IT DOES NOT MATTER whether children go to English or Chinese-medium schools. The key to their success in English is the way they are taught.
That was the conclusion of the latest study supporting the government's language policy that children are best taught in their mother tongue and that it should not prevent them from excelling in English.
The research, commissioned by the Education and Manpower Bureau and carried out by the University of Hong Kong's Faculty of Education, involved in-depth case studies of 12 schools - eight CMI (Chinese medium of instruction) with a range of student banding, and four EMI (English medium of instruction).
Dr Stephen Andrews, associate professor in the University of Hong Kong's Faculty of Education, presented his conclusions from the findings at a recent forum at the university on the Education Commission's proposals for medium of instruction, currently the subject of a public consultation.
The study identified six conditions that resulted in effective English learning. These included a positive, non-threatening and collaborative school culture that was able to take risks; the involvement of all stakeholders; flexibility in the English curriculum; maximised opportunities and resources for learning the language; integration of the formal and informal curricula and the provision of 'scaffolding', or systematic support.
'The evidence from our study is that the impact of Chinese medium instruction has not been negative,' Dr Andrews said. The facilitating conditions were more important.
