Chinese Transnational Adolescents’ Responses to Multicultural Children’s Literature in Culture Circles

Abstract

an American philosopher, said, "Life is a journey, not a destination." My respected boss and professor, Dr. Wen-Rey Bosco Lee at Wenzao Ursuline University, gave me a card with this quote for blessing before I left for studying abroad. This quote has been carved in my heart since August 8, 2011, the date I waved goodbye to my family, friends, and respected teachers in Taiwan for graduate studies in the United States. As eight years have passed, I have come to realize a deeper meaning of this quote rather than a literary meaning. I was a shortsighted and aggressive person. Everything I planned to do was to earn applause, approval and validation from others. However, during these eight years of my graduate and doctoral journey, I realized that I need to be humble. Everything has happened in my life has reasons for each season, which made the journey meaningful and initiated personal growth in different areas of my life. I could not have completed my doctoral dissertation and received a degree of Doctorate in Education without the professional, emotional, and spiritual support from my professors, family, and friends. Recalling the people I have met in the past and now, I do not know how to express my gratitude to them whose support has made me become a better version of myself. First of all, I deeply appreciate my co-chair advisors, Dr. Eun Hye Son and Dr. Stan Steiner for their belief in me while I was growing as a teacher and a researcher during my Ed.D journey. Floods of tears overflowed my cheeks at every other virtual meeting and their words strengthened me with hope. Inspired by Dr. Son's PhD xi your support, I can stay calm and move on. To my dearest big sister, Ching-Li (Yvonne) Meng, I do not know how to express my gratitude to you. Thank you for walking with me when I was in difficult times. This helped me continue to write my dissertation with hope. To my dear friend and sister, Tiffany Tu, I feel so blessed to meet you. Thank you for sharing parenthood and womanhood with me and proofreading my writing. To my child's schoolteacher, Mrs. Humera Ahmed and principal, Mrs. Nilda Beauchamp, thank you for your partnership with me and providing me with professional resources. Without your partnership, I could not play mama's role well during this critical time. Moreover, I would like to express my appreciation to my good friends and professional editors: Jaqueline (Jackie) Castine, Moira May, and Laurie Grapperhaus. Thank you for editing my dissertation papers and sharing what American culture is like with me. Because of working with you in these past years, I have been growing my interest in writing. I believe that completing this dissertation project is not the end. We will continue to work on other writing projects together in the near future. My gratitude also goes out to my teachers during my schooling time in Taiwan. Dr. Wen-Rey Bosco Lee, thank you for teaching me to work wisely and always having a blueprint in mind before acting. Dr. Mei-Hua Margaret Chen, your teaching style inspires me. Thank you for a...