Communication behaviours of EFL learners in a native English-speaker teacher's class: A case in Hong Kong

This paper attempts to present and discuss evidence of Hong Kong Chinese students’ communication behaviours reflecting their localized cultural and linguistic identities and power in English lessons taught by a native English-speaking teacher. By having at their disposal a local language not shared by the teacher, the students, though having only limited English proficiency, have demonstrated a rich and dynamic variety of communication behaviours in making their voices heard. Findings from these behaviours revealed the inadequacy of a native English-speaker teacher who is culturally and linguistically incongruent with those of the local students. Copyright © 2002 Langauge Australia.