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“Lose at the Starting Line, Win at the Finishing Line”: The Narratives Behind Beating Academic Adversity

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Abstract

This study examines media discourse of academic adversity and resilience to understand what are considered to be deterrents of academic success and what are believed to effectively counteract the deterrents and contribute to educational resilience. Data are drawn on discourse analysis of media coverage in Hong Kong of the success stories of students at risk after the release of university entrance examination results. In Hong Kong’s extremely competitive education system, only about 20% of secondary students are admitted to university degree programs. Hong Kong uses a centralized and uniform public examination as the only criterion of university entrance screening, reinforcing an examination-dominated culture. Success in public examination is equated with success in intellectual advancement or even in life. Underprivileged students are often described to be “losing at the starting line,” implying that they are doomed to failure right at the start. Every year after the announcement of the public examination results, success stories of students who have beaten the odds receive significant news coverage for days. This paper discusses how educational resilience experiences are represented in the mass media, how the students concerned articulate their situations, and the implications of such media discourse on academic resilience.

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Notes

  1. With the introduction of HKDSEE in 2012 to replace HKCEE and HKALE, candidate performance is reported at five levels (1–5) in lieu of letter grades, with 5 being the highest. Level 5 is further subdivided into 5** and 5*. The highest-achieving Level 5 candidates are awarded Level 5**; the next highest-achieving Level 5 candidates are awarded Level 5* and the remaining Level 5 candidates receive simply Level 5.

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  1. School of Modern Languages and Cultures, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong

    Wai-chi Chee

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Chee, Wc. “Lose at the Starting Line, Win at the Finishing Line”: The Narratives Behind Beating Academic Adversity. Soc Indic Res 145, 741–753 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-017-1574-8

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