Additional Findings

This section reports on a number of survey items which do not directly address the Research Questions that guided the evaluation but nevertheless provide valuable insights into stakeholder perceptions of the effectiveness of the Scheme. It contains items exploring perceptions among stakeholders of the role of the School Principal in effectively implementing the Scheme in the school, identifying an appropriate role for the NET and ensuring that NETs were supported and mentored effectively. It also includes items eliciting perceptions from NETs and local English teachers of the support provided for the NET, the contributions made by the NET and the place of the NET in the school learning community. Finally, this section reports on the open-ended questions, exploring stakeholder perceptions of the public image of the Scheme, of the future of the Scheme and whether the funding allocated to the Scheme is justified.

SF19:

A majority of NETs agreed that their role had been clearly identified, that they had been effectively deployed and supported in that role, and that their contributions had been acknowledged by the Principal of their school.

NETs and School Principals were asked to what extent they agreed with statements regarding the role of the Principal in NET deployment. The item stems are shown below. These are followed by the tabulated responses in Table 30, which are then presented in the form of pie charts in Figures 32a to e.

89 Question

[OPNBa-e]

[NET]: To what extent do you agree that the Principal of your school has...

[SP]: To what extent do you agree that you as the School Principal have...

Table 30. Fisher’s exact tests of way in which School Principal contribute to NET’s deployment

Stakeholder Weighted Count

Percentage Chi-square p value Disagree Agree Disagree Agree

Identified the role of NET clearly (a)

NET 13.97 48.26 22.44 77.56 <.0001*

SP 3.35 59.67 5.32 94.68

Realistic expectations for the NET (b)

NET 14.80 48.89 23.24 76.76 0.0014*

SP 1.93 62.72 2.98 97.02

Deployed the NET where he/she can be most effective (c)

NET 20.70 40.29 33.94 66.06 <.0001*

SP 3.58 59.57 5.67 94.33

Supported the NET in his/her role (d)

NET 11.25 51.94 17.81 82.19 0.0010*

SP 1.35 62.53 2.11 97.89

Acknowledged the NET’s contributions (e)

NET 13.59 48.52 21.88 78.12 <.0001*

SP 0.58 60.44 0.95 99.05

a. b.

c. d.

90 e.

Figures 32(a)-(e). School Principals’ contribution to NET deployment

SF20: Overall, NETs perceived that they received mentoring and information from their school or colleagues and acted as effective, well-adapted educators. The majority of local English teachers also agreed, but had a higher rate of agreement as to the mentoring and communication NETs received and a lower agreement rate compared to the NETs on the NETs’ contribution and sensitivity.

SF21: Both local English teachers and NETs agreed that NETs have contributed to the development and teaching of secondary elective modules, enriched the English

environment of the school, and been made aware of the professional support provided by the NET Section.

NETs and local English teachers were asked how far they agreed with statements relating to support given to the NET. The item stems are shown below. These are followed by the tabulated responses in Table 31, which are then presented in the form of pie charts in Figures 33a to l.

Question [OPNCa-l]

[NET]: Considering your current school, to what extent do you agree that you…

[LET]: To what extent do you agree that the NET in your school…

91 Table 31. Fisher’s exact tests/Chi-square analyses of overall opinion of NET deployment

Stakeholder Weighted Count

Percentage Chi-square p value

Disagree Agree Disagree Agree Were mentored when they first joined the current school (a)

NET 22.53 42.47 34.66 65.34 18.685 <.0001*

LET 5.78 79.27 6.79 93.21

Have been informed of relevant curriculum initiatives (b)

NET 19.36 45.64 29.79 70.21 13.327 0.0003*

LET 6.12 78.92 7.20 92.80

Have been informed of the priorities of the English Panel (c)

NET 15.07 49.93 23.18 76.82 0.0001*

LET 3.55 81.49 4.18 95.82

Have the deployment regularly reviewed to enhance NET’s effectiveness (d)

NET 25.83 39.17 39.74 60.26 24.991 <.0001*

LET 5.37 79.67 6.32 93.68

Have received regular performance feedback (e)

