• Teaching
• Research
• Knowledge Transfer
• Administrative Services

• Teaching
• Research
• Knowledge Trasnfer
• Administrative Services

Individual Award
(Early Career Faculty Member)

Dr David KANG Jong-hyuk
姜鍾赫博士
Assistant Professor, Department of Literature and Cultural Studies

Dr David Kang Jong Hyuk, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Literature and Cultural Studies, believes that the study of history involves exploring the diversity of human experience and that it is the foundation of every other discipline in education. He maintains that learning history in Hong Kong is often associated with rote learning, which undermines the meaning and values embedded in knowledge of the past. In 2014, a proposal offering Hong Kong’s first Bachelor of Education in History and Chinese History emerged from the pressing need to provide valuable historical and cultural knowledge to Hong Kong students. Dr David Kang was actively involved in the process of materialising the University’s vision of training inspiring history teachers for our next generation.

Dr Kang is a historian from South Korea. After spending some time in Taiwan and receiving education in the United States, his passion for Hong Kong history motivated him to start his career in Hong Kong. Dr Kang’s multicultural background provides a unique perspective on cultural interactions between the East and West in the historical context of Hong Kong.

In addition to Dr Kang’s expertise, he is a dedicated educator, who has devoted himself to exploring creative ways to motivate students to learn history. He has developed more than 10 new history courses while advancing novel history programmes. The learner-centred approach and innovative teaching methods adopted in the courses have benefited history majors, and Dr Kang’s history classes have inspired students from other disciplines to engage meaningfully with the past. In particular, his 4-re history teaching method – reconstruct, reread, reflect and research – has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from a diverse group of learners.

Dr Kang is currently the Field Experience Coordinator for EdUHK’s history programmes, and he is working closely with history majors not just to employ their history knowledge in their lessons, but to empower students by equipping them with innovative methods for teaching history. One of the innovative history teaching methods Dr Kang is currently working combines STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) with history education. Students use STEM-focused activities to learn about history, so that ultimately the students will have an improved understanding of Chinese history and enhanced appreciation for Chinese culture.