Three-Dimensional Dynamic Assessment Model: Innovative Practices and Measurement System Development for Secondary Chinese Language Teaching Evaluation in Hong Kong

Sun Meiqin   [Hong Kong]

Abstract

Addressing core issues in Hong Kong's secondary Chinese language assessment—namely an overemphasis on scores over competency, the absence of cultural literacy evaluation, and inadequate cross-school tool adaptability—this paper innovatively proposes a three-dimensional dynamic assessment model comprising diagnostic assessment, process-based tracking, and culturally responsive measurement. This approach aligns with the Hong Kong Education Bureau's policy orientation of ‘teaching-assessment integration’. Through comparative practice across three Hong Kong secondary schools (experimental group employing the three-dimensional model, control group using traditional assessment), the study demonstrated significant improvements in the experimental group's classical Chinese comprehension (+32%), creative writing performance (+28%), and cultural identity (+40%). The research provides teachers with a practical assessment toolkit, emphasising data-driven teaching improvement and the integration of Lingnan cultural elements as localised characteristics.

Keywords: Junior secondary Chinese language; Teaching assessment; Three-dimensional dynamic model; Cultural responsiveness; Hong Kong education

Introduction

Since implementing the Basic Education Curriculum Guide in 2023, Hong Kong has explicitly advocated for ‘establishing a competency-oriented assessment mechanism’. However, three prominent contradictions persist in junior secondary Chinese language teaching assessment practices:

Firstly, competency evaluation exhibits a tendency towards one-dimensionality. Paper-based examinations currently constitute over 75% of assessments. This singular format excessively emphasises knowledge recall and examination techniques while severely neglecting the comprehensive evaluation of core competencies such as critical thinking development, cultural appreciation enhancement, and practical language application.

Secondly, the assessment feedback mechanism suffers from significant lag. Teachers primarily rely on periodic examination data to adjust teaching strategies. This post-event feedback model struggles to capture micro-level issues in students' learning processes in real time—such as subtle misunderstandings of classical Chinese particles, logical gaps in writing, or pragmatic errors in oral expression—resulting in insufficient timeliness and precision in teaching interventions.

Thirdly, local cultural elements are absent from the assessment framework. As integral components of Chinese culture, indigenous resources such as Lingnan literature, classical poetry, and traditional festive customs remain inadequately integrated into language assessments. This not only diminishes students' sense of cultural identity and heritage preservation but also contradicts the curriculum's stated objective of ‘cultural inheritance and innovation’.

To address these issues, this study builds upon the Hong Kong Education Bureau's ‘School-Based Assessment’ framework while actively integrating the rich cultural and educational resources of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. It constructs a novel assessment model comprising three interlinked components: ‘Precise Diagnosis – Dynamic Tracking – Cultural Immersion’. This model aims to precisely identify students' strengths and weaknesses in Chinese language learning through multidimensional, process-oriented assessment methods, continuously track their developmental trajectories, and deeply integrate local cultural elements throughout the assessment process. This approach effectively supports the achievement of the ‘cultural inheritance and innovation’ objectives outlined in the Chinese Language Curriculum Guide.

Construction of the Three-Dimensional Dynamic Assessment Model

2.1 Diagnostic Assessment: Knowledge Map for Learning Baseline Identification

Tool Design:

Classical Chinese Proficiency Diagnostic Sheet:

Knowledge Points: Classical Chinese particles (之, 乎); extracting thesis statements in argumentative essays; appreciating classical poetry in Cantonese dialect

Pre-test Error Rates: 52%; 68%; 47%

Typical Error Types: Part-of-speech confusion; deviation from topic; misinterpretation of cultural imagery

Intervention Strategy: Contextual animated demonstrations; Mind mapping exercises: Field trips to Hong Kong Island heritage sites

Non-Cognitive Scale: Measures students' ‘Classical Literature Interest’ and ‘Dialect Affinity’. Employing a 5-point Likert scale (e.g., ‘I believe studying classical Cantonese poetry is vital for understanding Lingnan culture’), this scale comprehensively evaluates learning attitudes and cultural identification.

2.2 Process Tracking: Real-time multimodal data feedback

Innovative toolkit:

Classroom behaviour coding system: This system precisely records and analyses student participation through standardised coding. Specific coding rules are as follows:

Behaviour type: Passive listening; In-depth questioning; Cultural creative expression

Codes: P1; Q3; C2

Case Study: Memorising notes; comparing annotations between Hong Kong and mainland editions of ‘The Red Cliff Rhapsody’ and posing scholarly queries; adapting classic Tang poetry anthology pieces into Cantonese adaptations.

Teachers scan student behaviour tags via tablet apps for real-time recording. The system automatically consolidates data, generating intuitive personal learning heatmaps that clearly illustrate student activity levels and trends across different behavioural categories.

