The use of English in teaching critical thinking skills in liberal studies in Hong Kong schools

Abstract

This study investigates critical thinking skills of secondary school students in Hong Kong. It focuses on one specific subject of Liberal Studies, that has been one of the four core subjects in the New Senior Secondary curriculum since 2009. Most Hong Kong schools that use English Language as the medium of instruction conduct the lesson and assessment in the students’ second language. The assessments (public examination) include two written examinations (Paper 1: Data-based questions and Paper 2: Extended-response questions) and one Independent Enquiry Studies task accomplished under the guidance of a teacher.

Critical thinking is regarded as one of the core skills that students need to master and demonstrate during the lessons and assessments (CDC, 2007). According to the Curriculum guide (CDC, 2007), the design of the curriculum and assessment framework for this subject “has taken into account overseas experiences in cross-disciplinary studies, pertaining in particular to critical thinking, life education, values education and civic education, with due consideration given to their relevance in the Hong Kong context”. Yet, the guide fails to examine the possible difficulties and challenges for Hong Kong students to acquire and demonstrate critical thinking through their second language. This study attempts to analyze whether predominantly Cantonese-speaking students can acquire and express critical thinking in an English-medium classroom. One of the central arguments of this paper is that while the mastery of critical thinking is rather abstract, whether a student can acquire critical thinking skills is assessed by more concrete measurements (written public examinations) which are largely dependable on the student’s ability to communicate effectively in English. Therefore, this study draws on first-hand data from the 2013 Liberal Studies Practice Paper. Sample scripts chosen by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority and the relevant marking guidelines are employed to aid the discussion.