Unpacking Chinese-English Bilingual Vocabulary Knowledge Gaps Among Chinese Canadian First Graders: A Mixed-Methods Approach

• In Event: Valuing Community Cultural Wealth: Building on Family Language Policies and Knowledge for Learning

Abstract

Chinese bilingual children in North America often experience rapid growth in their English lexicon, while their heritage language (L1) vocabulary suffers from early stagnation and decline. This mixed methods study was designed to understand Chinese-Canadian first-graders’ bilingual vocabulary discrepancy and possible home factors that contribute to these early gaps. Cluster analyses were conducted to identify the underlying profiles of discrepancy in the children’s (N=75) bilingual oral vocabulary. Four children with the most contrasting bilingual vocabulary achievements were then selected for a qualitative analysis of the home factors that contributed to these discrepancies. Thematic analyses of parent interviews revealed several family factors such as beliefs about bilingualism, quality literacy engagement, and resource investment in the two languages contributed to the gaps.

Authors

• Guofang Li, University of British Columbia

• Zhuo Sun, The University of British Columbia

• Xuejun Ryan Ji, The University of British Columbia