Abstract:
Moral and civic education is a key aim of the Hong Kong English language education curriculum. To incorporate moral and civic education, a set of values and attitudes is proposed. Curriculum is not neutral. Curriculum as actuality is a representation of selected ideas, skills, values, norms and practices within society (Smith & Lovat, 2003). The Hong Kong Extensive Reading Scheme is a reading program in the Hong Kong English education curriculum. Students participating in the extensive reading scheme are recommended to read large quantities of books that are of their interests and within their linguistic competence. My research examines the extensive reading materials and it demonstrates how the texts may contain hidden values and attitudes. This paper is drawn from research in progress and it studies the extensive reading materials suggested by the Hong Kong curriculum from a critical discourse perspective. It aims to draw implications for raising teachers’ awareness of the cultural and political values constructed in the reading materials. In addition, this paper studies the Hong Kong English language education curriculum. It proposes the need for having pedagogy that supports the critical approach of English teaching in the curriculum.