ERIC Number: EJ1110725
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1345-8353
EISSN: N/A
Fine-Tuning Medium-of-Instruction Policy in Hong Kong: Acquisition of Language and Content-Based Subject Knowledge
Poon, Anita Y. K.; Lau, Connie M. Y.
Journal of Pan-Pacific Association of Applied Linguistics, v20 n1 p135-155 2016
Facing a dramatic decline in English standards over the past decade, the Hong Kong Government introduced the "Fine-tuning Medium of Instruction (MOI) policy" in 2010 to address the grievances arising from different sectors in the community. Integrating content and language has become popular in second/foreign language teaching in recent years. The main objective of the fine-tuning MOI policy is to raise students' English proficiency with a view to enhancing their competitiveness for further education and work in the era of globalization. Under this new policy, students can choose to learn through English upon meeting certain language criteria while schools are given more autonomy to offer English-medium classes. One aim of the present study is to explore the impact of the "fine-tuning" policy on how language and content-based subject knowledge are acquired as well as strategies employed by teachers and students to facilitate their teaching and learning in the second language environment. A qualitative research method--semi-structured interviews of some teachers and students--is employed to collect data from two schools. The main finding is that while agreeing that their English proficiency could be enhanced through learning content-based subjects in English, students admitted encountering difficulties in the process.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Standards, Language of Instruction, Educational Policy, Language Proficiency, Course Content, Teaching Methods, Institutional Autonomy, Qualitative Research, Semi Structured Interviews, Teacher Attitudes, Student Attitudes, Secondary School Students, Secondary School Teachers, Code Switching (Language)
Pan-Pacific Association of Applied Linguistics. Department of English, Namseoul University, 21 Maeju-ri, Seonghwan-eup, Cheonan-city, Choongnam, Korea 330-707. Tel: +82-2-3290-1995; e-mail: paalkorea@yahoo.co.kr; Web site: http://paal.kr/journals/journals.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Hong Kong
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A