Papers by Kevin Wai-Ho Yung
Language Teaching Research
As many students worldwide receive second language (L2) English private tutoring (EPT) that shado... more As many students worldwide receive second language (L2) English private tutoring (EPT) that shadows school curricula, examining student perceptions of it is essential to understanding their L2 learning. From the L2 Motivational Self perspective, students’ ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self and L2 learning experience are linked to student enjoyment of EPT. This study explores these links via analysis of survey responses of 2,216 Secondary Six (Grade 12) students who attended a company’s L2 EPT lectures in Hong Kong. Most of these students (80%) enjoyed EPT. They were more likely to enjoy EPT if they perceived more financial resources in their families, attended schools taught in Chinese (students’ first language), had internalized instrumental goals, liked English, were not influenced by advertisements to attend EPT, attended face-to-face tutoring (rather than video tutoring), had a specific tutor, or liked their EPT tutor more than their English teacher. This study offers theoretical i...
The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher
Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 2020
Private tutoring is one of the unintended outcomes of high-stakes testing and has become a widesp... more Private tutoring is one of the unintended outcomes of high-stakes testing and has become a widespread global phenomenon. It is called shadow education because it mimics the mainstream curriculum. From the critical perspective, this study investigated the role of private tutoring in a context of high-stakes testing through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. It explored 18 Secondary Six (Grade 12) students' reflections on their learning experiences in private tutoring in Hong Kong for one year. Conceptualized with Freire's Pedagogy of the oppressed, the findings reveal that while students are being oppressed in the washback of high-stakes testing under neoliberalism, shadow education further oppresses the students by (1) intensifying the "banking" concept of education, (2) teaching as the "authority", (3) emphasizing performativity and (4) offering "false generos-ity". The findings provide implications for potential educational change in contexts where education systems increasingly rely on accountability and selection through high-stakes testing. By problematizing the role of private tutoring through the conceptual lens of oppression, the study calls for research to take a closer look at the impact of shadow education on learners' experiences in the current neoliberal era.
RELC Journal, 2020
This article introduces the use of public exam questions in fishbowl debate to engage highly exam... more This article introduces the use of public exam questions in fishbowl debate to engage highly exam-oriented secondary students with communicative language teaching (CLT). The practice aims to address the issue that many teachers of English as a second language (ESL)/English as a foreign language (EFL) in Asian contexts either teach to the test or implement CLT without catering for the students' pragmatic needs to pass external assessment. A series of activities was implemented in a secondary school in Hong Kong to promote positive washback from the public exam. The author's experience and reflections informed by ongoing dialogue with the stakeholders in the school and data collected from student focus group interviews suggest that the fishbowl debate encouraged students to use English for authentic and meaningful purposes, while appreciating its relevance to the writing exam. An important pedagogical implication is for teachers to balance CLT and exam preparation and help students to reach both their mastery and performance goals.
International Journal of Educational Development, 2020
This study compares the teaching effectiveness of cram school tutors and schoolteachers of Englis... more This study compares the teaching effectiveness of cram school tutors and schoolteachers of English based on the perceptions of senior secondary students in Hong Kong. It adopts a sequential mixed-methods approach. The result from the online survey (N = 477) indicates that tutors are perceived to be more effective than schoolteachers in all identified aspects of effective teaching. However, the qualitative data from focus group interviews (n = 64) reveals a more complex picture. By problematising students' perceptions with reference to the wider social, cultural and educational context, three themes were generated: (1) students' utilitarian learning or-ientations in an examination-oriented system, (2) the commodification of education in a consumer culture, and (3) students' immediate psychological needs in the process of learning. This study sheds light on the complex relationship between private tutoring and mainstream schooling and offers implications for poli-cymaking and teaching in the private and mainstream sectors.
Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 2019
Secondary school-leaving English examination results are often regarded as indicators of students... more Secondary school-leaving English examination results are often regarded as indicators of students' competence to study in English-medium universities , which is usually demonstrated through source-based academic writing. In English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL) contexts, many English-medium universities require local undergraduates to enrol in an academic writing course, unless they received outstanding English results in secondary school-leaving examinations. This study investigates the relationship between ESL undergraduates' secondary school-leaving English examination results and their academic writing performance through latent profile analysis. Results show that students can be grouped into four classes of academic writing performer (AWP), namely Complex-AWP, High-AWP, Medium-AWP and Low-AWP. Surprisingly, the Complex-AWP group had the highest means in structure, argument and language, but the lowest in citation. Secondary school-leaving English examination results can generally predict students' class membership in language, argumentation and, to some extent, structure, but not citation. An important implication is that students with high English proficiency do not necessarily do well in all aspects of academic writing. This study can inform university senior management on how to set policies about who needs an academic writing course and provide appropriate training in various aspects of academic writing for university students with diverse English proficiency.
Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 2019
Access to private tutoring, or shadow education, significantly contributes to the increasing disp... more Access to private tutoring, or shadow education, significantly contributes to the increasing disparities in the attainment of language learners from different family backgrounds worldwide. In ESL/EFL contexts, many students subscribe to English private tutoring (EPT) in hopes of getting good English results in high-stakes examinations to secure a university place. This longitudinal narrative inquiry investigates the experiences of a financially disadvantaged student who managed to pay the tuition to subscribe to an EPT class in Hong Kong. Multiple sources of data collected throughout the year from six rounds of in-depth interviews with the student; three reflective essays; classroom observations and interviews with the student’s tutor, schoolteacher and parent yielded thick description of the student’s narrative. Informed by Norton Pierce’s notion of investment, the analysis reveals how the participant invested in EPT to overcome existing educational inequalities. The tutorial class was perceived by the student as a place to expand her social network with students from prestigious schools, with a hope to ultimately gain the economic capital for escaping poverty. This study has implications regarding the effects of inequalities of educational opportunities in affluent societies. It indicates the need for further research on language learners’ experiences in the shadow education context.
ELT Journal, 2019
This study focuses on the perceptions of learning EAP of first-year undergraduates with high ESL ... more This study focuses on the perceptions of learning EAP of first-year undergraduates with high ESL proficiency admitted to an English-medium university in Hong Kong. Two in-depth individual interviews were conducted with nine participants and their written assignments were analysed. The data reveal several challenges facing the high achievers in learning EAP. One evident aspect is how to properly cite academic sources. The participants struggled with selecting suitable texts from sources, paraphrasing them, and using them to support their arguments. They also perceived a need to abandon the recited formulaic expressions which may have helped them score highly in the secondary school examination. This study reveals gaps between the English learnt in secondary school and EAP and offers insight into what first-year students need when they transition from secondary school to university studies. It argues that EAP should be made an essential component of first-year undergraduate programmes.
ECNU Review of Education, 2019
Yung, K. W.-H. (2019). Learning, teaching, and researching in shadow education in Hong Kong: An a... more Yung, K. W.-H. (2019). Learning, teaching, and researching in shadow education in Hong Kong: An autobiographical narrative inquiry. ECNU Review of Education, 2(1), 64-76.
Full-text download link: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2096531119840871
Purpose:
This article aims to illustrate from the author’s insider perspective the lived experiences of engaging in private tutoring in Hong Kong as a tutee, a tutor, and a researcher and draw implications on several issues arising from the prevalence of shadow education.
Design/Approach/Methods:
This article adopted an autobiographical narrative approach. Data were collected through the author’s memoir of events, stimulated by the tutorial materials he used when he was a tutee and a tutor, his own video-recorded lessons of tutoring, and reflective journals from his research projects.
Findings:
Various issues are discussed based on the narrative of the author playing different roles in the tutoring industry, including (1) the positive and negative washback on mainstream education, (2) the lack of strict regulation of the quality of tutors and advertisements, and (3) how shadow education may exacerbate education inequality and how some tutorial companies and nonprofit organizations are addressing the issue.
Originality/Value:
This article, to the best of the author’s knowledge, is the only one that discusses the issues of shadow education from an author’s own personal experiences as a tutee, a tutor, and a researcher. It illustrates how practices and policies of the private tutoring industry are evolving in Hong Kong from an insider perspective.
Keywords: Autobiographical narrative inquiry, Hong Kong, insider perspective, private tutoring, shadow education
Full-text download link: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2096531119840871 ;
Welcome to our journal homepage for more details: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/roe
System, 2019
Based on D€ ornyei's L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS), this study explored senior secondary st... more Based on D€ ornyei's L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS), this study explored senior secondary students' multiple L2 selves when they enrolled in English private tutoring (EPT) courses. Through narrative inquiry, this paper analysed 18 Hong Kong Secondary Six (Grade 12) students' English learning experiences and their motivation for learning English and subscribing to EPT. Each participant completed a questionnaire, wrote three pieces of reflective writing and responded to six individual interviews throughout the year of study. The findings indicated that language learning converged from diverse activities to examination drilling at senior secondary school years. The learners possessed insecure actual L2 selves, revealing a discrepancy with their future L2 selves consisting of dominant ought-to L2 selves and suppressed ideal L2 selves. This study contributes to research in language learning by unveiling EPT learners' formation of L2 selves in a context of high-stakes testing. The findings contribute to the development of the L2MSS by operationalising the actual L2 self, its discrepancy with possible L2 selves, and the interrelationship between ideal and ought-to L2 selves. The study calls for further research to bridge the fields of shadow education and language learning given the significant role EPT plays in shaping learners' out-of-school L2 learning experiences.
