Using Putonghua to teach Chinese language : the receptivity and practices of Hong Kong primary teachers = 用普通話教中文 : 香港小學教師的認同感與實踐

Abstract

Hong Kong is a predominantly Chinese society and a diverse international metropolis. The teaching language of school subjects has long been a topic of concern among members of society. Since 1999, when the Hong Kong Curriculum Development Council proposed using Putonghua as the medium of instruction to teach Chinese Language (PMIC) as a long term goal, some schools have already used Putonghua to teach Chinese Language in different modes. More than twenty years now passed, how are primary teachers receptive to PMIC? What factors might affect their receptivity? Will PMIC have any impact on teachers’ Chinese language teaching? If yes, what are they? In the past, research on PMIC in Hong Kong has largely focused on discussing the feasibility of PMIC, its impact on students’ Chinese language proficiency, and some of the necessary objective conditions or factors. However, there has been very little research on primary school teachers receptivity to PMIC and its related factors. To fill this research gap, this study focuses on primary school teachers to gain a deeper understanding of their receptivity to PMIC and its practical implementation. Specifically, this study addresses the following three research questions: (1) How are primary school teachers receptive to PMIC? (2) What factors affect primary school teachers’ receptivity to PMIC? (3) What are the impacts of PMIC on teachers’ Chinese language teaching in primary school? Specifically, this inquiry encompasses four distinct facets: teaching objectives, learning content, instructional strategies, and assessment. This study is a naturalistic multiple-case study that focuses on six PMIC teachers from three aided primary schools. The main methods used in this research include interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis to collect qualitative data for analysis and interpretation. The research results reveal that: 1. There are differences in teachers receptivity to PMIC, but they do not have a clear boundary and can be classified into three types: actual supporter, borrowed user, and clear resister. 2. Through personal and external environmental analysis, this study found that there are three main factors that influence teachers’ receptivity to PMIC: school factors, including school policies, campus culture, and related support measures; student factors, including student ability and learning effectiveness; and teacher factors, including personal background and experience, learning experience, PMIC professional literacy, and teaching experience. 3. PMIC has different degrees of impact on the teaching objectives, learning content, teaching strategies, and assessment of Chinese language in primary schools. In sum, the findings of this study have significant implications on the crucial areas of teacher training, implementation of PMIC, and the receptivity and practices of primary PMIC teachers. It not only allows researchers and stakeholders to gain a deeper understanding of teachers’ attitudes and perspectives towards PMIC, and actual teaching and learning situations of PMIC primary schools in Hong Kong, but also contributes to enriching the understanding of related reforms, reviewing and refining implementation strategies and support measures, strengthening teachers’ receptivity to PMIC, and optimizing teacher PMIC training programs for the promotion of effective language instruction for primary students in Hong Kong. 香港是一個華人為主的社會，也是一個多元的國際都會。長期以來，有關學校科目的教學語言一直是社會人士關注的課題。自1999年，香港課程發展議會提出，以「用普通話教中文」為遠程目標，已有部分學校嘗試以不同方式用普通話教中文（簡稱普教中），至今已逾二十年。究竟小學教師對普教中的認同感如何？有哪些因素可能會影響他們的普教中認同？普教中對中文教學又會否產生甚麼影響？ 過去，關於香港普教中的研究大多聚焦於討論普教中的可行性，對學生中文能力的影響，以及所需的一些客觀條件或因素等，但極少有研究探討小學教師的普教中認同感及其相關影響因素等方面。為了填補這研究空隙，本研究以小學教師為對象，深入了解教師的普教中認同感與實踐。具體來看，本研究有以下三個研究問題： （一）教師對小學普教中所持有的認同感如何？ （二）哪些因素會影響教師對小學普教中的認同感？ （三）小學普教中對教師的中文教學產生了哪些影響（具體包括教學目標、學習內容、教學策略和評估四個方面）？ 本研究是一個多重個案的研究，對象為六位普教中教師，來自三所政府資助小學；主要採用訪談、課堂觀察及文件分析等方法蒐集研究資料作質化的分析及詮釋。研究結果顯示： 一、教師對普教中的認同感有差異，但非界限分明，可歸納為三種類型：實際的支持者、假借的使用者和明確的反對者。 二、通過個人和外在客觀環境分析，研究發現影響教師的普教中認同主要有三類因素：（1）學校要素：學校政策、校園文化及相關支援措施；（2）學生要素：學生能力、學習效益；（3）教師要素：個人背景和經歷、學習經驗、普教中專業素養和教學經驗。 三、普教中對小學中文科的教學目標、學習內容、教學策略和評估分別產生了程度不同的影響。總的來説，這項研究結果為教師專業培訓、普教中的施行，以及教師的普教中認同感與實踐等關鍵領域提供了重要的啟示和參考。這不僅可讓研究者及相關持份者對香港小學教師的普教中態度、觀點，以及實際課堂學與教狀況有深入的掌握，也有助豐富對相關改革的理解，檢視及調整實施策略，加強教師的普教中認同，以及優化普教中的培訓及支援措施等，以促進學與教成效。