A study of Hong Kong junior primary school students' self-regulated ability in Chinese reading = Xianggang chu xiao xue sheng Zhong wen yue du zi zhu xue xi neng li yan jiu

Abstract

To cope with the ever changing world in the 21st Century, curriculum reforms in Hong Kong since 2000 have promoted the notions of “learning to learn” and “lifelong learning”, and self-regulated learning (SRL) has become one of nine stipulated learning domains in the official Chinese Language Curriculum. Teachers in Hong Kong, especially those in primary schools, have been asked to take every opportunity to equip themselves with appropriate theoretical and practical knowledge to enhance students’ SRL capability. Although considerable research in the West has demonstrated that SRL is conducive to most students’ learning performance, there is scant evidence about whether SRL practices are applicable in Hong Kong. Since younger students in Hong Kong were for years considered incapable of mastering SRL, most previous studies in the field have only looked at the development of SRL among senior primary students. Hence, studies into the promotion of young learners’ SRL ability are limited in the Hong Kong educational context. Employing a quasi-experimental design, 2 classes of 30 junior primary students were studied: one of which had received SRL training and the other had received standard teaching. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected to examine the teachers’ efforts to nurture students’ SRL; the development of students’ SRL ability; and the correlation between reading proficiency and the students’ degree of SRL development. The results suggest that, with appropriate teaching, the integration of the SRL theories common in the West may be adopted in Hong Kong; and that SRL strategies may be used by junior primary students. The correlational analyses revealed a positive correlation between the students’ SRL and reading competence. Classroom observations and the students’ learning portfolios revealed evidence to support the notion that students’ SRL had had a positive impact on their Chinese reading development. The study adds to research on SRL learning among young learners in Hong Kong and offers operational reference in the teaching context. Opportunity sampling was employed, and the findings of the research demonstrated the development of students’ self-regulated abilities.

香港在2000 年的教育改革以「學會學習．終身學習」為目標，而中國語文課程也訂定「自主學習」為九個學習範疇之一。然而，香港小學教師在落實時仍有不少困難。雖然自主學習在歐美地區的研究證實有利提升學生的學習成就，但這些理論在香港情景能否取得相似的結果則有待探索。另外，由於不少學者認為初小學生未有能力自主學習，大部分過往研究的對象為高小以上的學生，針對這個學段的小學生的研究較少，而在香港則更少。本研究透過準實驗方法，以介入課程在一個30 人的初小班級進行實驗，另設一班30 人的控制組，收集質性和量化的數據，探討在香港的教育文化下，教師如何在課堂培養自主學習能力，初小學生是否能夠具備自主學習能力，這種能力怎樣發展，以及自主學習與學生閱讀能力的關係。研究發現，只要教師創設有利和適合初小學生學習的課堂環境，將西方的自主學習理論融入香港的教學模式中，學生可以掌握自主學習策略。相關分析(correlation analysis)發現學生的閱讀能力與自主學習有正相關。課堂觀察和學生學習歷程檔案數據，呈現了教師促進學生自主學習的課堂模式和初小學生自主學習能力的發展進程。是次研究補充了學術界，尤其是香港對初小學生的自主學習探討的不足，同時為香港小學提供相關的理論和操作方面的參考。研究採用機會抽樣方式，研究結果能反映個案學校學生的自學能力發展。