Caroline Chung-Hsuan Lo (Locher-Lo) 羅仲萱

University of British Columbia, Faculty of Education, Dept. of Educ Studies, Ph.D.

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Lecturer, PhD. University of British Columbia

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Papers by Caroline Chung-Hsuan Lo (Locher-Lo) 羅仲萱

Chinese heritage maintenance : a collective case study on Chineseness and heritage language in contemporary British Columbia

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Ousted and Muted: The Evolution and Current Institutional and Social Support of Chinese Heritage Language Education Policies and Practices in British Columbia

With this paper, I explore societal and institutional support for Chinese Heritage Language (HL) ... more With this paper, I explore societal and institutional support for Chinese Heritage Language (HL) education through specific HL policies and practices in British Columbia (BC). Framed by power relations and societal attitudes, the paper intends to contextualize historical and contemporary marginalization enacted through HL-related legislatives, education, immigration policies, and language programs, to illuminate the current state of institutional support (or lack thereof) for Chinese HL education. This paper raises the fundamental question of whether the related policies and practices serve to foster or hinder Heritage Language retention for ethnic-Chinese immigrant youth within public education settings. I argue that, despite ethnic-Chinese contributions throughout history; BC's discriminatory history towards Chinese; numerous studies suggesting the benefits of multilingualism (Cummins,

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Are We "There" Yet?: A Comparative Analysis of the Canadian Standards on the Corporal Punishment of Children in Schools

In 1973, British Columbia (B.C.) became the first province in Canada to forbid corporal punishmen... more In 1973, British Columbia (B.C.) became the first province in Canada to forbid corporal punishment in public schools (B.C. School Act), followed by the majority of the other provinces. Alberta and Manitoba however, still have no provincially enacted legal prohibition, although many school boards have updated their policies to state that corporal punishment should be prohibited. The spotlight on efforts to repeal Section 43 of the Criminal Code may have dimmed over time on the national stage, but the recent Canadian Truth and Reconciliation report has ignited this issue once again. My article explores the existing laws with a comparative approach (Reimann & Zimmermann, 2008; Orucu & Nelken, 2007), in terms of where Canada stands in relation to other nations’ legislative standards and practices. It also addresses the severe behavioural and psychological implications on impacted children. As a developed nation, Canada needs to reconsider its current state of "progress" by inspecting and reviewing existing discourses and legislatives to ensure successful prevention of corporal punishment in schools. This paper intends not only to contribute to the advancement of Canadian legislative standards, but also to practices in local and international education.

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Thesis Chapters by Caroline Chung-Hsuan Lo (Locher-Lo) 羅仲萱

CHINESE HERITAGE MAINTENANCE: A COLLECTIVE CASE STUDY ON CHINESENESS AND HERITAGE LANGUAGE IN CONTEMPORARY BRITISH COLUMBIA by

Ethnic-Chinese immigrants, or immigrants of Chinese ancestry, have comprised the largest inbound ... more Ethnic-Chinese immigrants, or immigrants of Chinese ancestry, have comprised the largest inbound group to British Columbia (BC) since 1980. It is imperative for them and their multicultural host society to grasp how these populations negotiate their heritage maintenance. This inquiry explores parent perceptions on heritage maintenance for their ethnic-Chinese children in BC, which consists of the maintenance of heritage language (HL) and the negotiation of cultural identity. Conceptually, my research draws upon Darvin and Norton’s Model of Investment, Bourdieu’s notions of capital, and Coleman’s family capital. This collective case study involves interviewing, individually and in groups, a total of eight family cases (14 parents), each comprising one or two parents who have an ethnic-Chinese child enrolled at one BC public school which offers a Mandarin Bilingual Program. The researcher and the participants co-construct meaning through dialogue. In order to encourage a holistic exploration, participants were recruited with diverse migratory trajectories, heritage languages, and immigrant generations/landing ages. Participants expressed a wide range of perceptions on heritage language and cultural identity. Some identified both with Canadian society and the heritage country, some identified primarily with one, and some felt a loss of identification with either. Findings suggest that these varying perceptions may be influenced by migratory trajectory and immigrant generation. In terms of HL, most participants expressed that they enrolled in the MBP for pragmatic reasons, i.e. career prospects, family communication, and psychological protection, rather than to foster cultural identity. Most parents valued bilingualism in the HL and see Chinese HL as one or more forms of capital; however, opinions on the growing global value of Chinese vary. Furthermore, the linguistic expectations and assumptions experienced by ethnic Chinese, perpetrated by both dominant Anglocentric culture and Chinese communities, are illuminated. In conclusion, the discussions and implications include the unanticipated benefits of low dominant language ability, issues of embodied racialized identity, the normalization of marginalization, class issues triggered by economic divides, the differing parental bearings of mothers versus fathers on their children’s education, heritage language as a conceptual link between identity and heritage maintenance, the silver lining of HL loss, and possibilities for heritage renaissance.

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