Parent Perspectives on a Chinese-English Dual-Language Program in Canada

• In Event: 34.065 - Opportunities and Challenges in Chinese-English Dual-Language Bilingual Education

Abstract

Purpose

Research objectives were two-fold. First, we explored views of parents about a Chinese-English DLBE program in Canada. At its initiation, the program in question functioned as a transitional bilingual program to help children from Chinese-speaking backgrounds transition into the majority language (i.e., English). Subsequently, it became a dual-language program where instruction was given in each language approximately half of the time. Second, we examined home language practices parents adopted to promote their children’s biliteracy development and challenges faced.

Theoretical Perspective

Models of the parental involvement process (Hoover-Dempsey & Sandler, 1995; Walker, Wilkins, Dallaire, Sandler, & Hoover-Dempsey, 2005) propose that parent beliefs about how they can help their children in school and ways in which parents get involved in their children’s education (e.g., reinforcement, modeling) impact student academic outcomes. In the context of dual-language programs, many such programs in North America have been established with parental support (Saucedo, 1997). However, perspectives of parents on their role in supporting these programs have not been systematically explored.

Method

Using purposive sampling, six parents (5 mothers and 1 father) of children enrolled in a kindergarten class in a Chinese-English DLBE program in Canada were recruited for the study. We conducted a series of in-depth semi-structured interviews with the parents and explored questions related to the two objectives up to the point where no new concepts came up (interview to saturation principle; Trotter, 2012).

Results

Theoretical thematic analysis (Braun & Clark, 2006; Hayes, 1997) was used to analyze the data and four main findings were yielded. First, the parents’ beliefs and experiences shaped their expectations for and participation in the program and their children’s language learning. Most of the parents were native speakers of Chinese who learnt the language in a Chinese-as-majority-language environment and therefore supported a dual-language framework as compared to a transitional program where children would have more opportunities to use the language. Parents also pushed for a more well-rounded curriculum to include more instruction in reading and writing Chinese as their children progressed in the program. There was also the belief that the program would help their children learn about the Chinese culture and sustain their motivation to learn Chinese. The second main finding was that parents identified the lack of relevant materials and staff training as issues that might impede the effectiveness of the dual-language program. The third finding was that home language practices were mainly targeted at the maintenance of Chinese as a way to supplement instruction in the program. The last finding was that parents raised concerns about children’s development in English considering that they received less instructional time in English in the program.

Significance of findings

These results triangulate findings from a previous study on the perspectives of educators in the same program (Schwartz, Koh, Chen, Sinke, & Geva, 2015). The findings also shed light on the importance of parental involvement in dual-language programs and offer insights into issues to consider in the implementation of bilingual policies in the classroom.

Author

• Pohwee Koh, Texas A&M University - College Station