This paper reports a survey of English medium secondary schools to discover how they are addressing the problems in implementing EMI, given higher expectations by Government and the expectation of a far greater degree of monitoring from 1998. The survey was primarily on teacher competence in English and in language-related instructional strategies, the coordination of English use across the curriculum and the support measures available to teachers and to schools. The survey was based upon the findings of a major two year study of 94 schools and 572 teachers and the analysis of test results from 9000 students which indicated that English medium students are not developing the levels of English which could be expected; the main findings of this evaluation are presented as background to the survey.

Whether a person's mother tongue affects his learning of science concepts is a constant controversy among educators. In a bilingual society such as Hong Kong, terminologies commonly used in English and Chinese, such as energy and force, create frequent misconceptions and sometimes different types of misconceptions. The purpose of this study is to ascertain if there are different patterns of misconceptions in science concepts between Chinese speaking students and English speaking students. If so, how can we benefit from these patterns and help science teachers to be more effective. In May and June of 1988, 7.01 Form 1 and Form 4 Hong Kong science students completed a questionnaire on energy and force. Forty-one Form 4 students were interviewed using the Interview-about-Instances technique. Fifty percent of the student sample were English-speaking while the rest were Chinese-speaking. Results of this study were analysed using a list f common misconception frameworks. Amazing patterns of misconceptions were found in both language groups. Come patterns can be seen clearly to have derived from the language used. Different patterns of misconception between the two language groups were demonstrated remarkably. It was clear that everyday usage of the terms contributed to the differences. The history of the terms and the common usage of the related terms in their respective languages were also accountable to the patterns. Science teachers are strongly advised to be aware of the students' alternative frameworks in the learning of science concepts within the context of their mother tongue. Everyday meaning of terminologies used for important science concepts should be considered thoroughly in writing up lesson plans. Related terms and their meaning should also be checked before actually teaching the concept. List of common misconception patterns of students for each important science concept should also be discussed. As evident from the findings of this research, a person's language

This research project investigated the learning strategies of junior secondary students in Hong Kong ESL classrooms. A total of 132 Form One to Form Three students from 56 schools were studied, observed and interviewed: data were collected accordingly. Students were categorized into "successful" language learners and "unsuccessful" language learners according to their English language academic achievement. Data findings from this research showed that the "successful" language learners employ meta-cognitive strategies more frequently than the "unsuccessful" ones. They tended to plan, evaluate and reflect more on their approach to language learning and ways to improve their English. The two groups did not show a significant difference in group work mode of learning, yet, the "successful" language learners preferred to work on his / her own more. The level of father's education was found to be associated with the type of learning strategies used by students, however, gender did not seem to affect the choice of learning strategies. These findings have important implications for language teachers in helping their students develop effective language learning strategies.

The Primary English Language Curriculum Guide (CDI, 2004) promotes 'the use of a range of language arts materials such as songs, rhymes, poems, tongue twisters and plays' to provide opportunities for learners to 'give expression to real and imaginative experiences' (p. 178), develop 'cultural awareness and generic skills, in particular, critical thinking skills and creativity' and 'interest and a positive attitude towards learning a second language.' (p. 179). However, it is a long-established practice for the majority primary language teachers of Hong Kong to adopt the 'teaching the textbook' approach, which does not allow for a lot of creative or innovative teaching and hence it does not facilitate the implementation of the proposed curriculum innovations. Teachers who wish to support the innovations often find it difficult to change their existing beliefs and practices due to their lack of conceptual understanding and appropriate instructional strategies of language arts. This practical session presents the application of a few relatively 'new' and 'challenging' language arts activities such as reader's theatre and drama to develop the language competence and the instructional strategies of practicing teachers who undertook a Language Arts module of a professional development programme. Recorded performances will also be shown to supplement discussion.

Bringing a coach or coaches into a school to provide support is not entirely a new idea in Hong Kong. In local schools there is increased emphasis on coaching – a process whereby teacher trainers provide instructional support, professional development opportunities, feedback, and materials to classroom teachers – as a means to improve instruction and strengthen the competence of teachers. This paper reports on a pilot study which involved two academic staff from the Hong Kong Institute of Education and teachers of English in a local primary school to work together to enable teacher professional development. The paper reports a sub-set of the findings of a study which aims at identifying a coaching model for English teachers' professional development, and at developing a school-based language teaching curriculum development framework pilot school using a school-based language teaching curriculum development framework piloted in earlier research projects by the investigators. Data were collected through pre-, while- and post-questionnaire surveys, focus groups interviews, and lesson observations. The findings echo earlier research that modeling instruction in individual classrooms, rather than just the provision of group-focused activities, is most likely to result in modifications in instructional practices. It is also argued that in addition to teachers' exposure to new teaching materials, continuous joint professional discourse between coaches and teachers about how to use the materials would also lead to changes in teachers' instructional goals and practices. Implications for incorporating the use of coaches into school improvement plans for optimum results will also be discussed.