Reflections on Native-speaking English Teacher Scheme for Primary Schools in Hong Kong 

Simon Tham
Chief Curriculum Development Officer (NET) 

Four years have gone since the inception of the Native-speaking English Teacher Scheme for Primary Schools (PNET Scheme) in Hong Kong. Being one of the officers who put the education initiative in place, I have asked myself one question: how can the PNET Scheme support and improve the progress of primary students in their English language studies? 

In 2003, the Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) commissioned the Assessment Research Centre at the University of Melbourne, in collaboration with the Institute of Education in Hong Kong, to undertake a detailed evaluation of the deployment of NETs in primary schools.  The evaluation which enters its third year of monitoring in schools in 2006 tracks a range of indicators of success for the PNET Scheme including measures of: 

• development of student language proficiency;

• proficiency monitored over time;

• student attitudes to learning and using English;

• opinions that the NETs, local teachers of English (LETs), and School Heads about the quality of the environment for children to learn English, the level of support in schools for the introduction of innovative learning and teaching methods;

• school policy development and leadership in promoting English learning through the NET Scheme. 

More than 5,000 students in Primary One (P1) to Primary 3 (P3) from 140 primary schools have taken part in the evaluation to date.


Primary schools witness students¡¦ improvement 

Longitudinal comparisons of student growth in achievement from 2004 to 2005 indicated that students were making steady progress in the development of English language skills. Most P3 students were found to be experimenting with their production of English.  Many were able to read developmentally appropriate English texts, could write simple sentences in English, and were increasing their range of English vocabulary and grammatical structures. 

Cross-sectional comparisons of student proficiency in English at P1 and P2 levels indicated considerable stability from 2004 to 2005.


Parents play key role in students¡¦ learning 

In both 2004 and 2005, higher achievement scores for students were associated with home backgrounds in which there was a person who regularly looked at the student¡¦s work in English, where the student had access to many books (both in English and Chinese), where there was the capacity to provide a private study corner for the student to work, and where parents expressed positive attitudes towards their child¡¦s English language studies.


Collaboration in school is central to success of PNET scheme  

Measuring change over time in students¡¦ achievement and attitudes has been linked to teacher attitudes, practices, use of resources and school leadership.  The importance of school leadership in the success of the scheme at the school level has been established.  Also, the importance of the relationship between LETs and NETs is central to the classroom success of the scheme, and the role of the Advisory Teachers (ATs) has been central to the successful curriculum base of the scheme. 

A good school head would support the PNET Scheme by encouraging an effective professional partnership between the NET and the school¡¦s English teachers, and adopt a positive attitude towards innovative practices in English language learning and teaching.  Similarly, the Panel Chair was expected to aid the PNET Scheme by cultivating a co-planning and co-teaching culture of English language learning and teaching, ensuring the involvement of the whole English Panel in the Scheme, adopting a positive attitude towards innovation, and helping the NET adapt to the Hong Kong environment and life in the school. 

The influence of the ATs was expressed  through their support of the NETs, school English Teachers (SETs) and Panel Chairs in facilitating the implementation of good practices through the English language curriculum, and their assistance in building effective working relationships among members of the English Panel, supporting the development of effective learning and teaching strategies and resources for English language teaching, and planning and conducting centralised development programmes, seminars and workshops for NETs and SETs to further the dissemination of good practices in teaching English.


Reflections on effective deployment of NETs 

The evaluation showed that NETs were deployed most successfully in schools where

• the morale among local teachers is high and they are committed to improving their English teaching;

• the NET has a clear role in the school that extends beyond co-teaching to include an active exchange of ideas, material support and advice between local teachers and the NET; and

• the NET has been deployed for a sufficient time in the school to have established good working relationships with local teachers.

Based on these findings, I advise schools to regularly review and adjust the deployment of their NETs in such a way that teachers are no longer individuals but a joint force in creating an authentic English-rich learning environment for students.



June 4, 2006