Beyond Language Mastery: Belonging and Educational Equity for Multilingual Youth in Hong Kong

• In Event: Learning Across Contexts

Abstract

This study explored how high English-proficient multilingual students from ethnic minority as well as immigrant communities navigated academic life in Hong Kong’s English-medium public schools. Focusing on the intersections of language, racial identity, and school policy, it examined how these factors shaped students’ sense of belonging and academic achievement. Grounded in sociocultural and critical race theories, the qualitative study employed go-along interviews, classroom observations, and participatory teacher workshops. The findings revealed that linguistic proficiency alone did not mitigate systemic marginalization. Instead, institutional ideologies and racialized language hierarchies deeply influenced students’ psychosocial and educational outcomes. The study proposed an equity-oriented educational framework to better support culturally and linguistically diverse learners.

Author

• Huseyin Uysal, The Education University of Hong Kong