A Qualitative Inquiry Into the Impact of the Hong Kong LPATE Over the Past Decade and a Half: Changes, Challenges, and Implications (original) (raw)
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This study investigates the perceptions of stakeholders on the impact of a high-stakes assessment of English language teachers' proficiency-the minimum language standards Language Proficiency Assessment for Teachers (English) [LPATE], which was introduced in 2000. Given that the test has now been in place for 17 years, the study investigates the extent to which the LPATE assessment has contributed to English language teacher standards in Hong Kong. Interview data from 24 participants in primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong, reveal a number of positive links between the LPATE test and English language teaching as a profession. The introduction of the LPATE was deemed to be necessary in terms of setting, raising and maintaining language proficiency standards; stakeholders' awareness that English teachers need to have high language standards, subject-matter knowledge and pedagogical skills related to English language teaching; and that now an increasing number of English teachers are exempt from the LPATE through having opted for relevant degrees and teacher training, questions should be asked about how and whether the LPATE should be used in more relevant and meaningful ways.
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Research Papers in Education, 2011
There has been a widespread belief that teachers in Asian contexts including Japan and China are well protected by a tradition that reveres teachers. However, in Chinese contexts, cultural traditions have been found to undermine the teaching profession, together with educational reforms and societal changes. This paper reports on an inquiry that explored the social censure of teachers, especially language teachers in Hong Kong. The inquiry 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 for language teachers as well as the increasingly complex conditions for teachers' professional practices due to ongoing educational reforms and cultural changes. The Internet discussion also offers a unique opportunity to examine how the teaching profession was constructed in these discourses and provides insights into teachers' professional vulnerability in Hong Kong.
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Language Assessment Quarterly, 2007
The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) has recently moved from norm-referenced to standards-referenced assessment, including the incorporation of a substantial school-based summative oral assessment component into the compulsory English language subject in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE). Starting in Form 4, teachers now assess their own students' oral English language competencies through a range of classroom-embedded activities over 2 years (SBA Consultancy Team, 2005). This high-profile assessment initiative marks a significant shift in policy as well as in practice for the HKEAA. Although school-based assessment (SBA) is in line with the Education and Manpower Bureau's general move to align assessment with curriculum reforms, in the early stage of implementation the reforms raised a number of concerns in the wider school community, including sociocultural, technical, and practical concerns. This article first describes the specific content and structure of the HKCEE English Language SBA component. It then reports on the result of the initial analysis of teachers' and students' responses to the initiative in the first stage of its implementation, including the perceived benefits for learning and teaching. The article concludes with a brief overview of how this initial analysis led to the development of a number of subsequent research studies aimed at monitoring and developing teacher knowledge and skills and evaluating more systematically the impact of the reform on teachers, students, and schools in Hong Kong.
Journal of Pan-Pacific Association of Applied Linguistics, 2016
Entry to the teaching career in most education systems nowadays is based on academic qualifications and professional credentials. The requirements and trainings for teachers of English vary in different regions and countries. This short review presents the professional preparation of pre-service teachers of English and the English language qualification examinations for teachers in Hong Kong and Mainland China. Hong Kong has been a British colony for over 100 years and it has become the special administrative region of China since 1997. English has always been an important language in the city for business and other commercial activities with other parts of the world. The training of teachers of English in Hong Kong could feature a double degree in education and English language, an English-related degree with a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE), or a non-English-related degree with PGDE and postgraduate study in the subject knowledge. On top of teaching practices in real sch...
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The Journal of AsiaTEFL, 2019
Literature Review Writing in 1991, Stiggins defined assessment literacy (AL) as the knowledge and skills needed for measuring student achievement, stressing the knowledge base that teachers need in order to conduct sound assessment. Drawn from this general concept, language assessment literacy (LAL) is a relatively new concept in language assessment and testing (
This study examines the language needs of pr e-service teachers of English for the Language Proficiency Assessment for Teachers (English) (LPATE)). More specifically, the study aims to identify 1) the language needs of pre-service teachers in terms of language difficulty(s) and 2) how different demographic backgrounds of these teachers (e.g. a major in an English language-related subject/ education and the length of stay in an English-speaking country) may affect their perceived areas of language difficulty(s) in English. A total of 124 pre-service teachers who were the participants in a language enhancement course offered by a local university aiming at assisting the pre-service teachers to attain the required level in the language assessment for English participated in a questionnaire survey. This study has identified several areas of difficulty that pre-service teachers have in English language. The findings can shed lights on course design and materials development for the language enhancement courses, may they be provi ded during undergraduate or postgraduate training or continuing professional development. In so doing, teachers can then be effectively assisted to meet the standards of the language assessment.
This study examines the language needs of pr e-service teachers of English for the Language Proficiency Assessment for Teachers (English) (LPATE)). More specifically, the study aims to identify 1) the language needs of pre-service teachers in terms of language difficulty(s) and 2) how different demographic backgrounds of these teachers (e.g. a major in an English language-related subject/ education and the length of stay in an English-speaking country) may affect their perceived areas of language difficulty(s) in English. A total of 124 pre-service teachers who were the participants in a language enhancement course offered by a local university aiming at assisting the pre-service teachers to attain the required level in the language assessment for English participated in a questionnaire survey. This study has identified several areas of difficulty that pre-service teachers have in English language. The findings can shed lights on course design and materials development for the language enhancement courses, may they be provi ded during undergraduate or postgraduate training or continuing professional development. In so doing, teachers can then be effectively assisted to meet the standards of the language assessment.