Language Policy In CUHK Analysis
Poon Ka Wing (1155063892)
Title
Language Policy in CUHK: Can the use of English as the instruction medium of courses benefit the learning of undergraduates?
Abstract
With the internationalization of higher education and globalization in force, there is increasing adoption of English as instruction medium in both local and global contexts over the recent decades. Lately, the adoption of English as instruction medium of four Sociology courses in CUHK has sparked debate over the possible impacts of such arrangement on the learning of undergraduates.
On one hand, as a subject originated from western societies, English is the dominant medium of academic publication in Sociology. Therefore, some may argue that using English as instruction medium …show more content…
Firstly, the majority of undergraduates studying in CUHK are admitted through the JUPAS system after taking the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE). For instance, over 80% of the students admitted in 2014 are from the JUPAS stream according to the admission statistics (CUHK, 2014). While the majority of JUPAS students whose first language is Chinese, the Non-JUPAS stream includes students from native English-speaking countries. As Englishisation is unlikely to have adverse impacts on the learning of students with English as their primary language, therefore, this study hopes to exclude them by only counting the ones from the JUPAS stream. Secondly, previous studies show that prior English proficiency may affect the content learning and second language learning of students in courses with English as the instruction medium (Hu & Lei, 2014; ) Since all students admitted through the JUPAS system have reached level 3 or above in the DSE English examination, which roughly equals to 5.48 marks or above in IELTS (Table 1.2) (Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, 2013). This indicates that their English ability have reached a certain degree proficiency, which helps facilitate the …show more content…
Believing that university students should acquire proficient English ability in order to succeed in the future (Wilkinson 2004), Englishisation has been occurring in the higher education sector around the globe (Doiz et al). This issue has drawn increasing attention from the public due to its possible impacts on the content learning of students. Apart from preparing students for the future, content learning is also an important part of post-secondary education. Therefore, by predicting the possible impacts brought by Englishization, this study hopes to investigate whether adopting English as the instruction medium would have negative impacts on the content learning of
Title
Language Policy in CUHK: Can the use of English as the instruction medium of courses benefit the learning of undergraduates?
Abstract
With the internationalization of higher education and globalization in force, there is increasing adoption of English as instruction medium in both local and global contexts over the recent decades. Lately, the adoption of English as instruction medium of four Sociology courses in CUHK has sparked debate over the possible impacts of such arrangement on the learning of undergraduates.
On one hand, as a subject originated from western societies, English is the dominant medium of academic publication in Sociology. Therefore, some may argue that using English as instruction medium …show more content…
Firstly, the majority of undergraduates studying in CUHK are admitted through the JUPAS system after taking the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE). For instance, over 80% of the students admitted in 2014 are from the JUPAS stream according to the admission statistics (CUHK, 2014). While the majority of JUPAS students whose first language is Chinese, the Non-JUPAS stream includes students from native English-speaking countries. As Englishisation is unlikely to have adverse impacts on the learning of students with English as their primary language, therefore, this study hopes to exclude them by only counting the ones from the JUPAS stream. Secondly, previous studies show that prior English proficiency may affect the content learning and second language learning of students in courses with English as the instruction medium (Hu & Lei, 2014; ) Since all students admitted through the JUPAS system have reached level 3 or above in the DSE English examination, which roughly equals to 5.48 marks or above in IELTS (Table 1.2) (Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, 2013). This indicates that their English ability have reached a certain degree proficiency, which helps facilitate the …show more content…
Believing that university students should acquire proficient English ability in order to succeed in the future (Wilkinson 2004), Englishisation has been occurring in the higher education sector around the globe (Doiz et al). This issue has drawn increasing attention from the public due to its possible impacts on the content learning of students. Apart from preparing students for the future, content learning is also an important part of post-secondary education. Therefore, by predicting the possible impacts brought by Englishization, this study hopes to investigate whether adopting English as the instruction medium would have negative impacts on the content learning of