Chapter 4 described and interpreted the participants' strategy use on the Chinese mainland. While some of the participants participated in a follow-up longitudinal study for two academic years (for details, see Chapter 6), it was also mentioned in the previous chapters that 15 of the participants in Phase 1 were interviewed about their language learning experiences in Hong Kong 20 months later. This chapter reports on the study in Phase 3, which aims to present an overview of the participants' strategic learning efforts in Hong Kong. As mentioned earlier, findings in Phase 1 helped serve as a baseline for comparison with the findings from this study to demonstrate the extent and the ways in which the participants' strategy use shifted after arrival in Hong Kong. To appreciate their shifting strategy use in Hong Kong, I will also draw on the data collected in Phase 1 concerning their perceptions of the new context upon their arrival, which revealed their reasons for choosing Hong Kong as the place for tertiary studies, their preparedness for the challenges ahead and their expected outcomes. In combination with these findings, this chapter interprets the shifts in their strategy use as a group during the two years' stay.

Hong Kong for Mainland Chinese Students

In Phase 1, I asked about the participants' motives for choosing Hong Kong to undertake their undergraduate studies and the challenges facing them in the new context. An analysis of the relevant data revealed that all the participants were attracted to Hong Kong because of its educational quality (Li, 2006; Li & Bray, 2007; Ming Pao, 2006a).

As can be seen in Table 5.1, one of the reasons most frequently quoted by the participants turned out to be the English-medium instruction policy adopted by the university.