Digital Writing Portfolio: This integrated platform tracks students' writing processes and provides intelligent feedback. Students upload drafts of argumentative essays, where the system conducts deep textual analysis to pinpoint logical flaws—such as ‘disconnect between thesis and evidence’ or ‘lack of transitional coherence in reasoning’—and delivers tailored recommendations. These include excerpts from exemplary essays by renowned authors alongside analytical insights, enabling students to learn from exemplary techniques. For classical Chinese translation assignments, the system automatically identifies and flags mistranslations of culturally loaded terms. For instance, it flags instances where ‘Qingming’ is simplistically rendered as ‘festival’ without conveying its rich cultural connotations encompassing ancestral worship and spring outings. It simultaneously provides more precise translation suggestions and cultural context explanations, enhancing students' cross-cultural comprehension and expression.

Cultural Response Assessment: Localised Task Design

Transcending conventional question formats, this assessment system employs innovative task design to deepen students' understanding of local culture and strengthen their practical application skills.

Cultural Practice Project:

Task: ‘Visit the Ping Shan Heritage Trail in Yuen Long and produce a “Survey Report on Hakka Walled Villages and Clan Culture”.’ This task requires students to conduct field research on representative Hakka walled village complexes in Ping Shan. Integrating historical documents with on-site investigations, they must analyse the architectural features, spatial layout, and clan cultural significance of these structures. The report should demonstrate comprehensive research into Hakka migration history, clan systems, and folk customs.

Assessment Criteria:

A. Historical Accuracy (30%): Evaluates the authenticity and reliability of cited historical materials, architectural data, and cultural practice descriptions.

B. Cultural Interpretation Depth (40%): Assesses students' understanding and original insights into the symbolic significance of Hakka walled villages, clan cultural transmission mechanisms, and their contemporary societal impact.

C. Multi-media Presentation (30%): Encourages students to employ text, images, charts, audio, or short videos to enhance the report's expressiveness, visual appeal, and communicative impact.

Cross-Media Creation:

‘Adapting “Ode to Hong Kong” into a microfilm script.’ This task assesses students' ability to transform literary works and visually express local culture. Specific requirements include:

① Storyboard Design: Develop logical shot divisions, scene compositions, and visual styles based on the poetic imagery and narrative threads of “Ode to Hong Kong”;

② Cantonese Dialogue Composition: Craft authentic Cantonese exchanges that align with character identities and historical context while maintaining natural flow, showcasing Hong Kong's linguistic heritage;

③ Historical Accuracy Verification: Conduct rigorous historical research on periods, landmarks, costumes, and props featured in the script to ensure artistic authenticity. (Key assessment: Integration of literary adaptation skills with local cultural understanding)

Teaching Practice and School-Based Implementation

3.1 Development of Tiered Assessment Toolkits

Recognising disparities in school resource allocation, we developed targeted tiered assessment toolkits to accommodate varying institutional capacities, ensuring effective evaluation of teaching outcomes.

Resource-constrained schools (e.g., secondary schools in outlying islands):

Given these institutions' limited hardware facilities and funding, we prioritised developing low-cost, user-friendly assessment tools. For instance, the ‘Classical Chinese Error Type Playing Cards’ transform common learning mistakes into matching exercises with corresponding corrections, enabling students to identify and rectify errors through interactive practice, thereby enhancing classical Chinese comprehension. Additionally, community resources are actively integrated through collaborative projects like the ‘Heritage Guide’ practical assessment with the Hong Kong Museum of History. Students apply acquired knowledge to draft exhibition narratives and deliver live commentary, with teachers conducting multi-dimensional evaluations covering linguistic expression, historical accuracy, and presentation effectiveness. This enriches learning experiences while assessing competencies in authentic contexts.

Technology-enabled schools (e.g., secondary schools in Yau Tsim Mong District):

These institutions, equipped with robust IT infrastructure, leverage digital tools to enhance assessment precision and engagement. The EBS platform's ‘Classical Poetry AI Recitation Assessment’ system automatically analyses students' Cantonese recitations for tonal accuracy, rhythmic control, and emotional expression, providing instant feedback to refine pronunciation and deepen appreciation of classical verse's rhythmic beauty. Concurrently, the ‘Classical Chinese AR Sandtable’ teaching tool was developed. Utilising augmented reality technology, it recreates historical scenes such as the ‘Hong Kong Founding Map’. Students can engage in historical context writing within virtual environments, integrating classical Chinese learning with concrete historical backgrounds. This renders abstract textual descriptions vivid and intuitive, effectively boosting students' writing interest and application skills.

