Attitudes, Motivation, and Ethnic Identity in African American Students' Chinese Learning in an Urban School (Poster 18)

• In Event: Saturday Poster Session 3:05 pm
  In Poster Session: Learning and Motivation in Social and Cultural Contexts 3

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between attitudes, motivation, and ethnic identity among adolescent African American students learning Chinese as a foreign language in an urban school. While previous studies have shown that students' positive views of an additional (Foreign) language (L2) and their ethnic identity positively impact their learning motivation, this study reveals a negative relationship between students' attitudes towards Chinese, ethnic identity, and their motivation. Interviews suggest that limited access to Chinese social networks, language, and culture in students’ immediate environment, coupled with the non-normative status of Chinese within their ethnic group, leads to low motivation. This study highlights the importance of promoting L2 socialization and establishing connections with minority students' ethnic identity to effectively enhance their motivation.

Authors

• Lijuan Shi, Bard High School Early College

• Nihat Polat, University of Maryland

• Yuming Deng, Bard High School Early College

• Yuan Gao, Bard High School Early College