A Comparison of Hong Kong Primary 4 Students’ Relative Progress in Chinese and English Reading Attainment in 2013

Abstract

The research reported is from the fourth round of a series of surveys carried out in 2004, 2007, 2010 and 2013 of Primary 4 Hong Kong students’ reading attainment in Chinese, their first language, and in English, their second. Developmental trends in literacy proficiency in the two languages were monitored using attainment measures and demographic questionnaires developed as part of the ‘Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)’, a 5-yealy survey of trends in the reading proficiency of Grade 4 primary students in countries worldwide. The reading comprehension attainment of the 2,131 student cohort in 42 Hong Kong primary schools was examined in the 2013 round of testing. Statistical analyses revealed that their English reading performance was approximately 75% of that of the standard reached in Chinese. When faced with passages of a literary nature, their reading comprehension of Chinese text was superior to that of understanding English text at all levels in the PIRLS framework except at Level 1. It is suggested that the students’ performance chiefly reflects differing patterns of classroom practice in Chinese and English language lessons. There was a decrease in the reading attainment standard from that reached in the preceding 2010 cycle, together with a drop in the number of highly competent bilingual readers. The evidence gives cause for concern about teachers’ reading pedagogy and use of resources and procedures engaged to promote bilingual reading competence in an era witnessing a boom in children’s processing of written information in computerised devices and technology in and outside school.