Professor WONG, Gary K. W.

General research interests: Constructionism, computational thinking, computer science and engineering education, artificial intelligence education, STEAM education, immersive digital learning environment

Specialization:

• Computational thinking and cognitive development
• Computer science and engineering education at K-12
• Artificial intelligence (AI) education
• Extended reality (XR) (e.g. virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality) or Metaverse in education

Recruiting PhD student: I constantly look for self-motivated candidates who desire to pursue a PhD degree under my supervision. If you are interested and have passion on research in my area (1st priority is given to those PhD applicants interested in educational research of "computational thinking", "artificial intelligence" or closely related areas), please contact me and discuss about the graduate study opportunity before submitting the application.  (Please read this before contacting me: https://www.elsevier.com/connect/9-things-you-should-consider-before-embarking-on-a-phd)

Internal Awards

• Faculty Knowledge Exchange (KE) Award (Individual), Project: Coding for Community Project: Building a Diversified Coding Community in Hong Kong Secondary Education, HKU, 2022
• Faculty Knowledge Exchange (KE) Award (Team as Co-I), Project: Co-creating a New Normal of Empowered Learning through Digital Citizenship Research, HKU, 2021

External Awards

• Stanford's Top 2% most highly cited scientists 2025 (Single year)
• Springer Nature Editorial Contribution Award 2025 & 2026, for the outstanding contribution to the Education and Information Technologies (Q1, SSCI, IF = 4.8) of the year
• IEEE EAB Meritorious Achievement Award in Pre-University Education, IEEE Educational Activities Board (EAB), 2023
• Best Paper Award, IEEE International Conference on Teaching, Assessment, and Learning for Engineering (TALE) 2017, "Assessing Primary School Students' Intrinsic Motivation of Computational Thinking"
• Outstanding Journal Article Published in the International Review of ETR&D Award, The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) International Convention 2016, "The behavioral intentions of Hong Kong primary teachers in adopting educational technology", Educational Technology Research and Development (ETR&D)
• Best Paper Award, IEEE International Conference on Teaching, Assessment, and Learning for Engineering (TALE) 2015, "School Perceptions of Coding Education in K-12: A Large Scale Quantitative Study to Inform Innovative Practices"

Other Awards

• Special Merit Award, The Education University of Hong Kong, 2016
• Phi Kappa Phi
• Upsilon Pi Epsilon
• Young Alumni Award, Brigham Young University Hawaii, 2011

Research Funding (Selected)

• Principal Investigator, Exploring Hong Kong Primary Teachers' Pedagogical Beliefs and Practices in Al-Mediated Computational Thinking Education: A Longitudinal Study on Continuing Professional Development, Research Grants Council, General Research Fund (GRF), 2026 - 2029, Grant: HKD868,518.00
• Principal Investigator, Examining children development of artificial intelligence (AI) literacy and computational thinking (CT) in primary school: An empirical investigation, Research Grants Council, General Research Fund (GRF), 2024 - 2026, Grant: HKD669,380.00
• Co-Investigator, Application of virtual reality environments in promoting resonant voice generalization for primary school teachers with voice problems, Research Grants Council, General Research Fund (GRF), 2023 - 2025, Grant: HKD520,300.00
• Principal Investigator, Infusing engineering design process into science education in primary schools: Design-based research on students’ constructionist learning approach, Research Grants Council, General Research Fund (GRF), 2019 - 2022, Grant: HKD320,500.00
• Principal Investigator, The impact of coding education in Hong Kong primary schools: a longitudinal study, Research Grants Council, General Research Fund (GRF), 2017 - 2020, Grant: HKD547,500.00

SCHOLARLY BOOKS, MONOGRAPHS AND CHAPTERS

1. Law, N., Woo, D., de la Torre, J. & Wong, G. K. W. (2018). A global framework of reference on digital literacy skills for indicator 4.4.2. UNESCO Institute for Statistics 

SELECTED REFEREED ARTICLES (PEER-REVIEWED)

1. Ma, M., Ng, D. T. K., Liu, Z., & Wong, G. K. W. (2025). Fostering responsible AI literacy: A systematic review of K-12 AI ethics education. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 8, 100422. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2025.100422

2. Wong, G. K. W., Cheung, H., & Jiang, S. (2024). Engaging children in developing algorithmic thinking and debugging skills in primary schools: A comparative multicase study, Education and Information Technologies, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12448-x 

3. Zhang, S. & Wong, G. K. W. (2023). Understanding Individual Differences in Computational Thinking Development of Primary School Students: A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12940 

4. Wong, G. K. W., Reichert, F., & Law, N. W. (2023). Reorienting the assessment of digital literacy in the twenty-first century: a product-lifecycle and experience dependence perspective. Educational Technology Research and Development, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-023-10278-1

5. Ye, J., Lai, X., Ye, J., Wong, G. K. W., & He, N. (2023). Interplay of computational identity, learning experiences, programming self-efficacy, and computing aspirations for adolesents in urban China. Educational Technology & Society, 27(2), https://doi.org/10.30191/ETS.202404_27(2).RP01 

