TeacherStudent Power Relations in Primary Schools in Hong Kong [Hardcover]

Mei-Yee Wongs book, in the grand sociological tradition of Waller, Jackson, Woods, and Hargreaves, gives us a thoroughly contextualized study of student power and resistance in Hong Kong classrooms. Her research results not only inform contemporary theory by contributing a non-Western perspective, but also rejuvenate the embryonic studies of power relations in Hong Kong schools.This is indeed a worthwhile book for both academics and practitioners who are interested in the relationship between teachers and students. It presents a comprehensive yet readable overview of power distribution in classrooms in Hong Kong, a city with sophisticated cultural and historical context. Based on the research and abundant data from four primary schools, Wong identifies three patterns of teacherstudent power relations and reveals that the factors that influence these interactions are multifaceted and intertwined.This is not just a book on Hong Kong schools. Readers will find much to learn about crucial factors in student empowerment or disempowerment that applies as well to classrooms, schools, and educational systems in Western societies. Mei-Yee Wongs case study provides a marvelous close-up view on power relations between teachers and students that is based on a great number of observations, interviews, and documents collected on-site. Wong knows schools, she knows theory, and she is a fine writer: just the right ingredients for a highly instructive and enjoyable reading!This book addresses power relationships, specifically how teachers and students experience power, and why certain power patterns can be observed in classrooms. Set in the context of Hong Kong, a society in which Chinese and Western cultures intersect, it will be of particular interest to those interested in Chinese culture and education.This book examines, from a sociological perspective, teacher-student power relations in classroom learning and teaching. The case study consists of four Hong Kong primary schoollƒg