Learning cultures and learning styles: myth-understandings about adult (Hong Kong) Chinese learners

TLDR

Research on Chinese learners has long portrayed them as rote, passive learners, but recent reinterpretations challenge this stereotype and broaden its relevance to adult Hong Kong learners. The article seeks to challenge the stereotype of Chinese learners by examining how Chinese culture influences learning styles and how Hong Kong adults adopt alternative learning approaches. The study is structured into three parts: cultural influence on learning styles, review of effective adult learning literature, and analysis of Hong Kong adults’ adoption of alternative styles. Survey, action‑learning, and case‑study evidence shows Hong Kong adults readily adopt new learning styles distinct from their school‑era approaches.

Abstract

The picture that often emerges from the research literature on ‘Chinese learners’ is a caricature of rote-learning, memorization and passivity. This article takes issue with the stereotype. The paper is in three parts. The first part considers the extent to which Chinese culture may influence Chinese learning styles. Some received opinions are counterpoised with more recent reinterpretations. The paper later examines some of the findings from the literature on effective adult learning. The third part explores the extent to which Hong Kong adult learners adopt learning styles consonant with those outlined in the second section. The results of the survey research, action learning projects and case studies considered suggest that Hong Kong adult learners are receptive to new modes of learning and go on to adopt learning styles quite different from those they deployed in school. The arguments are situated within the literature on adult Chinese second language (L2) learning but have wider resonance and application to Hong Kong adult learners in general.