Chapter 5. Typology of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education in Chinese Minority Nationality Regions

Qing-xia, Dai; Cheng, Yuehua

doi:10.21832/9781853599934-008

Cited by 15 publications

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“…Due to international trading and globalisation, advanced bilingual skills allow people to access better opportunities in various practices, such as education, trading, business, commerce, politics, social issues, and science (Hamid, 2010;Jimenez, García, & Pearson 2006;Ke, International Journal of Instruction, October 2019• Vol.12, No.4 2010Shastry, 2012;Zaharia & Lolescu, 2009). In order to respond to the demand for bilingual skills, a large number of schools and programs have established various transitional (Chen, 2008;Cobbey, 2007), immersion (Cheng, 2012), bilingual (Dai & Cheng, 2007;Feng & Wang, 2007;Feng, 2007), and second language programs (Leibold & Chen, 2014;Menken, 2015). The purpose of this study is to explore the reasons why parents decide to send their children to privately funded primary schools providing a bilingual English language program (BELP) after completion of native language-oriented kindergarten education (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bilingual English Education: Expectation of Parents who Enrol their Children in Bilingual Primary Schools

Santos¹,

Miguel²

2019

INT J INSTRUCTION

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The purpose of this study is to explore the reasons why parents decide to send their children to privately funded primary schools providing a bilingual English language program (BELP) after completion of native language-oriented kindergarten education (i.e. Chinese language). This study was guided by one research question: Why do parents decide to send their children to a primary school with a BELP after the completion of native language-oriented kindergarten education? In order to engage with the nature of the qualitative inquiry, 35 parents were invited to share their understanding and decision of BELP for their children with a semi-structured, face-to-face, and one-on-one interview. Three themes were emerged for reporting: 1. the expectation of advanced English language skills; 2. preparation for international schools, overseas schools, and university admission; and 3. the satisfaction of parents themselves. The findings indicated that parents tend to select programs, which satisfy their own interests instead of being the most appropriate for children. These findings imply that the decision to study in a school with a BELP after native language-oriented kindergarten education is affected by a combination of factors: globalization, advanced English language skills, preparation for further education, career development, and more importantly, the satisfaction of parents.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bilingual English Education: Expectation of Parents who Enrol their Children in Bilingual Primary Schools

Santos¹,

Miguel²

2019

INT J INSTRUCTION

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“…The literature on minority-language education in China tends to either (i) examine the ideologies behind language policies and thereby offer an understanding of how China's language policy is nested in ethnic policy goals that seek to "civilise" or "appease" potentially restless ethnic groups (Harrell 1995;Zhou 2003;Postiglione 2007;Postiglione, Jiao, and Goldstein 2011) or (ii) focus on the learning outcomes of individual bilingual projects and thereby provide insights into how such outcomes relate, for instance, to language environments (Qi 2003;Dai and Cheng 2007;Cobbey 2007;Teng and Wang 2011;Zhou 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing the Spaces of Discretion: School Personnel as Implementers of Minority-Language Policy in China

Schnack

2016

Journal of Current Chinese Affairs

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Following international trends to reform school management, the Chinese government has proposed school-based decisionmaking as a measure to raise the “quality” of education, but at the same time it has imposed new institutions of accountability for teachers and school administrators. In order to understand how this interplay between accountability and discretion affects Chinese educational reforms, this paper analyses policy implementation through the lens of decision-making by principals and teachers as street-level bureaucrats. In the case of minority-language education in Xishuangbanna, a subject where institutions provide comparatively large spaces for discretionary decisions, I argue that the current institutions on accountability in minority-language education in China trigger processes by which implementers must interpret vague institutions in order to make decisions for their classroom. These purposefully wide spaces of “interpretational discretion” enable the party-state to make good on its promise to support local diversity, without threatening its own authority to prescribe educational goals.

