The Self-Concepts of English among Higher Education Students in Hong Kong.

A study investigated the nature of college students' English-as-a-second-language self-concept using a hierarchical, multidimensional model of self-concept. Subjects were 306 students in a Hong Kong higher education instieution responding to a self-concept questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis '(CFA) replicated previous findings that a global academic self-concept construct failed to explain the students' English, Chinese, and mathematics self-concepts. The relationship between global academic self-concept and self-concept for each of the subject domains was inconsistent and unsystematic for a representation of self-concepts in these domains by the global construct. However, there were strong relationships between a global English self-concept and self-concepts for the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing). CFA showing that a global English self-concept can adequately explain the relationships among self-concepts for the language skills provided clear and strong support for the hierarchical nature of English self-concept at the specific subject domain level. Of particular interest is the larger path leading from the global English self-concept to the receptive language skills (listening, reading) than to the productive skills (speaking, writing) that seem to reflect a more passive and receptive role students perceived themselves to take in the language learning process. Contains 26 references. (Author/MSE) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** English Self-Concept The Self-Concepts Of English Among Higher Education Students In Hong Kong Ivy Cheuk-yin LAU, University of New South Wales, Australia (email: ivylau@cuhk.edu.hk) Alexander Seeshing YEUNG, University of Western Sydney at Macarther, Australia (email: a.yeung@uws.edu.au) Putai JIN, University of New South Wales, Australia (email: p.jin@unsw.edu.au) Paper presented at the Fifteenth Annual Conference of the Hong Kong Educational Research Association, Hong Kong, November 20-22, 1998. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy.