Title

Boredom and fear in the undergraduate classroom : the medium of instruction controversy in Hong Kong

Document Type

Journal article

Source Publication

Inter-Asia Cultural Studies

Publication Date

1-1-2015

Volume

16

Issue

2

First Page

253

Last Page

262

Publisher

Taylor and Francis Ltd.

Abstract

Although the mother-tongue of some 90% of the population in Hong Kong is Cantonese, schools and universities in Hong Kong have witnessed the downgrading and even abandoning of Cantonese as a medium of instruction (MOI) in classrooms. For universities, this process is accelerated by the discourses of “internationalization.” For primary and secondary schools, the main compelling force is parents’ anxiety over their children's future. This paper discusses the social context in which the forsaking of Cantonese as a medium of instruction has occurred, and also the unintended consequences of silencing the mother-tongue of most of the Hong Kong students (and teachers) in secondary schools and universities.

DOI

10.1080/14649373.2015.1037082

Print ISSN

14649373

E-ISSN

14698447

Publisher Statement

Copyright © 2015 Taylor & Francis. Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.

Full-text Version

Publisher’s Version

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Hui, P.-k. (2015). Boredom and fear in the undergraduate classroom: The medium of instruction controversy in Hong Kong. Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, 16(2), 253-262. doi: 10.1080/14649373.2015.1037082

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