Chinese Language Education in Hong Kong: Twenty Five Years of Educational Research in Hong Kong

Abstract

The learning of Chinese has experienced great changes over recent decades and, as a school subject, has dramatically increased in importance both in Hong Kong and around the world. This paper reviews a number of key educational research topics and issues in Chinese language education in Hong Kong, the focus being on processes of teaching and learning Chinese language as a school subject and across the curriculum, the reading and writing of Chinese characters, spoken communication and comprehension of oral Chinese, mechanisms and standards of assessment, the place of information and communication technology (ICT) in the teaching and learning of Chinese, and the use of Chinese as the medium of instruction in the classroom. The review is by no means comprehensive and, for the sake of brevity, some of the details offered about research into Chinese language education in Hong Kong are rather concise. It is hoped that this paper will highlight useful instructional implications for curriculum planners and front-line practitioners, as well as pointers for the direction of future research.