Language Policy and Student Language Identities in Bilingual Classrooms: A Hong Kong Primary School

Within Hong Kong, the historical and political context has shaped educational policy and views about languages. This research explores school language policy within a bilingual English and Putonghua (Mandarin) primary school, where the majority of students are first language Cantonese. The aim of the study was to understand how school language policy interacts with student language learning practices and language identities. Two primary classrooms were the focus of the research. Data were collected through recorded classroom observations and student interviews. A quantitative analysis compared the amount of time the different languages were used during classroom sessions. Qualitative data from interviews underwent thematic analysis. The findings revealed that the focus on bilingualism did not always honour students’ language identities. The assumed Putonghua identity constrained learning and participation for some students, in particular where their Cantonese language identity was rejected through a perceived language hierarchy at the school.