Objective: This research focused on the psychosocial influences that account for differences in academic achievement and motivation among ethnic minority and ethnic majority students in Hong Kong. Methods: A cross-sectional correlation was conducted on 154 students in total. Specifically, 86 ethnic minority students and 68 local Chinese students. Researchers assessed students’ ethnic identity, academic self-concept, perceived parental expectations, ethnic/ideal self-discrepancies, actual/ideal self-discrepancies, ethnic group, academic achievement and academic motivation. Results: A significant t-test indicated greater ethnic identity in the ethnic minority group. A moderated mediation model suggested that ethnic/ideal self-discrepancies predicted a negative correlation with academic motivation through the mediation of actual/ideal self-discrepancies; a stronger effect was shown in ethnic minority students. A significant mediation of academic self-concept was found between perceived parental expectations and academic outcomes. Moderated mediations revealed that ethnic identity produced a positive correlation with academic motivation in students between ethnic groups; a stronger effect was shown in ethnic majority students. Implications: Implementation of growth mindset interventions, frequent parent communication, heritage language classes and teachers of same ethnic origin in educational institutions are recommended. Conclusion: Ethnic identity, ethnic/ideal self-discrepancies and perceived parental expectations are notable psychosocial factors to consider in the academic outcomes of all students and especially those of ethnic minority descent. All rights reserved.

香港的中文作為第二語言教學的課程，除了由大專院校開辦的對外漢語課程及國際學校提供的中文課程外，還有近年備受關注的面向非華語學生（Non-Chinese Speaking Students）的中文課程。本文旨在評介香港非華語學生中文課程的實施狀況及其特色，通過對有關文獻及統計資料的考查與分析，探討當中的教學困境與對策。研究針對目前非華語學生中文教學在課程、評估及師資方面的不足展開論述，建議當局考慮從以下三方面加以改善：一、改革課程設置，重新審視對非華語學生的語文教育政策，積極考慮另設一個適應非華語學生學習需求的中文課程，與本地華裔學生的中文課程雙軌並行；二、優化評估機制，建立適用於香港本地的中文作為第二語言能力的評核基準，客觀反映非華語學生的中文學習進度和能力水平；三、加強校本支援及師資培訓，針對目前非華語學生中文教材不足、教師工作量大的情況，增撥資源加強校本專業支援，並與大學及研究機構合作，提供合適的教師培訓及開發教材資源等，以改善目前的教學困境，提升教學成果。In Hong Kong, there are mainly three kinds of curriculum in the field of teaching Chinese as a second language (TCSL), namely the Mandarin Chinese courses run by the tertiary institutions, Chinese curriculum offered by international schools, and the Chinese curriculum for the Non-Chinese Speaking (NCS) students. Through the analysis of documentary materials and statistical data, this paper aims at giving an overview of and discussion on the historical background and development of Chinese curriculum for the NCS students, as well as to investigate the challenge and measures followed by its implementation. It reveals that there is still inadequacy of the on-going curriculum implementation process in the aspect of curriculum planning, assessment system and teacher’s training. The research proposes that the government should consider making improvement in the following ways: firstly, the government should have a review on the language education policy for the NCS students, re-consider to plan an independent Chinese curriculum which tailors to students’ specific learning needs; secondly, modification of the assessment system should be made, a new Chinese language proficiency test system designed for the NCS students is required in order to assess students’ learning progress and the actual level they have attained; thirdly, measures should be taken to give professional support for school teachers, encourage teachers to design NCS Chinese curriculum together with educational experts from tertiary institutions, hoping to reduce teacher’s workload

This paper reports a case study of teaching Cantonese to Hong Kong ethnic minority pre-schoolers using process drama. Based on Deleuzo-Guattarian concepts of minor literature and language, becoming and de-/re-territorialisation, this paper aims to reconceptualise a playful adaptation of process drama developed by Joe Winston (Citation2012) as a language-minoritising approach to the teaching and learning of a major language that is very foreign to children. The findings suggest that, to accomplish ethnic minority children’s becoming Cantonese speakers, the theatre games and language play should involve minoritorisation and de-/re-territorialisation of the normative practices of process drama, the target language as well as learner identity. Copyright © 2023 Pedagogy, Culture & Society.

For the past two decades, a significant number of ethnic minority students from diverse racial, cultural, linguistic, and religious backgrounds have entered Chinese language classrooms in Hong Kong for the first time. Simultaneously, Chinese language teachers have come under criticism for their lack of understanding of diversity and their failure to integrate ethnic minority students academically and socially. However, there is little research on how these teachers can transform their educational beliefs, teaching techniques, and attitudes toward diversity and inclusion to respond effectively to the drastic changes taking place in their professional work. This study examines how a group of Chinese language teachers employed translanguaging as a social justice strategy to address the challenges of teaching minority students in a monolingual and assimilative educational setting in Hong Kong. Classroom observations show that teachers enacted a translanguaging stance, using students' familiar semiotic resources to make their teaching more inclusive and equitable for ethnic minority students from low socioeconomic and religious backgrounds. Teachers reported becoming more aware of diversity in the classroom as well as of the social inequalities and racial discrimination outside of school. The study shows that criticism has been unfairly levied on Chinese language teachers in Hong Kong, who should not be held responsible for the social problems hindering ethnic minorities' social mobility. Research should include a decolonial perspective to legitimize translanguaging as a social justice strategy for more transformative praxis in the education sector in postcolonial Hong Kong. Copyright © 2022 Springer.

