The Role of the Teaching Context in Hong Kong English Teachers' Perceptions of L2 Writing Pedagogy

Abstract

This paper examines the ways in which L2 writing is perceived and its pedagogy conceptualised by English language teachers in Hong Kong secondary schools. It then attempts to delineate the factors thatshape teacher perceptions.Data for this study were gathered through a questionnaire survey, which was followed up by teacher interviews,classroom observations,written protocols and documentary analysis.These data indicate that the perceptions of Hong Kong language teachers regarding students' L2 writing are dominated by language-related concerns at the sentence levelwith minimal focus on either the discourse-related or cognitive aspects of writing. Grammatical and lexical errors engage maximum teacher attention. The data suggest that teachers' perceptions of L2 writing are predominantly shaped by the contextual factors that surround their classroom lives. It is argued that conditions for teacher perceptions will be subject to change as the context becomes more sensitive to the discourse-related and cognitive factors within L2 writing that recent developments in curriculum renewal and language teacher education in Hong Kong are likely to bring.