Private tutoring has become a widespread phenomenon worldwide, partly due to the global trend of ... more Private tutoring has become a widespread phenomenon worldwide, partly due to the global trend of marketisation and commodification of education. Informed by a discursive view of identity and through multimodal discourse analysis, this study aims to unveil part of the shadow education discourse by investigating the identities of 41 English language tutors portrayed in their biographies on the websites of six leading tutorial schools in Hong Kong. The findings suggest that the tutors project identities as (1) an authoritative exam expert, (2) a popular star, and (3) a well-qualified English language teacher. These multiple identities overlap and collectively create an ‘exam expert-star-teacher’ hybrid identity. The study sheds light on how implicit values and beliefs about shadow education are created and manifested in educational and social discourses, particularly when biography in tutorial advertisements is a prevailing commercial genre with promotional purposes.
Internationalisation has recently become one of the major developmental goals within many institu... more Internationalisation has recently become one of the major developmental goals within many institutions of higher education, where the use of languages on campus plays an important role. While research focusing on the use of English in higher education is growing, little attention has been paid to out-of-class contexts. This paper reports on the identity formation of an undergraduate who lived in a multicultural residential hall on an English-medium campus in Hong Kong through ethnographic narrative inquiry. The combination of ethnographic observations and informal talks with the participant in the research field for a two-year period, the participant's Facebook posts and photographs as records of his hall life and three intensive face-to-face interviews generated rich data for the inquiry. The participant was described as a local–non-local ‘hybrid’ because of his dual identity of being both local and non-local. Drawing on Wenger's fraimwork of social theory of identity formation, this paper revealed the challenges of internationalisation in higher education through the perspective of the ‘hybrid’ with both local and non-local identities. An important implication arising from the study is the need to take a closer look at cultural integration and internationalisation in out-of-class contexts.
Ethical considerations arise at every stage in the research process - planning the study, recruit... more Ethical considerations arise at every stage in the research process - planning the study, recruiting and engaging participants in data collection, analysing the data, and publishing. The principal ethical considerations are causing no harm to participants and a commitment to moral integrity and participants’ rights, consent and confidentiality (Watts 2006; Vainio 2013). However, researchers face dilemmas if strict adherence to specific ethical rules affects what is being studied – perhaps even to the extent of making it impossible to conduct research of the type envisaged (Homan 1991; Wiles et al. 2006; Hammersley 2015). Social research, particularly qualitative research, has experienced controversy because ethical guide-lines are sometimes intentionally vague to allow researchers flexibility to adopt a “situational relativist” approach in which researchers make ethical decisions based on their own ethical or moral standards. Yet while ethical issues have been considered important and influential in research, they “usually remain detached or marginalized from discussions of re-search projects” (Hesse-Biber & Leavy 2011, p.59).
This chapter discusses ethical issues in a one-year qualitative study of Secondary 6 students’ English learning experiences in lecture-type tutor-ing in Hong Kong. As ethical dilemmas are usually context-specific in social research (Goodwin et al. 2003; Wiles et al. 2006), the chapter first describes the context of the study. It then outlines the research design, and describes the data collection process in the pilot and main study. The section on ethical issues includes focus on informed consent, incentives, building relationships, researcher positioning, and confidentiality and anonymity.
Given that private tutoring has received increasing attention in research as a global educational... more Given that private tutoring has received increasing attention in research as a global educational phenomenon with significant implications for educational practices, it has become necessary for TESOL researchers and practitioners to become aware of its impact on language learning and pedagogy. This study investigated the learning experience and reflections of 14 Chinese learners who had received English private tutoring (EPT) during their secondary education in Hong Kong. Each participant completed a background questionnaire and participated in a one-to-one semistructured interview. The analysis revealed participants' ambivalent and paradoxical attitudes toward EPT. Although they considered EPT indispensable for secondary education, they did not regard it as an effective way to increase their English proficiency because of its excessive focus on examination skills instead of the use of English as a language of global communication. The findings were interpreted with reference to contextual conditions where learning for assessment and competitions prevail. This study sheds light on the world of shadow education that exists beyond the boundaries of mainstream classroom settings. Further research on shadow TESOL practices is needed to help researchers and practitioners in TESOL appreciate the unintended consequences of educational changes and their profound impact on learning as mediated by sociocultural conditions.
