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Understanding civic education in Hong Kong: a Bernsteinian approach

Yan, KCA; (2021) Understanding civic education in Hong Kong: a Bernsteinian approach. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education , 42 (4) pp. 615-627. 10.1080/01596306.2020.1722613. Green open access

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Abstract

This paper draws on Basil Bernstein’s theory of pedagogic discourse and practice to explain the controversy surrounding civic education in Hong Kong, through the case of a compulsory secondary school subject called Liberal Studies (LS). The distinct advantage of a Bernsteinian approach is that its conceptual grammar cogently captures the contentious nature of LS and locates the structural autonomy of teachers. This article highlights the fragmented nature of the LS curriculum, which attests to a historical legacy of the Hong Kong education system that favours a subject-based curriculum in practice and a managerialist approach to teacher staffing. These institutional parameters exert profound influences on LS teachers’ modalities of practice. This study contributes to the burgeoning interest in applying Bernsteinian scholarship to the East-Asian region by nuancing the role of teachers in mediating the contentious LS curriculum and implementing civic education. Finally, further application of the Bernsteinian approach will be discussed.

Type: Article
Title: Understanding civic education in Hong Kong: a Bernsteinian approach
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1080/01596306.2020.1722613
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01596306.2020.1722613
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Liberal Studies, civic education, Basil Bernstein, Hong Kong, pedagogic discourse, pedagogic practice
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Education, Practice and Society
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10122540
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