Teacher Expectations of South Asian Students in a Hong Kong Primary School

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

2 Department of Education Policy and Leadership, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

3 Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

10.22034/jpiut.2026.21252

Abstract

South Asian ethnic minorities (SAEMs) represent a growing population in Hong Kong public education. However, schools struggle to offer them fair and equitable education. One frequently mentioned, but rarely studied component in their performance is teachers’ lower expectations. This article reports on a qualitative case study to examine ethnically Chinese teachers’ expectations of South Asian students in a public primary school in Hong Kong. Five Chinese teachers were interviewed, with observations in three of these teachers’ classrooms. Results indicate teachers have lower expectations. Several influencing factors were identified, including perceptions of cultural differences between Chinese teachers and South Asian ethnic minorities’ families and inadequate training of teachers in Chinese as a second language and incorporating diversified learning strategies into the curriculum. This is one of the first studies specifically focused on exploring in greater details primary teachers’ expectations about South Asian students in Hong Kong.

Keywords

References

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Journal of Philosophical Investigations
Volume 20, Issue 54 - Serial Number 54
Articles
Issue 54, Spring 2026
February 2026
Pages 321-342

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