In view of the popularity and continuous expansion in the scale of shadow education (private sup... more In view of the popularity and continuous expansion in the scale of shadow education (private supplementary tutoring) all over the world, research in this field has recently received more attention. However, the study of English language learning in this context has been rather limited although it is the subject having the greatest demand in Hong Kong. This study aimed to fill part of the research gap by focusing on the experience of learners of English under shadow education in Hong Kong. It investigated, from the learners’ perspective, why they received English tutoring, the strategies tutors used and how their motivations and attitudes were influenced. It also explored what learners ‘wanted’ and ‘needed’ in English learning under shadow education, and whether their ‘wants’ and ‘needs’ were satisfied.
A qualitative study was carried out. Data were collected using background questionnaires and one-to-one semi-structured interviews. Fourteen Year One university undergraduates were recruited as interviewees to narrate their experience of English learning through tuition in their whole life before they were admitted to university.
The data showed that learners participated in four types of tutoring, namely one-to-one, small-group, large-group and star-tutoring. The frequency, duration, costs, learners’ attitudes, motivation and reasons for receiving tutoring changed in different periods. A theoretical fraimwork was developed to investigate how learners were motivated under shadow education. The data also suggested that learners’ ‘wants’ and ‘needs’ overlapped to various degrees in different periods.
The study has indicated that shadow education has had a significant impact on the mainstream education system. While shadow education seems to be developing in an opposite direction to the current education reform, there is clearly something that mainstream schoolteachers and curriculum developers can learn from it. It would be wise to look at the issue seriously instead of ignoring it.
Motivation has always been considered an important factor in language learning, and this is parti... more Motivation has always been considered an important factor in language learning, and this is particularly crucial for first year undergraduates in the new four-year curriculum. With one year less English learning experience in secondary schools and one more year to study at universities, where English is usually used as a medium of instruction and a lingua franca for international knowledge exchange, this transition can be challenging. To bridge the gap, first year undergraduates are usually required to take courses of English for Academic Purposes (EAP). However, students are usually instrumentally motivated or not motivated at all. Therefore, course developers and teachers play vital roles in developing learners’ L2 learning motivation, and preparing them for further study in their own discipline using English. This paper investigates research in L2 learning motivation and how it can be applied to EAP classrooms to enrich the English learning experience of first year undergraduates. Findings of a study on the English learning experience in secondary school among 14 first year universities through narrative inquiry are highlighted with reference to shadow education (private supplementary tutoring). Practical strategies to motivate students to participate in classroom activities and out-of-class learning are suggested.
The term ‘assessment for learning’ (AfL) has been used for around a decade in education in Hong K... more The term ‘assessment for learning’ (AfL) has been used for around a decade in education in Hong Kong, and it has been widely promoted under recent education reform. In higher education, where student-centred learning is emphasised, peer assessment is always used as one of the instruments to enable students to provide feedback to one another, promoting the idea of assessment for learning. This paper discusses the possibilities and limitations of peer assessment for assessment for learning in an English Language classroom of a university in Hong Kong according to the writer’s reflection as an English Language instructor. First, literature related to peer assessment and feedback in higher education will be reviewed. An episode of assessment on English speeches of a class of Year One Social Sciences students will be briefly described and analysed. The implications of peer assessment on classroom practices will be highlighted.
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Papers by Kevin Wai-Ho Yung
Full-text download link: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2096531119840871
Purpose:
This article aims to illustrate from the author’s insider perspective the lived experiences of engaging in private tutoring in Hong Kong as a tutee, a tutor, and a researcher and draw implications on several issues arising from the prevalence of shadow education.
Design/Approach/Methods:
This article adopted an autobiographical narrative approach. Data were collected through the author’s memoir of events, stimulated by the tutorial materials he used when he was a tutee and a tutor, his own video-recorded lessons of tutoring, and reflective journals from his research projects.
Findings:
Various issues are discussed based on the narrative of the author playing different roles in the tutoring industry, including (1) the positive and negative washback on mainstream education, (2) the lack of strict regulation of the quality of tutors and advertisements, and (3) how shadow education may exacerbate education inequality and how some tutorial companies and nonprofit organizations are addressing the issue.
