Understanding the Chinese learner: a case study exploration of the notion of the Hong Kong Chinese learner as a rote or strategic learner

The purpose of this paper is to examine and evaluate the widely held notion that Chinese learners are rote learners. The paper commences by examining the theory of deep and surface learners, and the arguments for and against the notion of the Chinese learner as a rote learner, and in doing so considers the "paradox of the Chinese learner". Through the use of a case study undertaken in Hong Kong, it then moves on to investigate the claim that Chinese learners learn by rote. The paper concludes that the findings of the case study offer little support for the notion that Chinese students learn by rote with the intention of merely regurgitating notes. Instead there is some evidence to suggest that Chinese students may adopt a more strategic approach to their learning.