An exploration of high school students' perspectives on critical thinking and creativity in the Health Management and Social Care subject

This study explored students' perspectives on the abilities acquired through a subject called Health Management and Social Care (HMSC), which was launched under Hong Kong's new senior secondary curriculum. The first public examination for the subject was conducted in 2012. A qualitative design was adopted in the present study, with focus group interviews carried out with 123 students recruited from seven schools. Two major themes were identified via content analysis: (i) critical thinking and creativity in HMSC; and (ii) applications of critical thinking and creativity in HMSC with two subthemes (a) health/social care promotions on campus and (b) social services in communities. Both the implications and limitations of the study for health-related subjects were discussed.