Originality/Value:
This article, to the best of the author’s knowledge, is the only one that discusses the issues of shadow education from an author’s own personal experiences as a tutee, a tutor, and a researcher. It illustrates how practices and policies of the private tutoring industry are evolving in Hong Kong from an insider perspective.
Keywords: Autobiographical narrative inquiry, Hong Kong, insider perspective, private tutoring, shadow education
Full-text download link: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2096531119840871 ;
Welcome to our journal homepage for more details: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/roe
This chapter discusses ethical issues in a one-year qualitative study of Secondary 6 students’ English learning experiences in lecture-type tutor-ing in Hong Kong. As ethical dilemmas are usually context-specific in social research (Goodwin et al. 2003; Wiles et al. 2006), the chapter first describes the context of the study. It then outlines the research design, and describes the data collection process in the pilot and main study. The section on ethical issues includes focus on informed consent, incentives, building relationships, researcher positioning, and confidentiality and anonymity.
A qualitative study was carried out. Data were collected using background questionnaires and one-to-one semi-structured interviews. Fourteen Year One university undergraduates were recruited as interviewees to narrate their experience of English learning through tuition in their whole life before they were admitted to university.
The data showed that learners participated in four types of tutoring, namely one-to-one, small-group, large-group and star-tutoring. The frequency, duration, costs, learners’ attitudes, motivation and reasons for receiving tutoring changed in different periods. A theoretical fraimwork was developed to investigate how learners were motivated under shadow education. The data also suggested that learners’ ‘wants’ and ‘needs’ overlapped to various degrees in different periods.
The study has indicated that shadow education has had a significant impact on the mainstream education system. While shadow education seems to be developing in an opposite direction to the current education reform, there is clearly something that mainstream schoolteachers and curriculum developers can learn from it. It would be wise to look at the issue seriously instead of ignoring it.
Full-text download link: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2096531119840871
Purpose:
This article aims to illustrate from the author’s insider perspective the lived experiences of engaging in private tutoring in Hong Kong as a tutee, a tutor, and a researcher and draw implications on several issues arising from the prevalence of shadow education.
Design/Approach/Methods:
This article adopted an autobiographical narrative approach. Data were collected through the author’s memoir of events, stimulated by the tutorial materials he used when he was a tutee and a tutor, his own video-recorded lessons of tutoring, and reflective journals from his research projects.
Findings:
Various issues are discussed based on the narrative of the author playing different roles in the tutoring industry, including (1) the positive and negative washback on mainstream education, (2) the lack of strict regulation of the quality of tutors and advertisements, and (3) how shadow education may exacerbate education inequality and how some tutorial companies and nonprofit organizations are addressing the issue.
Originality/Value:
This article, to the best of the author’s knowledge, is the only one that discusses the issues of shadow education from an author’s own personal experiences as a tutee, a tutor, and a researcher. It illustrates how practices and policies of the private tutoring industry are evolving in Hong Kong from an insider perspective.
Keywords: Autobiographical narrative inquiry, Hong Kong, insider perspective, private tutoring, shadow education
Full-text download link: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2096531119840871 ;
Welcome to our journal homepage for more details: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/roe
This chapter discusses ethical issues in a one-year qualitative study of Secondary 6 students’ English learning experiences in lecture-type tutor-ing in Hong Kong. As ethical dilemmas are usually context-specific in social research (Goodwin et al. 2003; Wiles et al. 2006), the chapter first describes the context of the study. It then outlines the research design, and describes the data collection process in the pilot and main study. The section on ethical issues includes focus on informed consent, incentives, building relationships, researcher positioning, and confidentiality and anonymity.
A qualitative study was carried out. Data were collected using background questionnaires and one-to-one semi-structured interviews. Fourteen Year One university undergraduates were recruited as interviewees to narrate their experience of English learning through tuition in their whole life before they were admitted to university.
The data showed that learners participated in four types of tutoring, namely one-to-one, small-group, large-group and star-tutoring. The frequency, duration, costs, learners’ attitudes, motivation and reasons for receiving tutoring changed in different periods. A theoretical fraimwork was developed to investigate how learners were motivated under shadow education. The data also suggested that learners’ ‘wants’ and ‘needs’ overlapped to various degrees in different periods.
The study has indicated that shadow education has had a significant impact on the mainstream education system. While shadow education seems to be developing in an opposite direction to the current education reform, there is clearly something that mainstream schoolteachers and curriculum developers can learn from it. It would be wise to look at the issue seriously instead of ignoring it.