Teachers’ Experience of Secondary Education Reform in Hong Kong

Abstract

This article examines teachers’ experience in relation to the massive top-down but ever-changing education reform initiatives in Hong Kong, where “East meets West” in cultures and identities. A life-narrative approach was used to probe the daily experience of 24 secondary school teachers of different ages, genders, and marital statuses to examine how they translate and implement educational reforms. Excerpts from secondary school teachers’ narratives show that teachers were experiencing a lot of new forms of glocal practices—that is, mixing of both global and local practices (Robertson, 1995)—as new discourses met with Confucian traditions and existing practices in Hong Kong. New discourses included pupil centeredness, learning to learn, lifewide learning in curriculum reforms, and assessment for learning and school-based assessment in assessment reforms; Confucian traditions included teacher-centered pedagogy, emphasis on academic achievement, and high-stakes examinations. Although deeply concerned about difficulties in teaching, many teachers love teaching and working with students. Analysis of their stories revealed that teachers’ experiences were complex and multifaceted; teachers saw tensions and opportunities in the reforms and serious challenges to their roles. Implications for policy makers, researchers, and teachers are discussed.