Learning to Teach English in Hong Kong: Transformation and Tensions Over Two Decades of English Language Teacher Education Policy

Abstract

This chapter critically examines twenty years of English language teaching and teacher education reform in Hong Kong as well as the rationale behind these changes and what they mean for Hong Kong’s English language teachers. It throws a light on the role of English language in local teacher education policy, something which has fuelled controversy and debate. The chapter details the wide-ranging reforms that have been enacted by authorities in response to local and global issues in English language teaching including curriculum changes, assessment reform, language proficiency requirements, medium of instruction (MOI) policies across schools, recruitment of overseas language teachers and the provision of mandated continued professional development. Positioning Hong Kong as a complex and multilayered landscape where cultural, political, economic, linguistic and educational factors all intertwine, the chapter concludes that a form of government ‘mandate’ has characterised the implementation of education reforms since 1997.