A study of the impact of different media of instruction (Putonghua, Cantonese and diglossia) on the learning and teaching ofChinese in primary one in Hong Kong

Abstract

Under the current policy of medium of instruction, schools in Hong Kong may use either Cantonese or Putonghua to teach Chinese Language subject. In this research, different media of instruction have been designed based on literature review and were imposed in five classes of primary one student studied in the same school. This study aims to examine the impact on using Putonghua, Cantonese or diglossia as the medium of instruction in Chinese language learning and teaching as well as the development of students’ general Chinese competence.

Data were collected from multiple sources, validated and checked for consistency using triangulation. Quantitative analyses were conducted via quasi-experimental study and questionnaire surveys to examine the impact on the development of students’ general Chinese competence as well as students’ learning. Qualitative analyses were executed via multiple case studies, classroom observation, teacher-student interviews and text analysis of transcripts of interview protocols to examine the impact on teaching and learning.

The research results show that, using different media of instruction have no negative impact on teaching and learning. Among those media of instruction, Cantonese, the mother tongue, is the preference of teachers and students. Nevertheless, qualified and experienced teachers and well-planned lessons and curriculum are the prerequisites for using Putonghua, Cantonese and Diglossia as the medium of instruction of Chinese language learning.

The research results show that there are positive impacts on the Chinese language development of students. However, students have different performances in the mastery of mental lexicons, writing and reading abilities among the five classes. These results reflect that the teaching goals, strategies and the allocation of teaching time are affected by the different media of instruction.

In brief, this study is a basic research that provides information for future studies on the media of instruction of Chinese language learning and teaching. Moreover, the result of this study can also serve as a reference to policy makers and teachers in making their decision in selecting the medium of instruction of Chinese language learning.