Many Chinese and Taiwanese parents in the United States see benefits of Chinese schools in providing their children the opportunity to learn Chinese culture and language. The results of this qualitative study involving interviews with... more
Many Chinese and Taiwanese parents in the United States see benefits of Chinese schools in providing their children the opportunity to learn Chinese culture and language. The results of this qualitative study involving interviews with thirteen Chinese and Taiwanese parents indicated that there were three main reasons why parents want to send their children to Chinese schools. They are (1) maintenance of heritage language and culture, (2) perspectives of bilingualism, and (3) value of Chinese heritage school.
This qualitative case study presents the reflections of ten Chinese and Taiwanese Americans on their experiences in community-based Chinese Heritage Schools (CHS) in Houston, Texas. Five themes emerged from the in-depth interviews with... more
This qualitative case study presents the reflections of ten Chinese and Taiwanese Americans on their experiences in community-based Chinese Heritage Schools (CHS) in Houston, Texas. Five themes emerged from the in-depth interviews with the participants: (1) self-perceptions of being Chinese/Taiwanese Americans, (2) motivations for learning Chinese, (3) key learning experiences at CHS, (4) perspectives on CHS, and (5) suggestions proposed by the participants.
In trying to address the two major food-related issues of under-nutrition (insufficient caloric intake) and malnutrition (insufficient micronutrient intake/nutritional deficiencies in a diet), government-crafted food policies designed to... more
In trying to address the two major food-related issues of under-nutrition (insufficient caloric intake) and malnutrition (insufficient micronutrient intake/nutritional deficiencies in a diet), government-crafted food policies designed to help reduce malnutrition and under-nutrition have met with varied levels of success around the world. My aim is to provide you, the reader, with a sampling of research from around the world to highlight the many factors that make food security so difficult to address, the different approaches that have been taken globally to address food security, and what has and hasn't worked. My hope is that bringing light to these issues will make individuals, countries, and organizations feel more empowered to help effect positive change on the current state of global food security.
The importance and inseparability of language learning and cultural study has been widely discussed and agreed upon in the field of Chinese as a Foreign Language Teaching. However, the concept of culture that is embedded in Chinese... more
The importance and inseparability of language learning and cultural study has been widely discussed and agreed upon in the field of Chinese as a Foreign Language Teaching. However, the concept of culture that is embedded in Chinese language teaching needs to be further defined, especially as Chinese learning and teaching has expanded rapidly in various cultures. By conducting discourse analysis and content analysis of the most popular Chinese foreign language textbooks, the current study identified the representations of culture learned by heritage, non-heritage, and multilingual Chinese learners in K-16 education in the United States. There are at present 768 programs that provide Chinese teaching for American students. After calculating the frequency of the books used for these programs, 16 Chinese textbooks or book series were selected for data analysis. Cultural capital is recognized as a complex set of practices for the learners with diverse identities. The cultural representations are categorized as four types: material culture, institutional culture, behavior culture, and social ideology. This study provides a foundation to inform policy making, curriculum and material development, and testing for Chinese language teaching,
Bixia Goddess is a Chinese Daoist Goddess who is responsible for childbirth as well as destiny. However, her function has been continuously changed along with the significant social changes in the past one hundred years in Beijing. The... more
Bixia Goddess is a Chinese Daoist Goddess who is responsible for childbirth as well as destiny. However, her function has been continuously changed along with the significant social changes in the past one hundred years in Beijing. The current study investigated the annual worship activities and documented the historical changes of the temple structure, types of pilgrims, and the objects of worship in the field of Miaofeng Mountain by using ethnographic methodology from 2005 to 2008. Five characters of the folk religion of Bixia Goddess have been found.
Chinese language education in the United States has experienced a rough and winding road since the 19th century. The development of Chinese education in the United States has a close-fitting relationship with the development of the... more
Chinese language education in the United States has experienced a rough and winding road since the 19th century. The development of Chinese education in the United States has a close-fitting relationship with the development of the Chinese community and Chinese American history. The current study systematically investigated the history of the Chinese language education and the development of the Chinese language textbooks in the past two centuries and described the historical and contemporary Chinese language education in the United States. This study indicates the relationship between the socio-historical environment and the development of language education as well as provides a foundation to inform policymaking, curriculum and material development, and further research for Chinese language teaching and learning.
