When I entered the University of Hong Kong to study my first degree, one of my lecturer told us in the first lesson, "In university, you have the freedom to choose whether to attain lecture or not. It is your choice. I can't force you to go school from now on. No attendance will be taken in my lecture. But you have to be responsible for your choice when you walked out of the university."
University study is a tertiary education, and study should, to a large extend, depends on the intrinsic motivation of the study. However, in secondary education, students do not have the choice of whether to go to school or not, at least before F.3, the last year of compulsory education. In fact, most students in Hong Kong will at least finished F.5 before they go to work. Throughout the secondary education, teachers tend to think that pupils should go to school. We always take the idea of "students should go to school" for granted. If it is really necessary, than why in tertiary education the institution allows (at least unofficially) students not going to school? Do we have other alternatives in learning knowledge? If the answer is yes, than, what is the point of forcing pupils to go to school? In the 21st Century, the age of Information Technology and also Power of Knowledge, the source of information and knowledge is available all around us. Under such circumstance, why do we still expect pupils go to go school? Are there anything unique that students can only learn in school? Are those reasons strong enough to convince students to go to school, sit in class properly, and listen to what the teacher say? What are students' intentions to go to school? Is our teaching and education service meet their demands?
The question of "why do we expect pupils to go to school" is a question worthy to study. As I have mentioned before, in the 21st Century, information is all around us and is available for us to obtain easily. The form of "knowledge transmission", can be predicted, will have a great change. Some even suggest in future that there may be no need to go to school to have class anymore. Therefore, the role of school, or the value of existence of school is central to education. The most critical question is, if we cannot find a reason sound enough to have a building called "school" in education, the concept of "pupils should go to school" will be lost its ground. This paper tries to investigate the problem, figure out the reason of existence of school and why do we have such expectation on students.
Two local secondary schools will be used as examples in this paper. One is Heep Woh College, a band one EMI (English as medium of instruction) school, which have been established for 30 years. The other school is Holm Glad College, a band three CMI (Chinese as medium of instruction) school, which have been established for 30 years as well.
I gather data for this report through interview with teachers and students, from school publications and annual alumni. Observation of student behavior was also employed in the study.
Mr. Lo Man Fong is a senior teacher in Holm Glad College. He used a historical perspective in explaining why there is a need for "school" in education. When we look back to history, before the return of Hong Kong, in the eyes of the British colonial government, education for local people was mainly for political and economic reasons. From the perspective of the colonial government, education was reserved for a small group of elite, and expected them to work for the government. This view of education was not changed even education opportunity was opened since 1980s. They don't have the responsibility to teach all, and teach all well, since Hong Kong to the British was a "borrowed land, borrowed time". Only some basic skills needed for machine operation is enough to contribute a part in Hong Kong economy. The administrative part and management role was in the hands of those elite. Therefore, "school" with "set-knowledge" was the most economic way of education.
What were the intentions that made pupils to go to school? In the past, most Hong Kong people, as the Chinese culture and tradition was deeply inside the heart, though that education is the most important way of up-ward social movement, and the best way to achieve success. [萬般下品，惟有讀書高] Moreover, female's education opportunity was far-less than male, as the result of traditional discrimination against female. Therefore, if a female can go to school, to her it will be an honour. She will get satisfaction from teacher's praising, which is least likely in their family. To male students, as they have the believe of "being rich through education, than to improve family life", their intrinsic motivation of study was strong enough for them to study well. Moreover, before the Hong Kong Government adopted the policy of nine-year compulsory education, the chance for education was very limited. The chance of peer learning and wearing school uniform (a "fashion" to many children in the old days) was very limited too. Those have the chance of education will value it a lot.
However, time changes, and education changes as well. Hong Kong experienced an "economic miracle" after the Second World War, and our society became more and more affluent. When the government adopted the policy of nine-year compulsory education, a more "general" education is provided. Nowadays, teenagers can get satisfaction from many other aspects out of school. Therefore, the factor of "giving satisfaction to students in schooling" may not be strong enough for pupils to go to school. As now education became general, using economic theory of scarcity, nowadays education is no longer a "reward" to students. Rather, in the existing examination system, with the use for "selection purpose", education seemed gave dissatisfaction and punishment to those "low study performance" students. Upward social movement is still important now, but many ways other than through education is found. The only factor left for the reason of asking students to go to school is school provides a place and chance for peer-learning.
