English-Speaking Foreign Domestic Helpers and Students' English Reading Attainment in Hong Kong

Abstract

The English reading comprehension ability of 4,352 Grade 4 Hong Kong students was tested. The students' parents completed questionnaires about home factors, including monthly income, language habitually spoken at home, whether the mother was employed, and whether an English-speaking domestic helper resided there. Analyses revealed statistically significant relationships between reading attainment and whether the child had an English-speaking domestic helper at home. The relationship was stronger than that between reading attainment and whether the parents speak some English. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a statistically significant difference between the reading attainment of students who had an English-speaking domestic helper and their peers who did not. It also revealed

The Role of Foreign Domestic Helpers in Hong Kong Chinese Children's English and Chinese Skills: A Longitudinal Study

“…In total, 40% of families reported having an FDH at home when their children were aged 5, which was a similar percentage to the 42% reported by Tse et al. (). Among the families with an FDH, 59% of the children were primarily spoken to in English and 41% were primarily spoken to in Cantonese.…”

“…To date, several studies on the influence of FDHs on children's cognitive development have been published, with varied findings related to academic achievement (Cheo & Quah, ; Tang & Yung, ), prevalence of language impairments (Cheuk & Wong, ), speech processing (Leung, ), and literacy‐related skills (Chan & McBride‐Chang, ; Tang & Yung, ; Tse et al., ). In terms of broad academic outcomes, Cheo and Quah found no significant relationship between the presence of FDHs and overall grades among eighth‐grade students in Singapore.…”

“…Tse et al. () analyzed data from 4,352 fourth‐grade Hong Kong students and found that 42% of families employed a domestic helper. It was also found that 64% of domestic helpers communicated with the children in English and 52% of domestic helpers could communicate in Cantonese.…”

“…These SES effects were attributed to positive parental attitudes toward English and better access to resources for English language learning among middle‐ to high‐SES families. The presence of an FDH in the household may be another marker for SES, given that the ability to employ an FDH appears to be related to household income (Tse et al., ). On the one hand, families with higher earnings are better able to hire a helper for childcare.…”

Bad influence? – an investigation into the purported negative influence of foreign domestic helpers on children's second language English acquisition

“…Chan and McBride-Chang 2005;Tse, Lam, Loh, Ip, Lam and Chan 2009). Yet, it is noteworthy that one study (Cheuk and Wong 2005) has attempted to associate the presence of FDHs with specific language impairment found in young children.…”