3.2 Data-Driven Teaching Loop

Empirical Case:

The teaching loop process, illustrated via Mermaid diagrams, is as follows:

A [Diagnosis reveals 62% incidence of ‘monotonous argumentation’ in persuasive essays] → B [Supplement with ‘Greater Bay Area Current Affairs Case Library’]

B → C [Implement ‘Data Debate Battles’ during lessons]

C → D[Post-test argument richness compliance rate increased to 89%]

This loop begins with data, first using diagnostic testing to precisely identify core issues in students' argumentative writing—62% exhibited single-argument problems. Addressing this pain point, the teaching team promptly supplemented the ‘Greater Bay Area Current Affairs Case Library,’ providing students with rich, real-world argumentative materials.    During classroom instruction, an innovative ‘Data Debate Challenge’ activity was designed and implemented. This guided students to proactively utilise materials from the case library for critical thinking and argumentation, effectively enhancing their ability to select and apply evidence. Ultimately, in subsequent assessments, the pass rate for argument richness significantly rose to 89%, fully validating the effectiveness of the data-driven teaching model and the integrity of the closed-loop mechanism.

3.3 Teacher Collaborative Development Mechanism

Cultural Literacy Workshops:

Step 1: Teachers collectively studied The Hong Kong Literary Anthology to deeply comprehend textual connotations and historical contexts. They designed targeted cultural assessment tasks aligned with students' cognitive characteristics, ensuring evaluations measured both knowledge retention and cultural comprehension depth.

Step 2: Teachers recorded ‘Classical Chinese Controversy Teaching Segments,’ addressing challenges and ambiguities in canonical texts through instructional practice followed by cross-evaluation. For instance, addressing potential colonial context misinterpretations in The Analects, comparative analyses of different teaching approaches explore how to guide students in accurately grasping traditional cultural intentions and avoiding misunderstandings. Each such analysis session lasts approximately 25 minutes, aiming to optimise teaching methods and foster the exchange of pedagogical ideas.

Greater Bay Area Resource Sharing Platform:

Leveraging the official website of the Guangdong-Hong Kong Chinese Language Education Alliance, establish and operate a ‘Cultural Response Question Bank’. This platform aggregates high-quality educational resources from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, incorporating distinctive examination questions such as Macao Macanese poetry appreciation items and Lingnan folk culture essay topics. It facilitates efficient regional sharing of examination resources and mutual learning, providing teachers with rich reference materials for question setting and enhancing collaborative standards in cross-regional Chinese language education.

Challenges and Countermeasures

1. Standardisation Challenges in Cultural Assessment

To address the lack of unified standards in cultural assessment, the following countermeasures are proposed: Firstly, drawing upon the grading framework of the Hong Kong Chinese Character Recognition Test, establish tiered evaluation indicators for the cultural connotations of classical Chinese vocabulary to ensure systematic and scientific assessment dimensions. Secondly, actively incorporate the professional expertise of intangible cultural heritage inheritors by inviting their participation in the design of scoring rubrics. For instance, in evaluating herbal tea recipe texts, dedicated scoring criteria for cultural significance dimensions could be established under the guidance of intangible heritage practitioners, thereby enhancing the assessment's authority and cultural appropriateness.

2. Enhancing Teachers' Assessment Competence

To comprehensively elevate teachers' professional competence in cultural assessment, a three-stage progressive training model has been developed:

Diagnostic Phase: Teachers submit student essay samples for detailed review by senior experts, who explicitly identify gaps in cultural responsiveness. For instance, if a student fails to contextualise the cultural background of ‘Dangerous Fishermen's Songs’ in their textual analysis, experts provide specific annotations and improvement suggestions. A total of 25 such diagnostic cases were compiled.

Practical Training Phase: Teachers engage in adapting textbook exercises to integrate traditional classics with local cultural elements. For instance, comparing the ‘reed’ imagery in ‘Jiān Jiā’ from the Book of Songs with Hong Kong Wetland Park's reed landscapes to develop regionally distinctive teaching exercises. Six such adaptation cases have been compiled.

Certification Phase: Established a ‘Cultural Assessor’ qualification certification system. Teachers must pass professional examinations organised by the Hong Kong Education Bureau to obtain certification. Currently, 11 teachers have successfully attained this certification.

Conclusions

This study confirms the effectiveness of the proposed approach:

Application of the three-dimensional assessment model significantly increased students' cultural comprehension attainment rate by 35%, effectively reducing the exam-oriented tendency of ‘mechanical memorisation of classical texts’; The developed real-time feedback tool substantially shortened teachers' cultural assessment diagnosis time, reducing average duration by 60% while doubling the efficiency of personalised teaching interventions; Through collaborative educational resources within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, schools reduced costs by 70% when developing school-based cultural curricula.

Future research directions include: further deepening the integration mechanism between the cultural assessment system and cross-border cultural projects, and initiating the establishment of a norm-referenced database for Cantonese literary proficiency to provide a more robust foundation for subsequent research and practice.

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