A Naturalistic Inquiry Into the Retrospective Experiences of Second-Generation Chinese and Taiwanese Americans Attending Chinese-Heritage Schools in Southeast Texas

• In Event: Roundtable Session 110
  In Roundtable Session: Research on the Education of Asian and Pacific Americans: Roundtable Session on Language and Literacy

Abstract

In the field of HL (heritage language) study, the students’ voices are often rendered mute. This qualitative study sought to share the voices from ten Chinese- and Taiwanese-Americans about their retrospective experiences and perspectives regarding community-based Chinese heritage schools (CHSs) in Southeast Texas. With in-depth interviews and content analysis, the findings included five themes: (a) the characteristics of Chinese heritage language (HL) learners; (b) attitudes toward Chinese HL learning; (c) key learning experiences at the CHS; (d) perspectives on the CHS; and, (e) suggestions.

Authors

• Li-Yuan Liao, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center

• Patricia J. Larke, Texas A&M University

• Valerie Hill-Jackson, Texas A&M University