4.7 Schools’ Tentative Choice of MOI for Senior Secondary Classes Three Years from Now

According to government policy (ED, 1997), schools implementing CMI in Secondary 1 in 1998/99 will continue to implement CMI for subsequent Secondary 1 classes so that by 2000/01, students in Secondary 3 will be taught in Chinese. However, it is not binding for them to implement CMI in senior forms. In other words, opportunities still exists for schools to revert to EMI in senior forms if they so wish. Their intent in this regard is likely to affect their curricular emphasis today. For instance, if the school management has the intention of changing to EMI for their senior forms, it would have to begin today to prepare students and teachers accordingly. This would mean a focus on developing higher English language proficiency instead of, or even at the expense of, other educational objectives. Therefore, it is worth exploring schools’ positions on this issue at this early stage of implementation. Q.10 of the Administrator Questionnaire is set for this purpose. The question consists of two parts. Part A requests respondents to state their tentative choice of MOI for senior forms three years from now, and Part B solicits the rationale behind their intention. Content analysis was performed for the rationales supporting each tentative decision.

　

Table 4.7a: Schools’ Tentative MOI Policy for Senior Secondary Classes in 2001/02

　

Q.10a Tentative choice No. of schools Percent of total
Will adopt EMI

Will adopt CMI

Not decided yet

Others

22

37

56

17

16.7%

28.0%

42.4%

12.9%

　

　

Table 4.7b: Rationale for Tentative Choice of EMI

Category No. of schools Percent of total
Code Label & Theme
FS FURTHER STUDY - the emphasis is on factors relating to further study such as the use of EMI in higher education. Example statements are:

『暫定採英語，因高中以後，英語仍為主流，大學課程亦以英語為主。』(School ID 16)

『學生入讀大學適應較佳。』(School ID 103)

 		17 68.0%
MD MARKET DEMAND - the emphasis is on factors relating to market forces such as parents’ expectations or societal demands. For example:

『家長，學生意願，社會期望。』(School ID 96)

 		4 16.0%
AD MANAGEMENT DECISION The choice of EMI is the school management’s policy. For example:

『學校校董會要求。』(School ID 105)

 		2 8.0%
SC STUDENT COMPETENCE the emphasis is on students’ readiness to study in EMI. For example:

『同學在初中時已掌握穩定的英文語文能力，加上在初中時校方已加上各科的英文詞彙，在高中時轉用英語教學更能配合升讀大專課程時的需要。』(School ID 76)

 		2 8.0%

　

Table 4.7c Rationale for Tentative Choice of CMI

Category No. of schools Percent of total
Code Label & Theme
CO CONTINUITY - the emphasis is on continuity and consistency between junior and senior forms. The schools also appreciate that it would be difficult for students to change to EMI after using CMI for three years. Example statements are:

『因初中已是母語教學，須繼續沿用。』(School ID 14)

『學生較難適應轉用英文為學習語言以應付約年半之會考課程。』(School ID 82)

 		12 36.3%
SC STUDENT COMPETENCE – Emphasis is on characteristics of the student such as student ability, motivation, and thus instructional effectiveness. Example statements are:

『因中一至中三各科俱已使用中文學習，以本校學生能力，中四才轉成英語學習，恐怕難以應付。』(School ID 133)

『學生較能接受母語教學，所收效果亦較佳。』(School ID 131)

 		18 54.5%
OT OTHERS - Other individual reasons or meaning of statement unclear. 3 9.2%

　

28% of the schools state that they intend to continue using CMI in senior forms while 16.7% say they will change to EMI. (See Table 4.7a.) The rationales given are summarized in Table 4.7b and Table 4.7c. The majority of schools (68%) opting for EMI explain the reason behind their choice being the need to cope with language requirements in higher education. Two schools also emphasized that their students should have been adequately prepared in terms of English proficiency by that time. As one school claimed,

