Hong Kong International Schools and the global EdTech Narrative How the policy ecosystem and teachers’ discourse surrounding Educational Technology within private international schools are sites of neoliberal struggle.

This doctoral study examines how the marketisation of education influences modern schooling, both in practice and discourse. As globalisation accelerates through advancements in computing and internet technology, neoliberal ideologies that prioritise economic success and market-driven reforms are embedded within policy discourses. These policies shape teachers’ subjectivities and practices by exposing them to economically framed discourses, fostering normative understandings of success and performativity.

In the context of Hong Kong, a territory shaped by colonial legacy and reunification with China, the education system reflects both globalised neoliberal ideologies and local market dynamics. The Education Bureau (EDB) supports private and international schools, encouraging schools to position themselves in relation to economic success. International schools can be seen as part of neoliberal marketisation, positioning themselves to attract families by emphasising economic markers. This study focuses on one international school network in Hong Kong, analysing how central policy texts and school-level discourses work as part of a policy ecosystem that position EdTech within a neoliberal framework.

Guided by Michel Foucault’s theories of discourse, power, and governmentality, the research explores how policy ecosystems construct a neoliberal discourse of performativity and marketisation, shaping teachers’ subjectivities. Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Fairclough’s approach, data included seven policy texts from TSN and eleven from Hill College, alongside questionnaire data1 and 31 teacher interviews (30 transcribed). The analysis reveals that policy texts draw on global discourses emphasising EdTech as essential for
competitiveness. Teachers’ discourses are shaped by both local and global narratives, with many accepting EdTech imperatives due to external pressures - policy, parent expectations, and the future economy. While teachers often align with dominant discourses, some
demonstrate resistance, challenging normative practices.

The findings conclude that EdTech discourses within TSN and Hill College function as instruments of neoliberal marketisation and governmentality, actively shaping teachers’ subjectivities and practices. Individual subjectivities are constructed within a normative discursive environment that equates the ‘ideal teacher’ with EdTech competencies.

1 The questionnaire was sent to all teaching staff at Hill College, approximately 100 staff, please see Chapter 6.4
and 6.52 for further details.