6. Lai, X., Ye, J., & Wong, G. K. W. (2023). Effectiveness of collaboration in developing computational thinking skills: A systematic review of social cognitive factors. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12845 

7. Cai, H. & Wong, G. K. W. (2023). A systematic review on parental involvement in computational thinking education. Interactive Learning Environments. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2023.2214185 

8. Zhang, S. & Wong, G. K. W. (2023). Exploring the underlying cognitive process of computational thinking in primary education. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2023.101314

9. Wong, G. K. W. (2023). Amplifying children’s computational problem-solving skills: A hybrid-based design for programming education. Education and Information Technologies, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-11880-9 
10. Zhang, S. & Wong, G. K. W. (2023). Development and Analysis of a Computational Thinking Test for Lower Primary Students. Educational Technology Research and Development, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-023-10231-2 
11. Wong, G. K. W., Tsang, Y., Wu, Q., Zhang, X. (2023). Do underprivileged youth find hope, sense of community, and perceived social support in computational participation? A socio-cognitive approach to computational learning. Education and Information Technologies, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11522-6
12. Ye J., Lai, X., & Wong, G. K. W. (2022). A multigroup structural equation modeling analysis of students' perception, motivation, and performance in computational thinking. Frontiers in Psychology, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.989066. 
13. Ye, J., Lai, X., & Wong, G. K. W. (2022). The transfer effects of computational thinking: A systematic review with meta-analysis and qualitative synthesis. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12723 
14. Zhang, S., Wong, G. K. W., & Chan, P. C. F. (2022). Playing coding games to learn computational thinking: What motivates students to use this tool at home?. Education and Information Technologies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11181-7. 
15. Jiang, S., & Wong, G. K. W. (2022). Exploring age and gender differences of computational thinkers in primary school: A developmental perspective. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 38, 60-75, https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12591. 
16. Lai, X., & Wong, G. K. W. (2022). Collaborative versus individual problem solving in computational thinking through programming: A meta-analysis. British Journal of Educational Technology, 53, 150-170, https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13157. 
17. Wong, G. K. W., Li, Y., & Lai, X. (2021). Visualizing the learning patterns of topic-based social interaction in online discussion forums: an exploratory study. Educational Technology Research and Development, 69, 2813-2843, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-021-10040-5. 
18. Wong, G. K. W.., Ma, X., Dillenbourg, P., & Huan, J. (2020). Broadening artificial intelligence education in K-12: where to start?. ACM Inroads, 11(1), 20-29, https://doi.org/10.1145/3381884.
19. Reichert, F., Zhang, D. J., Law, N. W., Wong, G. K. W., & de la Torre, J. (2020). Exploring the structure of digital literacy competence assessed using authentic software applications. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68, 2991-3013, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09825-x. 
20. Saxena, A., Lo, C. K., Hew, K. F., & Wong, G. K. W. (2020). Designing Unplugged and Plugged Activities to Cultivate Computational Thinking: An Exploratory Study in Early Childhood Education. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 29(1), 55-66, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-019-00478-w.
21. Wong, G. K. W. & Cheung, H. (2020). Exploring children’s perceptions of developing twenty-first century skills through computational thinking and programming, Interactive Learning Enviroments, https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2018.1534245. 
22. Jiang, S. & Wong, G. K. W. (2017). Assessing Primary School Students’ Intrinsic Motivation of Computational Thinking. In Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Teaching, Assessment and Learning in Engineering (TALE) 2017, IEEE, Hong Kong. (Best Paper Award) 
23. Wong, G. K. W. (2016). The behavioral intentions of Hong Kong primary teachers in adopting educational technology. Educational Technology Research and Development, 64(2), 313-338, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-016-9426-9.
24. Wong, G. K. W. (2015). Understanding technology acceptance in pre-service teachers of primary mathematics in Hong Kong. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology (AJET), 32(6), 713-735, https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.1890. 

Editorial:

• Associate Editor (2023 - Current), IEEE Access (Education Section) (SCIE)
• Associate Editor (2023 - Current), ACM Inroads
• Associate Editor (2024 - Current), Education and Information Technologies (SSCI)
• Associate Editor (2021 - Current), IEEE Transactions on Education (SCIE)
• Associate Editor (2021 - Current), Frontier in Education (STEM Education) (ESCI)
• Editorial Board Member (2022 - Current) - Computers & Education: X Reality

Professional and Academic Conferences (Selected):

• Secretary, IEEE Education Society - Board of Governers, 2022 - 2026
• Member, Conferene Steering Committee, IEEE International Conference on Teaching, Assessment, and Learning for Engineering TALE, 2023 - 2026
• Member, Global Liaison Committee, ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
  (SIGCSE), 2015 - 2022
• Chair, Executive Officer Committee, IEEE Hong Kong Section (Education Chapter), 2014-2019
• General Chair, 2017 IEEE International Conference on Teaching, Assessment, and Learning for Engineering (TALE 2017)

Membership

• IEEE Senior Member
• IEEE Education Society Member
• ACM Professional Member
• ACM SIGCSE Member
• AERA Member