“Using EMI in senior secondary classes could help students cope better with the demands of higher education. For our students, they would have mastered adequate English language skill in junior forms. In addition, we have supplemented each subject curriculum with subject-specific English vocabulary.” (School ID 76, translated, see Table 4.7b for original text)

On the other hand, schools intending to extend CMI to senior forms mostly perceive difficulties readjusting to EMI given the ability of their students, and other constraints such as a tight syllabus leading to a high stake examination. The following is one example of the responses:

“Given the ability of our students, it would be difficult for them to cope with [EMI], for we have been using CMI in all subjects from F.1 to F.3.” (School ID 133, translated, see Table 4.7c for original text)

　

Table 4.7d: Rationale for Not Making any Tentative Decision

Category No. of schools Percent of total
Code Label & Theme
SC STUDENT COMPETENCE - the decision depends on students' ability, in particular, language proficiency. For example:

『考慮三年後學生水平，然後才作決定。』(School ID 29)

『現時努力關注中一至中三具英語學習能力同之照顧，同時努力提升各同學應用英語之能力，盼能中四及以上保有部份英語教學班。』(School ID 128)

15 31.3%
IP POLICY – the Lack of a clear-cut direction on the part of government policy as a factor hindering decision-making. For example:

『政府教育政策含糊。』(School ID 8)

『未知教署政策如何，免浪費時間討論中四及以上的語言政策。』(School ID 165)

 		11 22.9%
CA COMMUNITY ATTITUDE - the decision depends on the community's attitude, in particular, parents' attitude towards CMI. For example:

『視乎學生及家長取向而定。』(School ID 113)

『要視乎整個社會對母語教學的接受與支持的程度。』(School ID 152)

 		6 12.5%
CE CMI EFFECTIVENESS - the decision awaits the outcome of mother tongue instruction. For example:

『還需觀察母語教學的成效。』(School ID 163)

 		4 8.3%
UP UNIVERSITY POLICY - the decision depends on the universities' admission criteria, in particular, those concerning language proficiency requirements. For example:

『視乎當時環境，如大學對母語的重視否，大學入學試的語文要求等。』(School ID 137)

 		2 4.2%
OT OTHERS - Other individual reasons, or meaning of statement not clear. 10 20.8%

It is worth noting that over 40% of the schools state that they have not even made a tentative decision yet. The rationales given are comparatively diverse. (See Table 7.4d.)However, more than 30% of them state that their decision will depend on their students’ performance, in particular, their language proficiency. Over 20% of the schools expressed a wait-and-see attitude. They contend that in the absence of any clear direction regarding future Government policy, it is a waste of time to make any firm plans. Together, these two positions represent over 50% of the rationales given by schools withholding decision on MOI for senior forms.

Some other schools (12.9%) neither opt for CMI nor EMI, but propose a variety of mixed models with CMI and EMI co-existing. These cover the following approaches:

a) Subject-based streaming (i.e. MOI depending on subject nature);

b) Class-based streaming (i.e. having EMI class and CMI class in parallel);

c) Student-based streaming (e.g. individual students decide their own language option for taking examination, with or without regulation by the school);

d) Grade-level-based streaming (e.g. F.4 and F.5 use CMI whereas F.6 and F.7 use EMI.)

To summarize, among schools implementing CMI in accordance with the Guidance (ED, 1997), only 28% of them intend to develop CMI as a long-term policy. Others maintain a wait and see attitude, and some even plan to revert to EMI once the present Secondary 1 cohort reaches senior secondary level. It is paradoxical that some schools are making use of the government funding to prepare for switching back to EMI, and that this funding is supposed to be for promoting mother tongue instruction. This phenomenon and the wait and see attitude are obviously due to the absence of a clear government policy on MOI. Whether or not schools have a long-term commitment to CMI is likely to affect the effort schools invest in it, and thus the quality of its implementation. After all, desirability of CMI is governed by socio-economic factors in the greater social context. The perceived disadvantaged position of CMI in higher education is a significant factor that hinders its acceptance by schools and parents.

　

　

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