A preliminary analysis of the perceptions of learning experiences in the student population from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds: A case study on a post-secondary college in Hong Kong

Abstract

This research aims at exploring how students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds perceive their academic studies from the perspective of their learning experience in the environment of a post-secondary institute in Hong Kong. The participants in the case study are drawn from students coming from East Asia (mainland China and Japan) and South Asia. A qualitative approach using interviews was conducted in order to explore the extent to which they had enjoyed their studies, and also the challenges they had faced in their academic lives. The kinds of challenges are then compared and contrasted with regard to their distinct backgrounds in language and culture, in addition to the reasons and contributing factors lying behind them. The comparison and contrast could also be based on the distance between their mother tongues and the official educational language in Hong Kong — that is, English. Finally, this research may to a certain degree serve as a catalyst for designing a more sophisticated programme which can cater for the needs of students coming from other Asian countries in the future.