Abstract
In this chapter, I problematize a widespread belief that teachers in Asian contexts including Japan and China are well protected by a tradition that reveres teachers. Instead I contend that cultural traditions, together with educational reforms and sociocultural changes, can also undermine the teaching profession. To this end, I report on an inquiry that explored the social censure of teachers, especially language teachers in Hong Kong. In the inquiry, I took advantage of an Internet discussion concerning the ‘falling’ language standards, a widespread concern in the region. The analysis of the discussion revealed the high expectations that the public had of language teachers as well as the increasingly complex conditions for teachers’ professional practices due to ongoing educational reforms and cultural changes.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
A different version of this chapter was published as follows: Gao, X. (2011). The ‘falling’ language standards and teachers’ professional vulnerability in Hong Kong. Research Papers in Education, 26, 485–498.
References
Beijaard, D., Verloop, N., & Vermunt, J. D. (2000). Teachers’ perceptions of professional identity: An exploratory study from a personal knowledge perspective. Teaching and Teacher Education, 16, 749–764.
Berry, D. M. (2004). Internet research: Privacy, ethics and alienation: An open source approach. Internet Research, 14, 323–332.
Bolton, K., & Lim, S. (2000). The futures for Hong Kong English. World Englishes, 19, 429–443.
Boyle, J. (1997). Imperialism and the English language in Hong Kong. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 18, 169–181.
Braine, G. (Ed.). (1999). Non-native educators in English language teaching. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Chan, E. (2002). Beyond pedagogy: Language and identity in post-colonial Hong Kong. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 23, 271–285.
Cleverley, J. (1991). The schooling of China: Tradition and modernity in Chinese education. Sydney: George Allen & Unwin.
Cothran, D. J., & Ennis, C. D. (1997). Students’ and teachers’ perceptions of conflict and power. Teaching and Teacher Education, 13, 541–553.
Denzin, N. K. (1999). Cybertalk and the method of instances. In S. Jones (Ed.), Doing internet research (pp. 107–126). London: Sage.
Fwu, B.-j., & Wang, H.-H. (2002). The social status of teachers in Taiwan. Comparative Education, 38, 211–244.
Gao, X. (2008). Teachers’ professional vulnerability and cultural tradition: A Chinese paradox. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24, 154–165.
Gordon, J. A. (2000). Asian American resistance to selecting teaching as a career: The power of community and tradition. Teachers College Record, 102, 173–196.
Gordon, J. A. (2005). The crumbling pedestal: Changing images of Japanese teachers. Journal of Teacher Education, 56, 459–470.
Hine, C. (2000). Virtual ethnography. London: Sage.
Ho, D. Y. F., Chau, A. W. L., Chi-yue Chiu, & Peng, S. (2003). Ideological orientation and political transition in Hong Kong: Confidence in the future. Political Psychology, 24, 403–413.
Jones, S. (1999). Doing internet research: Critical issues and methods for examining the net. London: Sage.
Kelchtermans, G. (1996). Teacher vulnerability: Understanding its moral and political roots. Cambridge Journal of Education, 26, 307–323.
Kelchtermans, G. (2005). Teachers’ emotions in educational reforms: Self-understanding, vulnerable commitment and micropolitical literacy. Teaching and Teacher Education, 21, 995–1006.
Lai, M. (2001). Hong Kong students’ attitudes towards Cantonese, Putonghua, and English after the change of sovereignty. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 22, 112–133.
Lai, M. (2005). Language attitudes of the first postcolonial generation in Hong Kong secondary schools. Language in Society, 34, 363–388.
Lai, K.-c., Ko, K.-w., Chan, K.-w., & So, K.-s. (2005). Teaching as a career: A perspective from Hong Kong senior secondary students. Journal of Education for Teaching: International Research and Pedagogy, 31, 153–168.
Lin, A. M. Y. (1997). Analysing the “language problem” discourses in Hong Kong: How official, academic and media discourses construct and perpetuate dominant models of language, learning and education. Journal of Pragmatics, 28, 427–440.
Littlewood, W. (1999). Defining and developing autonomy in East Asian contexts. Applied Linguistics, 20, 71–94.
Madge, C. (2007). Developing a geographer’s agenda for online research ethics. Progress in Human Geography, 31, 654–674.
Medgyes, P. (1992). Native or non-native: Who’s worth more? English Language Teaching Journal, 46, 340–349.
Patton, M. Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods (2nd ed.). Newbury Park: Sage.
Schoenhals, M. (1993). The paradox of power in a People’s Republic of China middle school. New York: M.E. Sharpe.
Stewart, K., & Williams, M. (2005). Researching online populations: The use of online focus groups for social research. Qualitative Research, 5, 395–416.
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (2nd ed.). London: Sage.
Su, Z., Hawkins, J. N., Huang, T., & Zhao, Z. (2001). Choices and commitment: A comparison of teacher candidates’ profiles and perspectives in China and the United States. International Review of Education, 47, 611–635.
Troman, G. (2000). Teacher stress in the low-trust society. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 21, 331–353.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Trent, J., Gao, X., Gu, M. (2014). Language Teachers and the Falling Language Standards in Hong Kong: An Internet-Based Inquiry. In: Language Teacher Education in a Multilingual Context. Multilingual Education, vol 6. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7392-9_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7392-9_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-7391-2
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-7392-9
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawEducation (R0)