NET 22.81 42.19 35.09 64.91 4.927 0.0264*

LET 16.20 68.84 19.05 80.94

Have been provided with time for sharing good practices in the English Panel Meetings (f)

NET 29.51 35.49 45.40 54.60 10.985 0.0009*

LET 17.12 67.92 20.13 79.87

Have been an active and contributing member of the school learning community (g)

NET 10.04 54.96 15.45 84.55 7.084 0.0078*

LET 29.57 55.47 34.78 65.22

Are sensitive to the culture and needs of students (h)

NET 1.88 63.12 2.90 97.10 <.0001*

LET 21.47 63.58 25.24 74.76

Are sensitive to the culture and needs of the school personnel (i)

NET 4.91 60.09 7.55 92.45 <.0001*

LET 20.04 65.00 23.57 76.43

Have contributed to the development and teaching of the secondary elective modules (j)

NET 33.25 31.75 51.16 48.84 0.573 0.4489

LET 38.21 46.84 44.93 55.07

Have enriched the English environment of the school (k)

NET 6.34 58.66 9.76 90.24 2.563 0.1094

LET 16.33 68.71 19.21 80.79

Have been made aware of the professional support provided by the NET Section (l)

NET 13.44 51.56 20.68 79.32 0.275 0.5999

LET 20.66 64.38 24.30 75.70

92

a. b.

c. d.

e. f.

g. h.

93

i. j.

k. l.

Figures 33(a)-(l). Overall opinion of NET’s deployment

A majority of both local English teachers and NETs reported agreement to the statements provided, with high levels of agreement that NETs had enriched the English environment of the school (Figure 33k) and had been made aware of the professional support provided by the NET Section (Figure 33l). There was also a degree of agreement between local English teachers and NETs regarding the NET’s contribution to senior secondary electives (Figure 33j). For other items, there was a statistically significant discrepancy between the groups. The majority of NETs agreed to all the statements, but in comparison to local English teachers, they showed more disagreement about being mentored when they first joined the current school (Figure 33a), being informed about relevant curriculum initiatives (Figure 33b), being informed of the priorities of the English panel (Figure 33c), experiencing regular deployment review to enhance their effectiveness (Figure 33d), receiving regular performance feedback (Figure 33e), and being provided with time for sharing good practices in the English Panel Meetings (Figure 33f).

On the other hand, NETs were more likely to agree that they had been active and contributing members of the school learning community (Figure 33g), sensitive to the culture and needs of students (Figure 33h) and to the culture and needs of school personnel (Figure 33i). Looked at from a slightly different perspective, NETs were more likely than local English teachers to agree with statements which present them as active agents (Figure 33g, h & i) rather than passive recipients of support (Figure 33 (a) to (f)).

A possible explanation for these discrepancies may relate to different expectations arising from cultural differences. Specifically, when a NET arrives in a foreign land, they may experience different degrees of culture shock, particularly if it is their first visit to the country concerned.

In the case of Western NETs experiencing Hong Kong for the first time, they may be exposed

94 to a lot of cultural practices they are unfamiliar with, compounded by language barriers and a lot of administrative procedures that have to be completed related to immigration status, accommodation, income tax, and so on. In addition, NETs new to Hong Kong, and perhaps traveling abroad for the first time, may have expectations regarding the degree of support that it is reasonable for them to expect which may not be appreciated by local residents. In other words, NETs may feel it is reasonable to expect a degree of support which local English teachers and school staff may consider unreasonable, or may not have considered necessary at all, since they have not had to provide the same support for newly recruited local English teachers in the past.

SF22: A majority of NETs, local English teachers, and School Principals thought that the ENET Scheme should be continued as it is and/or expanded in the future. However, nearly 15% of School Principals thought the Scheme should eventually be phased out, whereas only 1.14% of NETs and 4.16 % of local English teacher reported similar views.

NETs, local English teachers and School Principals were asked to choose a statement most closely corresponding to their view of the future of the ENET Scheme. The item stem is shown below, followed by the tabulated responses in Table 32 which are then presented in the form of pie charts in Figure 34.

Question [ OPND]

[NET]/[LET]/[SP]:

Which statement most closely represents your view regarding the future of the ENET Scheme in Hong Kong?

95 Table 32. Fisher’s exact tests of the ENET Scheme’s future in Hong Kong

Weighted Count Percentage

Chi-square

p value

Continued and expanded

Continued as it currently is

Continued but scaled

down

Phased out

Continued and expanded

Continued as it currently is

Continued but scaled

down

Phased out

0.1037

NET 44.80 17.23 2.23 0.74 68.93 26.50 3.43 1.14

LET 186.17 199.69 48.25 18.82 41.10 44.09 10.65 4.16

SP 36.09 16.79 3.62 9.51 54.68 25.44 5.48 14.40

Figure 34. The ENET Scheme’s future in Hong Kong

The majority of views expressed on the future of the ENET Scheme as reflected in these results are strongly in favour of continuing the Scheme as it is or expanding it. A minority of other respondents reported that they thought that the ENET Scheme should either be scaled down or phased out. Although the majority of School Principals (80%) are in favour of these two options, with nearly 55% favouring expansion and another 25% for continuation, a small number of Principals expressed rather different views. Approximately one in five Principals responding to the survey suggested that the Scheme be scaled down (5.48%) or phased out (14.40%). This contrasts markedly with views expressed by Principals interviewed in the case study schools. Here Principals were generally supportive of the Scheme, although views similar to the less positive views expressed in response to this item did emerge from two Principals.

Perhaps a clue to the reasons for these less positive views on the future of the Scheme can be found in the view of one of these case study school Principals (see summary of case study #1 below) who felt that the Special Allowance paid to NETs should be removed – effectively scaling down the Scheme – in order to allow schools to make use of the money to support English learning in other ways.

The open-ended explanations to this question were categorised using MAXQDA in order to understand respondents’ reasons for supporting the continuation or expansion of the Scheme as well as the criticisms of the minority who favoured scaling down or phasing out the Scheme.

Examples of the written comments of local English teachers are listed below, starting with the view of those who supported expanding the NET scheme, followed by a sample of views of

96 those who favoured maintaining the current scale of the Scheme.

The Scheme should be expanded

The ENET scheme should be expanded so as to maximise students’ using and learning English.

Having more NETs may solve the problem of decreased proficiency in speaking among HK students.

If each school can have two NETs, I think the effectiveness will be enhanced as the two NETs can collaborate and support each other.

English drama takes a very important role in learning English language and foreign culture. It would be good if there is one NET teaching drama at school.

It is important for local students to learn English through the interaction with the ENET Scheme. But, the current scale of ENET Scheme is not sufficient.

The Scheme should be continued as it currently is

The scheme is currently working fine but [it] seems NET teacher(s) can contribute more to the school (e.g. preparing creative teaching materials). Also, there is no proof that more benefits will be gained by students if the scheme expands.

There is a need for the local students to be exposed to more native English. However, it is not easy to find more NETs if the scheme is to be expanded.

I believe that as long as the rationale in the Scheme is being practised in real situations, then the help is already good enough for a school and its teachers.

If the expansion of NET scheme means the replacement of one local teacher, the burden of local teachers will be much higher as a NET teacher usually cannot take the full load of a local teacher; and it is not the function of NET to take regular, exam-oriented classes. If the expansion is to supply one additional NET without replacing a local teacher headcount, then the scheme should be beneficial to both teachers and students.

It totally depends on the quality of the NETs you are hiring. If you can get GREAT NET teachers, then expand!! Schools and students can really benefit, even if they resist change, because outside people can often promote change.

As indicated above, many local English teachers supported expanding or keeping the NET Scheme at its current scale. Their views also include evidence of their interpretation of the role of the Scheme and of a NET within the Scheme. For example, local English teachers mentioned the role of the NET in enhancing students’ English proficiency and maximising students’ use of English, developing teaching materials and collaborating with local English teachers.

