A Self-Study of a Taiwanese Preschool Director Navigating Sinophone Tensions in Chinese Immersion Education

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Sunday 11:45 am
  In Poster Session: Constructing Early Childhood Education: Ideologies, Influences, and Discourses

Abstract

This self-study examines how a queer Taiwanese preschool director navigates identity, language ideology, and institutional constraints in a U.S. Chinese immersion setting. Drawing from DisCrit (Annamma et al., 2023), intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1991; Collins & Bilge, 2016), Sinophone theory (Shih, 2011), and feminist self-study (Bullough & Pinnegar, 2001; Dillard, 2000), the author analyzes tensions between personal values and institutional norms. Through reflective journals, PLC records, and policy documents, the study highlights emotional labor, cultural silencing, and inclusive leadership strategies that support diverse teacher roles and neurodiverse learners. It calls for culturally sustaining practices in early childhood leadership (Paris & Alim, 2017; Urban & Dalli, 2012).

Author

• Chu Hsi Tseng, San Francisco State University