27.773, Diss: Mandarin, Applied Ling: Qiong Xia: 'Heritage Language Maintenance and Biliteracy Development: A Study of Chinese Immigrants' Family Language Policy and Literacy Practices'

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LINGUIST List: Vol-27-773. Wed Feb 10 2016. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 27.773, Diss: Mandarin, Applied Ling: Qiong Xia: 'Heritage Language Maintenance and Biliteracy Development: A Study of Chinese Immigrants' Family Language Policy and Literacy Practices'

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Date: Wed, 10 Feb 2016 14:04:46
From: Qiong Xia [elliexia at hotmail.com]
Subject: Heritage Language Maintenance and Biliteracy Development: A Study of Chinese Immigrants' Family Language Policy and Literacy Practices

 
Institution: University of Maryland 
Program: Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Second Language Education and Culture 
Dissertation Status: Completed 
Degree Date: 2016 

Author: Qiong Xia

Dissertation Title: Heritage Language Maintenance and Biliteracy Development: A 
Study of Chinese Immigrants' Family Language Policy and
Literacy Practices 

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics

Subject Language(s): Chinese, Mandarin (cmn)


Dissertation Director(s):
Jeff MacSwan
Terrence Wiley

Dissertation Abstract:

This study reports on research that examines the family language policy (FLP)
and literacy practices of middle-class Chinese immigrant families in a
metropolitan area in the southwest of U.S. by exploring language practices
pattern among family members, language and literacy environment at home,
parents’ language management, parents’ language attitudes and ideologies, and
biliteracy practices. In this study, I employed mixed methods, including
survey and interviews, to investigate Chinese immigrant parents’ FLP, literacy
practices, their life stories, and their experience of raising and nurturing
children in an English-dominant society. Survey questionnaires were
distributed to fifteen-five Chinese immigrant parents and interviews were
conducted with five families, including mothers and children. One finding from
this study is that the language practices pattern at home shows the language
shift among the Chinese immigrants’ children. Children prefer speaking English
with parents, siblings, and peers, and home literacy environment for children
manifests an English-dominant trend. Chinese immigrant parents’ language
attitudes and ideologies are largely influenced by English-only ideology. The
priority and privilege of learning English surpass the importance of Chinese
learning, which is demonstrated by the English-dominant home literacy
practices and a free home language policy. Parents invest more on English
literacy activities and materials for children, and very few parents implement
Chinese-only policy for their children. A second finding from this study is
that a multitude of factors from different sources shape and influence Chinese
immigrants’ FLP and literacy practices. The factors consist of family-related
factors, social factors, linguistic factors, and individual factors. A third
finding from this study is that Chinese immigrant parents/mothers employ a
wide variety of strategies to help children maintain Chinese HL and develop
both English and Chinese literacy. The close examination and comparison of
different families with English monolingual children, with semi-bilingual
children, and with quite balanced bilingual children, this study concludes
with recommendations to Chinese immigrant parents in recognizing the crucial
role they play in their children’s HL maintenance and biliteracy development
and in how to implement the findings of this study to nurture their children
to become bilingual and biliterate.




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