Abstract
There is a paucity of research about the schooling experiences of preschool Chinese emergent bilinguals. This is especially evident when compared to other minoritized groups and warrants attention because of the rapid increase in Chinese immigrants in the US recently. This study investigates the sociocultural misalignments a group of preschool Chinese emergent bilinguals from low socioeconomic backgrounds encounter in school and the implications of these misalignments. The study spanned 7 months and included participant observation, interviews, and collection of textual/visual evidence as methods of inquiry. Findings point toward assimilationist tendencies in school as students experienced challenges becoming independent, making decisions, adjusting to individualistic outlooks, and adapting to different dining habits. Despite the subjugation of home culture under school culture, parents and students remained silent about their needs. The findings suggest that this silence needs to be reinterpreted in light of cultural and class differences. The author also proposes the deconstruction of the model minority myth surrounding Chinese students and the reimagination of new ways to collaborate with families and students so that both home and school cultures can be equally honored.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
García et al. 2008 propose the use of the term “emergent bilinguals” over “English language learners,” because the former honors the home language students possess as they begin to acquire English in school while the latter discounts the home language and culture and over-privileges the English language.
1.5 generation immigrants are defined as immigrants who were born overseas and moved to the United States at an early age (Portes and Rumbaut 2005).
References
Adair, J., & Tobin, J. (2008). Listening to the voices of immigrant parents. In C. Genishi & A. L. Goodwin (Eds.), Diversities in early childhood education: Rethinking and doing (pp. 137–150). New York, NY: Taylor and Francis.
Bryman, A. (2006). Interviewing in qualitative research. In Social research methods (pp. 311–334). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Chang, B., & Au, W. (2007). You’re Asian, how could you fail math? Unmasking the myth of the model minority. Rethinking Schools, 22(2), 15–18.
Chao, R. (2000). The parenting of immigrant Chinese and European American mothers: Relations between parenting styles, socialization goals, and parental practices. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 21(2), 233–248.
Cheah, C. S. L., & Rubin, K. H. (2004). European American and Mainland Chinese mothers’ responses to aggression and social withdrawal. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 28(1), 83–94.
Delpit, L. (1998). The silenced dialogue: Power and pedagogy in educating other people’s children. Harvard Educational Review, 58(3), 280–298.
Delpit, L. (2006). Other people’s children: Cultural conflict in the classroom (2nd ed.). New York, NY: The New Press.
Du, L. (2008). Community, ethnic identity, and social discourse: Case study of the impact of the model minority myth on a suburban Chinese American community. In G. Li & L. Wang (Eds.), Model minority myth revisited: An interdisciplinary approach to demystifying Asian American educational experiences (pp. 65–88). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.
Dyson, A. H., & Genishi, C. (2005). On the case: Approaches to language and literacy research. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Fontana, A., & Frey, J. (1998). Interviewing: The art of science. In N. M. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Collecting and interpreting qualitative materials (pp. 47–78). London, UK: Sage Publications.
García, E. (1993). The education of linguistically and culturally diverse children. In B. Spodek (Ed.), Handbook of research on the education of young children (pp. 372–384). New York, NY: Macmillan.
García, O., Kleifgen, J. A., & Falchi, L. (2008). From English language learners to emergent bilinguals (equity matters: Research review no. 1 equity in education forum series). New York, NY: Teachers College, Columbia University.
Goodwin, A. L. (2003). Growing up Asian in America: A search for self. In C. C. Park, A. L. Goodwin, & S. L. Lee (Eds.), Asian American identities, families and schooling (pp. 3–26). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.
LeCompte, M., & Schensul, J. (1999). Designing and conducting ethnographic research. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press.
Lee, S. (2009). Unraveling the “model minority” stereotype: Listening to Asian American youth (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Li, H. L. (2004). Rethinking silencing silences. In M. Boler (Ed.), Democratic dialogue in education: Troubling speech, disturbing silence (pp. 69–86). New York, NY: Peter Lang.
Li, G. (2006). Culturally contested pedagogy: Battles of literacy and schooling between mainstream teachers and Asian immigrant parents. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Li, G., & Wang, L. (2008). Introduction: The old myth in a new time. In (Eds.) Model minority myth revisited: An interdisciplinary approach to demystifying Asian American educational experiences (pp. 1–20). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.
Liu, L. W. (2010). Chinese immigrants and lifelong learning for food safety and diversity. Paper presented at Canadian association for the study of adult education conference, Toronto, Canada. Retrieved from http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/CASAE/cnf2010/Onlineproceedings-2010/Individual-Papers/Liu.pdf.
Lo, L. (2008). Interactions between Chinese parents and special education professionals in IEP meetings: Implications for the education of Chinese immigrant children with disabilities. In G. Li & L. Wang (Eds.), Model minority myth revisited: An interdisciplinary approach to demystifying Asian American educational experiences (pp. 195–212). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.
Louie, V. (2001). Parents’ aspirations and investment: The role of social class in the educational experiences of 1.5- and second-generation Chinese Americans. Harvard Educational Review, 71(3), 438–475.
Maxwell, J. A. (2005). Qualitative research design: An interactive approach (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
National Association for the Education of Young Children, NAEYC. (2009). Position statement: Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/DAP.
Ng, J., Lee, S., & Pak, Y. (2007). Contesting the model minority and perpetual foreigner stereotypes: A critical review of literature on Asian Americans in education. Review of Research in Education, 31, 95–130.
Phelan, P., Davidson, A. L., & Yu, H. C. (1993). Students’ multiple worlds: Navigating the borders of family, peer, and school cultures. In P. Phelan, A. L. Davidson, & H. C. Yu (Eds.), Renegotiating cultural diversity in American schools (pp. 52–88). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Portes, A., & Rumbaut, R. G. (2005). Introduction: The second generation and the children of immigrants longitudinal study. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 28(6), 983–999.
Schwandt, T. A. (2000). Three epistemological stances for qualitative inquiry: Interpretivism, hermeneutics, and social constructionism. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The handbook of qualitative research (2nd ed., pp. 189–213). Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Sherif, B. (2001). The ambiguities of boundaries in the fieldwork experience: Establishing rapport and negotiating insider/outsider status. Qualitative Inquiry, 7(4), 436–447.
Souto-Manning, M. (2010). Freire, teaching, learning: Cultural circles across contexts. New York, NY: Peter Lang.
Souto-Manning, M., & Mitchell, C. H. (2010). The role of action research in fostering culturally-responsive practices in a preschool classroom. Early Childhood Education Journal, 37(4), 269–277.
SPARK. (2009). Preschool physical education activities, physical activity development. Retrieved from http://www.sparkpe.org/early-childhood/.
Stanton-Salazar, R. (1997). A social capital framework for understanding the socialization of racial minority children and youths. Harvard Educational Review, 67(1), 1–40.
Terrazas, A. M., & Devani, B. (2008). Chinese immigrants in the United States. Retrieved from Migration information source, http://www.migrationinformation.org/usfocus/display.cfm?id=685.
Valenzuela, A. (1999). Subtractive schooling: US–Mexican youth and the politics of caring. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank the following individuals for their helpful suggestions throughout the research and writing process: Dr. Lesley Bartlett, Dr. Celia Genishi, Dr. Mariana Souto-Manning, Marilu Cardenas, and Kevin Kwan.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Heng, T.T. Sociocultural Misalignments Faced by Preschool Chinese Emergent Bilinguals: A Case Study. Early Childhood Educ J 39, 61–69 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-010-0432-y
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-010-0432-y