This study assessed the effect of a teacher professional development (PD) programme that incorporated culturally responsive teaching on Chinese kindergarten teachers' perceptions of learning motivation of ethnic minority (EM) vs. Chinese pupils in Hong Kong. The moderating role of classroom ethnic composition was examined. Forty-five teachers in the intervention group attended 20 sessions of PD courses over 10 months, whereas 40 teachers who did not attend the current programme formed a control group. Pre- and post-tests were conducted to assess teacher perceptions of learning motivation and engagement of Chinese and EM pupils. Hierarchical structure of data was accounted for with multilevel modelling. Results showed that the intervention resulted in positive changes in teacher perceptions of learning motivation of EM (vs. Chinese) pupils among teachers working in classrooms with low proportions of EM pupils when compared to teachers in the control group. The findings highlighted that teachers' cultural diversity training programmes should be evaluated in relation to classroom ethnic composition and other contextual factors that influence the quality and frequency of interethnic contact. Copyright © 2022 Routledge.

One hundred and eighty ethnic minority students studying in Hong Kong mainstream schools were found to value knowledge, activities, practice, product, inquiry, process, feedback, and technology in their mathematics learning. To identify these values, a mixed methods approach was adopted, using a values questionnaire as a lens to identify what students find important in mathematics learning, and followed by semi-structured focus group interviews for details and verification. The data also revealed that ethnic minority students valued activities and practice more than their ethnic Chinese peers. Implications for research and instructional practice are offered. Copyright © 2022 Routledge.

This paper presents a systematic review of research on Chinese as a Second Language (CSL) education for ethnic minority students in Hong Kong SAR. Using three databases and screening with specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, the study selected 38 empirical studies published in English-language peer-reviewed journals. We find that there has been a surge of publications in Hong Kong in the past decade (2010–2020), and they are mostly authored by scholars from three universities in Hong Kong. Most of the research took a phenomenological approach, using interviews as the main data collection method and focusing on underprivileged South Asian students in secondary schools. The thematic analysis showed that Hong Kong’s CSL adopted a poststructuralist paradigm for understanding and revealing social inequalities surrounding Chinese language education for ethnic minority students. The study concludes that Hong Kong must decolonise its education system to genuinely support ethnic minority students to achieve educational equality and social justice. Copyright © 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH.

Purpose>This review study focuses on the framework for pre-primary education and language acquisition for non-Chinese-speaking students (NCS students) from ethnic minority families (EM families) in Hong Kong.Design/methodology/approach>This paper adopts a multidisciplinary perspective that involves both assessing the broader governing framework and researching their specific needs. In its overview of the significant changes made in recent years and an exploration of the gaps in the framework, with reference to other jurisdictions, along with input from developmental psychology as it relates to the issues faced by NCS students.Findings>This study contributes to the literature on how to shape further policies and reforms to optimize learning of NCS children in Hong Kong from a young age. This helps NCS students and families achieve their right to education and equal opportunities and schools to cater the needs of these students and families, which is essential to providing an enriched learning environment for our children regardless of their ethnicity.Originality/value>This study uses multidisciplinary approach to study pre-primary education and Chinese language acquisition of ethnic minority students in Hong Kong. Copyright © 2022 Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

The number of mainland Chinese students was 791 (64% of total international students in Hong Kong) in 1996/97 whereas such number went up to 12,037 (73%) in 2016/17—more than fifteenfold increase within 20 years. In particular, mainland China undergraduates (MCU) exhibited a phenomenal growth from 5 in 1996/97 to 6,852 in 2016/17. Nonetheless, few studies have focused on this group of students concerning their acculturative stress and/or mental health in Hong Kong, even though there were several cases of suicide committed by MCU in Hong Kong in the past decade. Completing tertiary education in one’s home country is generally not an easy task, and pursuing a university degree in a culturally different and unfamiliar place will surely add to one’s difficulties. A literature search of scales assessing acculturative stress showed that none of the existent scales were applicable to MCU in Hong Kong, either because of language issues, different target population, or cross-cultural problems. Hence, the purpose of this study was to develop and validate a suitable scale to measure the acculturative stress of MCU in Hong Kong.A 172-item pool was created from literature, in-depth and focus group interviews, and then validated in a sample of 274 MCU in Hong Kong using one-parameter Rasch model analysis to produce a 117-item Acculturative Stress Scale for Mainland Chinese Undergraduate Students (ASSMCUS) in 21 dimensions, which are English Barrier: Limited English Proficiency; English Barrier: Limited Colloquial English; Cantonese Barrier: Limited Cantonese Proficiency; Cantonese Barrier: Limited Colloquial Cantonese; Study Stress: Heavy Course Load; Study Stress: Student-Centred Learning Approach; Cultural Difference: Mutual Cultural Misunderstanding; Cultural Difference: Identifying with Hong Kong’s Culture and Values; Social Interaction: Loneliness; Social Interaction: Hard to Make Friends with Hong Kong People; Social Interaction: Limited Social Connectedness; Discrimination: