| Author: | Woo, Chi-wood |
| Title: | An exploratory study on pedagogical change when using mother tongue in Hong Kong social work education |
| Advisors: | Chu, Chi-keung William (APSS) Tsui, Ming-sum (APSS) |
| Degree: | DSW |
| Year: | 2019 |
| Subject: | Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations Social work education -- China -- Hong Kong Native language and education -- China -- Hong Kong Language and education -- China -- Hong Kong |
| Department: | Department of Applied Social Sciences |
| Pages: | 246 pages : color illustrations |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | In this study, mother tongue relates to Cantonese and Chinese speaking and writing. Chinese and English are official languages in Hong Kong. However, universities in Hong Kong have established and are following language policy that stipulates English as the formal teaching medium in most courses including social work, except Chinese courses. Teachers may be penalized if they use mother tongue as the teaching medium, although Chinese has been one of the official languages since 1974. Social work is not only different from natural science courses it also has a unique social work language, which is not only a tool for transferring knowledge but also a mirror to reflect clients, context and culture. Mother tongue education is not an unusual research topic in academia, however there is almost no discussion on mother tongue education in social work. In this study, the researcher explores the concerns of pedagogical change when using mother tongue in social work education in Hong Kong from the views of social work students and teachers. A qualitative case study is applied in this research. Data is collected in three different stages using different methods, namely observations of the learning experiences in two training classes, questionnaires, focus groups and in-depth interviews. The findings facilitate understanding about participants’ concerns on the usage of teaching mediums in social work education. Most recognized that mother tongue as a teaching medium could facilitate learning, such as enhancing their learning motivation and strengthening their reflection and showed how to enhance the learning of English at the same time, such as in accordance with the nature of the subjects. A mother tongue-based bilingual education model is suggested for social work education in Hong Kong based on the findings. Mother tongue in social work education should not only be gradually increased, more resources are required for learning English, even as a third language, for enriching ways of thinking. Recommendations from this study include gaining more understanding on the myths of using teaching mediums, the approaches for implementing a mother tongue-based bilingual education model in social work education and providing a good example for universities in non-native English countries and suggestions for further research, such as conducting longitudinal research and similar studies in universities in different countries using English and/or mother tongue as teaching mediums in social work education. It is expected that this study will not only provide supplementary information to fill the knowledge gap in social work education but will also be a reference for further studies about pedagogical change and indigenization of social work in Hong Kong. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 991022346056003411.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 5.17 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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