Abstract
Over years there has been much anecdotal evidence suggesting that Hong Kong students are orally weaker than their peers in other Asian countries and that students evince considerable unwillingness to communicate in English in academic contexts. Industry leaders continue to make similar complaints, arguing that the resulting poor quality of English speech has a negative effect on Hong Kong's ability to perform in the international commercial arena.
Such evidence has played its part in the establishment of an oral component in the Use of English examination. The hope is that by putting oral performance on the test agenda, more time and effort will be put into oral competence. However, there is as yet little hard objective evidence to suggest that in fact Hong Kong Students are excessively reticent and even less to show that such lack of willingness to speak up in English implies an equal inability to do so.
This present paper, then, seeks to measure willingness to communicate among Hong Kong students and to establish whether the "Willingness to Communicate" instrument (McCroskey, J.C., & Richmond, V.P., 1987) is a reliable and efficient way to identify orally reticent students (in great numbers) and so create opportunities for extra training or more directed class groupings.
Such evidence has played its part in the establishment of an oral component in the Use of English examination. The hope is that by putting oral performance on the test agenda, more time and effort will be put into oral competence. However, there is as yet little hard objective evidence to suggest that in fact Hong Kong Students are excessively reticent and even less to show that such lack of willingness to speak up in English implies an equal inability to do so.
This present paper, then, seeks to measure willingness to communicate among Hong Kong students and to establish whether the "Willingness to Communicate" instrument (McCroskey, J.C., & Richmond, V.P., 1987) is a reliable and efficient way to identify orally reticent students (in great numbers) and so create opportunities for extra training or more directed class groupings.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Bringing about change in language education : Proceedings of the International Language in Education Conference 1994 |
Editors | David NUNAN, Roger BERRY, Vivien BERRY |
Place of Publication | Hong Kong |
Publisher | Dept. of Curriculum Studies, University of Hong Kong |
Chapter | 9 |
Pages | 149-159 |
Number of pages | 11 |
ISBN (Print) | 9789628109012, 9628109014 |
Publication status | Published - 1995 |