97 Even though some local English teachers suggested keeping the Scheme as it is, this does not mean that they saw no benefit in expansion. For example, one of them worried that there would not be enough NETs to support the expansion, implying that if there were more qualified candidates, he or she might endorse expansion. A few respondents also stated their preference in conditional terms. One participant said that if the school can get good NETs, then the scheme should be expanded. Another said that if the expansion did not entail replacing local English teachers, it should be expanded. In short, local English teachers’ preferences for the continuation or expansion of the current scheme were often contingent on other factors.

As indicated in Figure 34 above, a small minority of survey respondents felt that the Scheme should be scaled down or phased out. Although these views are not representative of local English teachers or School Principals generally, it is worth exploring the reasons such views were held. MAXQDA was therefore employed to explore respondents’ reasons for their views.

As shown in Tables 33 and 34, the most frequent explanation critical respondents offered was related to the quality of NETs. There were also concerns about the allocation of resources to NETs, with some NETs saying that resources would be better utilised on local English teachers.

Figures 35 and 36 indicate the relationships between the various reasons given by local English teachers for scaling down and phasing out the ENET Scheme respectively. For example, in Figure 35, reasons related to NET quality issues were associated with improper use of NETs and NETs being over-paid.

In the following textual analysis, only responses from participants who wanted to scale down or phase out the scheme are analysed. It is worth noting that 83.3% of these participants are local English teachers, and 13.1% are school principals.

Scaling down

Table 33. Recurring reasons for scaling down the ENET Scheme

Code Frequency % Coded segments

NET quality issues 16 28.07

NET over-paid but under-worked 10 17.54

Improper use of NET 8 14.04

More resources for local teachers 5 8.77

Ineffective or partially effective 4 7.02

Allows school flexibility 3 5.26

NET unfamiliar with local 3 5.26

NET-local collaboration issues 2 3.51

Need top-down 1 1.75

NET needs engagement 1 1.75

Fails to address learners' diversity 1 1.75

98 NET functions by Internet and social media 1 1.75

Class size 1 1.75

Cannot help low achievers 1 1.75

Figure 35. Relationships between reasons for scaling down the ENET Scheme

The following are direct quotations from local English teachers reflecting the context of some of these major themes.

Direct quotations of major themes

Local English teachers’ concerns regarding NET quality

The aims are justified but the implementation relies heavily on NETs' quality and commitment. Less privileged schools like ours find it impossible to hire ideal NETs. It is not individual schools' duties to recruit them but the authorities' so that the officials can better ensure the standard of the NETs. They will then be assigned to schools so that less privileged schools can work with more proficient and motivated NETs.

Realistically, not many NETs coming to HK are passionate enough to take up the noble mission of cultivating an English-rich language environment.

A lot of NETs can't really help our students as they are not willing to work overtime.

To refine the scheme, more screening of NETs is needed and some should be blacklisted!

It is of great difficulty to collaborate with the NET. The possibility of hiring a great NET who can enhance and enrich English is low. From our experience, the NETs showed a high rate of absence and did not meet deadlines and the requirement of the curriculum. Students' English level might have been hindered by their high absence rate and low commitment in education. They also in turn, increased the workload of the local teachers in terms of job allocation.

99 Local English teachers’ concerns regarding NET workload and deployment

The previous NET was always on sick leave (more than 20 days in the first year and more than 40 days in the second year) and the colleagues of the English Panel needed to take up substitution duties.

Some NETs refuse to carry out fundamental teaching duties such as marking of writing and teaching of grammar, which is unfair to the workload of the local teachers.

They do not usually share the same amount of workload as local teachers and they need extra grooming and assistance in school admin, the use of computer, discipline and sometimes creates a little burden to local teachers.

More and more NETs are being used as local teachers or even as class teachers so that their strengths cannot be maximised. I do agree that NETs should only be helping with the English rich environment, English activities, Junior form phonics lesson and Senior form Speaking advisor.

The school expects too much from the NET and in real situation, they don't really provide what the school needs like conducting English-related activities.

Local English teachers’ concerns about effective use of funds on NETs

The administrative process is too costly for the school. Time-consuming indeed - but no guarantee to employ a dedicated NET.

