Does the switch of medium of instruction facilitate the language learning of students? A case study of Hong Kong from teachers’ perspective

Abstract

The medium of instruction (MOI) and its impact on improving the language proficiency of students has become a debated issue worldwide. The policy-makers of post-colonial Hong Kong believed that the general Chinese competency, Chinese writing and Putonghua proficiency of students would be improved through the use of a Putonghua-medium-of-instruction (PMI) rather than the Cantonese medium, the mother tongue of students and teachers. Therefore, using Putonghua to teach the Chinese language has been promulgated as a long-term goal by the Curriculum Development Council. Early studies have placed an emphasis on using standardized tests to assess students’ learning outcomes with the use of PMI, but unfortunately the findings have been inconclusive. Despite teachers’ involvement in implementing the MOI policy, there is a dearth of studies examining the perspective of teachers regarding the language learning of students under PMI. This paper aims to explore this important issue in greater depth through a case study of a high school, which has implemented PMI to teach the Chinese language for 10 years. The findings indicate that there are mismatches between the stated educational policy intentions and the language learning of students in various aspects. Further studies and follow-up measures on the language policy and education are suggested.

Keywords:

• medium of instruction
• language policy
• Chinese
• Putonghua
• Hong Kong

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by a Direct Grant from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The author would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions, which greatly improved this manuscript.

Notes

1. Chinese Language is composed of the four language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking), Chinese literature, Chinese culture, moral education and critical thinking.

2. The Putonghua education offered in Hong Kong mainly deals with the linguistic forms such as the pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and lexis of Putonghua.

3. Cantonese, also known as Yue or Baihua, is a dialect commonly used in Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong province in mainland China. It is a branch of the spoken Chinese language representing the culture of southern China.

4. Bi-literacy refers to written Chinese and English competence while tri-lingualism promotes Cantonese, Putonghua and spoken English.

5. Beliefs, knowledge, theories, attitudes, images, assumptions, metaphors, conceptions and perspectives are collectively referred to as teacher cognition (Borg 2003).

6. According to the Hong Kong secondary school place allocation system, students are allocated according to three bands with respect to their academic accomplishments. The top, middle and bottom 33% of students are allocated to bands 1, 2 and 3, respectively.