The question of "why do you want to go to school" has been asked many times during my investigation. Rachel, a F.4 girl in Holm Glad College, told me that the only reason for her to go school is to play with friends. The answer is quite common for secondary students. Selina, a F.1 girl in Kit Sam Lam Bing Yim Secondary School (also a band three CMI school) gave me a similar answer. In fact, not only in CMI schools, Franky, a F.2 boy in King's College (a band one EMI school) also complains that school learning is not interesting. Having the chance to meet his friends everyday is the major motivation for him to go to school. Here comes to a question: de we have alternative ways to experience "peer-learning"? Hong Kong schools always emphasize the five educational aims moral, academic, physical education, social skills and art appreciation [德、智、體、群、美五育], and think that school provided an excellent chance for students to learn social skills such as how to get along with peers. However, back to the question above, do we have alternative ways to have such experience? Unfortunately, the answer is YES. Team-spirit can be best shown in sports ground. Inter-personal skills can be learnt through workshops outside school, and more directly in part-time jobs. As most of my class teachers in my secondary school said, go camping or travelling with your friends will help you a lot in knowing how to get along with your friends, etc. Then, what else can we provide to students in order to attract them to go to school?
John Biggs stated that there are three kinds of knowledge, named experiential knowledge, procedural knowledge and declarative knowledge. In school education, we are dealing with declarative knowledge, a knowledge that won't be learnt by experience and common sense. Declarative knowledge is formally taught. In this sense, school does provide something unique and important to students. However, do they attractive? Are those declarative knowledge what the students want to learn?
Mr. Koo Siu Wah is the vice-principle of Heep Woh College. He explained most high banding schools emphasized on academic performance and preparation of public exams is because of parents' expectation to the school. Thus providing declarative knowledge is the major selling point to students. However, as Mr. Lo has mentioned before, the intention of students to go to school was mainly due to the chance of peer-learning rather than studies the declarative knowledge. The mismatch of teacher's expectation and student's intention may lead to dissatisfaction of schooling. With the problem be solved in the 21st Century?
As I have mentioned before, 21st Century will be a century of information. Knowledge will be generally available and easy to obtain. Most of the declarative knowledge, in fact, can be found outside classroom. Although we cannot guarantee students will get the declarative knowledge of those subjects taught in class, we also cannot guarantee students really listened and learnt what we have taught. Therefore, the need of school, a formal building for study seemed to be not a must in the future. If it is so, why do we still expect pupils to go to school?
Although the role of school may not be important in the future, schools will still exist for a long time, no matter economic changes and society changes. Hong Kong is now returned to China, but some reasons of schooling education is still the same. From the point of view of the government, the most economic way of mass production of education is schooling. Therefore, in the pass, education was product-orientated. However, even now, schooling is still the most economic way of education, even under the educational reform, which is now still going on.
Schooling education always provides a "set of education" to students. Many may think it is too general and may not be able to fulfil the five educational goals. Other skills, such as inter-personal skills and team spirit can be better learnt outside school. However, "school", as a place of study is an ideal place for students to personal development, to learn declarative knowledge and to experience life AT THE SAME TIME. It is economic efficient in the social perspective.
In the 21st Century, there will be a "digital gap" between the more developed countries and less developed countries. This will also be happened in society. The gap between the rich and poor will still exist, maybe in a more diverse way. As the poor still exist, and they are the less fortunate ones, the government have the responsibility to give them chance to have education. [The idea of resource and social redistribution] Since in the age of information, those who can afford would be more likely to obtain more information, the poor ones would have to seek alternatives to learn. Schooling, as provided by government with relatively low cost, will still exist.
Laws and regulations will also play an important role. Nine years of compulsory education is backed by government laws. Therefore this force is important to remain schooling in the future.
The question of "why do we expect pupils to go to school" will remain a question in the 21st Century. As we may have noticed, our expectation and students' intention, to a large extent, a mismatch exists. Our answers, such as learning declarative knowledge and social-economic efficiency may not be satisfied to students. Although it is foreseeable that school will still exist in the near future, the question of "why do we expect pupils to go to school" will remain for a long time.
David Wong Wing Chung
January 2001
〔學術研究〕