raising the overall quality of secondary education in Macau.

本研究旨在了解澳門中學教師對教研活動的態度，基於態度理論框架，深入探究了澳門中學教師在認知、情感和行為三個維度上對教研活動的見解。研究旨在為提升澳門教育質量、促進教師專業素養發展提供實際的數據支持和實踐建議。本研究採用了質性研究方法，通過半結構式訪談法收集數據，選取了澳門一所私立中文學校的一名校領導及九名中學教師作為研究對象。 研究發現澳門中學教師對教研活動的認知上普遍呈現相對局限的理解，但是整體抱持積極的態度。教師能夠深刻理解教研活動的必要性和目的，並認為教研活動的開展有助專業發展和教學質量的提升。然而，受教學工作量多、時間管理困難以及教研資源有限等因素的制約，使教師對教研活動的參與度和投入程度受到了一定影響。此外，在教師參與教研活動過程中，受訪教師們報讀遇到一定的實際挑戰。例如，教師們反映存在一些政策指導不明確、教師負擔過重以及經費模糊等問題。由此，基於訪談結果，本研究從政策制定、學校和其他層面各提出具體建議：建議政策製定者進一步明確教研方向和政策標準，並簡化行政程序鼓勵教育活動；建議學校進一步完善教研獎勵機制，加強教師的培養，並明確經費支援；其他方面的建議則包括促進高校在教研活動中的合作關係，鼓勵擴大社會資源和社團參與，共同推動教研資源的共享與交流，以激發教師參與教研活動的積極性，進而提升澳門中學教育的整體水平。