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“…Given the complexity and diversity of the linguistic context in China, it is almost impossible to establish a one-size-fits-all policy for bilingual education for ethnic minority groups everywhere in the country. Despite its varied modes, bilingual education in China is primarily concerned with teaching minority languages alongside Chinese Putonghua, (Dai & Cheng, 2007), or Min-Han 2 bilingual education. Pragmatic factors (such as better opportunities for higher education) and the political orientation towards teaching and learning Putonghua influence choices to engage in Min-Han education (Cobbey, 2007;Dai & Cheng, 2007).…”

Section: Language Provisions For Ethnic Minoritiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite its varied modes, bilingual education in China is primarily concerned with teaching minority languages alongside Chinese Putonghua, (Dai & Cheng, 2007), or Min-Han 2 bilingual education. Pragmatic factors (such as better opportunities for higher education) and the political orientation towards teaching and learning Putonghua influence choices to engage in Min-Han education (Cobbey, 2007;Dai & Cheng, 2007). This is evident because most modes of bilingual education in China's minority regions reported in literature favour assimilation practices such as structured immersion and transition into the mainstream education system (Dai & Cheng, 2007;Tsung & Cruickshank, 2009).…”

Section: Language Provisions For Ethnic Minoritiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The specific modes of bilingual education carried out in different minority regions are adapted to local conditions, such as: the unique characteristics of each minority language, the settlement pattern of widely scattered compact communities 3 , and the historical relationships among different ethnic groups (Dai & Cheng, 2007). There are different modes of bilingual education according to: whether or not the local minority languages are included, the proportion of time spent teaching and learning in minority languages versus Putonghua, at what educational level Putonghua is added to the curriculum, and how much withdrawal time is allowed to study minority languages.…”

Section: The Diversity Of Bilingual Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Third Language Learning Experience Of Chinese Ethnic Minority Bilinguals: An Exploration From The Perspective Of Identity Construction

Cheng¹

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China is a multi-ethnic society comprising of the dominant group (Han) and 55 ethnic minority groups. Besides the mother language of Han—Putonghua (modern standard Chinese), there are over 80 languages spoken by ethnic minorities. To comply with the national language educational policy, like every student in the country, ethnic minority bilingual students must also study a foreign language which is usually English. Since the 1960s, researchers have argued for the cognitive advantages of bilinguals in learning a third language (Cummins, 1977; Jacobsen & Imhoof, 1974; Saif & Sheldon, 1969; Vildomec, 1963), and most Third Language Acquisition (TLA) models up to now have been theorized from a psycho-cognitive point of view. However, given the distinctive social and educational backgrounds of minority bilingual students may have a profound influence on third language learning. Therefore, my study aims to add a socio-cultural perspective to research on TLA by exploring the language learning experiences and identity construction of nine Chinese Ethnic Minority Bilingual (CEMB) students at a Chinese university established for ethnic minority students. From a sociolinguistic perspective, language learning identity is multifaceted, changing and a site of struggle. In Darvin and Norton (2015)’s revised model of investment in language learning, identity is further elucidated as a struggle of competing ideologies and imagined identities. Drawing on this model, my study explores the changing identities of this group of bilingual speakers as they learn additional languages in different social settings. By combining narrative analysis with thematic analysis, this qualitative case study not only offers thick description of the social contexts, but also examines how these minority bilingual speakers position themselves and how are they positioned in the task of learning another language, and how they perceive affordances and constraints to their third language learning experience. This study found that participants’ identity construction was influenced by their proficiency in their home language (L1), their physical appearance, their commitment to the dominant social ideologies, and their experiences of different educational settings. How they positioned themselves at the time as well as how they saw themselves in the future influenced their motivation and what they perceived to be their strengths and weaknesses in learning a third language. These findings bring insight into the significance of identity in TLA in social contexts and suggest practical implications for language education. The fostering of the identities available to learners from minority backgrounds is likely to support their L3 competence and optimise cultural and linguistic diversity within multilingual China.

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Chapter 5. Typology of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education in Chinese Minority Nationality Regions

Cited by 15 publications

References 0 publications

Bilingual English Education: Expectation of Parents who Enrol their Children in Bilingual Primary Schools

Bilingual English Education: Expectation of Parents who Enrol their Children in Bilingual Primary Schools

Testing the Spaces of Discretion: School Personnel as Implementers of Minority-Language Policy in China

The Third Language Learning Experience Of Chinese Ethnic Minority Bilinguals: An Exploration From The Perspective Of Identity Construction

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