Minority Language Issues in Chinese Higher Education: Policy Reforms and Practice among the Korean and Mongol Ethnic Groups

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to compare Korean and Mongol minorities in the People's Republic of China in terms of their native language preservation and educational experiences at the higher education level, and to investigate differences and similarities between Korean and Mongol minorities' language issues. Content area experts on Chinese minority education from China, South Korea, and the United States were interviewed for this study. Findings include suggestions for helping to formulate government educational policies regarding issues related to language in Chinese minority education at the higher education level. This information is helpful to better understand and educate others in school and home settings where Chinese ethnic minority students reside. The advancement of Chinese minority education knowledge related to higher education will significantly strengthen and empower individuals, families, and communities throughout the People's Republic of China.

Exploring the Relationships between Cultural Content and Viewers’ Watching Interest: A Study of Tiktok Videos Produced by Chinese Ethnic Minority Groups

“…Therefore, the analysis of cultural vision content and cultural audition content should be distinguished based on seven different main groups. Because of the large population of EMG residents and the complex classification of EMGs, existing studies tend to choose one or two EMGs as their research targets, such as the handwork research from the Dai group and the language research from the Chaoxian group (Oranratmanee, 2020;Xiong et al, 2016). Due to the different cultural environments, the research results from these particular groups cannot be directly applied to other EMGs.…”

“…Among numerous video content produced on the TikTok platform, some are related to EMGs' culture, such as folk dances from the Uygur group, folk songs from the Mongol group, and handworks from the Miao group. To be specific, in China, in addition to the major group Han, there are 55 EMGs, and most of them have their original language and writing system, which is more complex than Western EMGs (Xiong, Jacob, & Ye, 2016). According to China's national education policy, all EMG students have the right to accept bilingual education at their local schools, which is beneficial for them to inherit their original language (Xiong et al, 2016).…”

“…To be specific, in China, in addition to the major group Han, there are 55 EMGs, and most of them have their original language and writing system, which is more complex than Western EMGs (Xiong, Jacob, & Ye, 2016). According to China's national education policy, all EMG students have the right to accept bilingual education at their local schools, which is beneficial for them to inherit their original language (Xiong et al, 2016). Meanwhile, because of their particular living environment and unique cultural background, EMG residents' habits and customs are different from the Han group.…”

The Experiences of International Students Learning English at Chinese Universities: A Case Study from the Perspective of Yin and Yang

“…This law does not acknowledge foreign languages (Bolton, Botha, & Zhang, 2020) and official approval is required if foreign languages are used on the radio or television. Chinese translation must be provided if foreign languages are used in Chinese-language publications (Xiong et al, 2016). Therefore, national policy has legislated Chinese as the only national language in China, and international students in Chinese universities are exposed to a Chinese-dominant sociolinguistic environment for English learning.…”