Parental perceptions towards heritage language education for bicultural children in South Korea

Abstract

Over the past two decades educators and researchers have shown considerable interest in bicultural families and their children in South Korea, largely due to their increasing numbers (Statistics Korea and Ministry of the Interior and Safety of the Republic of Korea, 2021). However, socio-linguistic research on non-Korean parents’ attitudes towards their children’s heritage language (HL) education is comparatively scarce. Accordingly, this study investigates the perceptions of non-Korean parents in bicultural families regarding their children’s HL education and maintenance. The study examines interview data from 32 participants from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, which were collected as part of a wider research project. The results reveal that most non-Korean parents recognise the importance of HL maintenance and development and strived to pass their ethnic language and culture on to their children, although a few parents express indifferent views or appear to be unaware of the importance of HL education. One of the more significant findings to emerge from the analysis suggests dominant optimistic views on HL education and maintenance, despite a perceived lack of appropriate HL support for children and negative perceptions shown by Korean family members and neighbours towards the participants’ ethnic backgrounds. The implications of these results are discussed with regard to the general public’s the perceptions of minority languages and cultures, as well as the views of family members in bicultural families. This paper concludes with some suggestions for ways to improve perceptions of the general public in relation to ethnic minority cultures and bicultural families.