"A Total Warp"? Culturally Relevant Activities in a Chinese Heritage Language Class

• In Event: Roundtable Session 37
  In Roundtable Session: Supporting Heritage Language and Culture in and out of School

Abstract

This study examines the effectiveness of culturally relevant activities as well as the problems and challenges involved in designing and employing such activities in a Chinese heritage language classroom. Classroom data from a beginning-level Chinese class showed that pedagogical activities that were similar to those commonly used in students’ mainstream schooling improved their engagement in learning. However, when such activities were adapted to better fit the Chinese language and cultural content based on the teachers’ perspectives, students found the activity to be confusing and challenged the teachers’ authority, affecting the power dynamics in class. Implications for designing culturally relevant pedagogy in particular by teachers who have not received formal training or education in the culture of their students are discussed.

Authors

• Tiange Wang, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Jin-Sook Lee, University of California - Santa Barbara