Perspectives and Rationales on Chinese-English Dual-Language Education: Voices From Mandarin Heritage Language–Speaking Parents

• In Event: Narrating Perspectives on Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Preparation in Bi/multilingual Contexts

Abstract

Drawing on a raciolinguistic perspective and the AsianCrit lens, we analyze the voices of 16 first-generation Chinese immigrant parents regarding their decisions on whether to enroll their children into Chinese-English dual language (DL) programs. Our findings reveal Chinese immigrant parents’ agency in promoting heritage language (HL) outside DL spaces, their disbelief in DL programs as a space that is created for them and is effectively serving their children’s needs, as well as their struggles with and their embodiment of the model minority stereotype and the English hegemony. Our findings echo previous studies and reveal the marginalization of HL-speaking children’s interests in DL programs. This study highlights the need to incorporate language minoritized families’ needs and voices in dual language spaces.

Authors

• Wenyang Sun, University of Utah

• Nuo Xu, University of Utah

• Veronica E. Valdez, University of Utah