Deploying a NET to every school does not help much in improving the language environment of a school. It may be more effective to pool the money together to arrange better program for students. (e.g. immersion program, exchange program, e-Learning platform, etc.)

More resources are needed to employ local teachers to reduce the workload of individuals so that there will be room for improving teaching practice.

It makes more sense to upgrade local teachers' English proficiency, for the reason of sustainability.

Phase out

Table 34. Recurring reasons for phasing out the ENET Scheme

Code Frequency % Coded segments

NET quality issues 11 35.48

100

Waste of resources 8 25.81

More resources to local teachers 4 12.90

Cultural difference 3 9.68

NET over-paid but under-work 2 6.45

Local teachers can out-perform the NET 2 6.45

NET duties replaced by technology 1 3.23

Figure 36. Relationship between reasons for phasing out ENET Scheme

As noted above, the view represented in these quotations from responses to the online survey items (see Table 34) those of a small minority. Nevertheless, it is instructive to note the disappointment which results from a poor NET experience, although such experience clearly encourages a response which is subjective and overgeneralised to the whole population of NETs.

It is important to point out also that some of the views expressed here present a somewhat one-sided view. An example of this are those views related to NET recruitment and quality. Some schools undertake recruitment independently of the centralised service provided by the NET Administration Team and would therefore need to take full responsibility for determining the suitability of a NET and checking references before hiring them. However, even schools relying on the centralised service are responsible for checking on the suitability of the applicants the system proposes for them by seeking character and employment references and testimonials.

SF23: Overall, a majority of local English teachers, NETs and School Principals agreed that the ENET Scheme is viewed favourably by local English teachers and teachers of non-English subjects at the school, and by the general public.

NETs, local English teachers and School Principals were asked how favourably they thought the ENET Scheme was viewed by different stakeholders. The item stem is shown below, followed by tabulated responses in Table 35, which are then presented in the form of pie charts in Figures 37a to g.

101 Question

[OPNFa-g]

[NET]/[LET]/[SP]:

In your opinion, how favourably is the ENET Scheme seen by ……

Table 35. Fisher’s exact tests/Chi-square analyses of how favourable the ENET Scheme is viewed

Stakeholder Weighted Count

Percentage

Chi-square

p value Unfavourably Favourably Unfavourably Favourably

The local English teachers at your school

NET 8.47 55.37 13.26 86.74 2.952 0.2285

LET 62.62 390.31 13.83 86.17

SP 14.31 51.69 21.68 78.31

The teachers of subjects other than English at your school

NET 10.48 53.36 16.41 83.59 1.609 0.4474

LET 99.41 353.52 21.95 78.05

SP 16.70 49.21 25.44 74.56

The students at your school

NET 0.65 63.19 1.02 98.98 <.0001*

LET 54.70 398.23 12.08 87.92

SP 8.67 57.34 13.12 86.88

*The Principal at your school

NET 7.31 56.53 11.46 88.54 <.0001*

LET 31.59 421.34 6.97 93.03

SP

The parents/guardians of the students at your school

NET 0.65 63.19 1.02 98.98 0.0003*

LET 36.93 416.99 8.15 91.85

SP 4.36 61.63 6.61 93.39

The general public

NET 7.91 55.93 12.39 87.61 1.398 0.4971

LET 36.18 416.75 7.99 92.01

SP 5.45 60.55 8.26 91.74

NETs

NET 3.30 60.54 5.17 94.83 <.0001*

LET 18.16 434.77 4.01 95.99

SP 0.58 65.42 0.88 99.12

* School Principals are not asked to respond to this item.

102

a. b.

c. d.

e. f.

g.

Figures 37(a)-(g). How favourably the ENET Scheme is viewed

The results for this item suggest that the ENET Scheme is perceived to be very well regarded in the school community and outside it. Positive perceptions of the favourable regard in which the Scheme is held are expressed by majorities ranging from 74 to 99%.

在文檔中 EVALUATION OF THE ENHANCED NATIVE-SPEAKING ENGLISH TEACHER SCHEME IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN HONG KONG 2016 (頁 98-130)