Exploring the Effects of a Chinese Heritage Language School on the Identity Construction of its Adolescent Students
Abstract
This qualitative case study examines the identities of four adolescent students in a Chinese heritage language school in Atlantic Canada using a combination of semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and textbook analyses. Drawing from the conceptual approaches of reflexivity and translanguaging, this study explores the participants’ understandings of what it means to be Chinese, how Chineseness relates to feelings of Canadianness, and the role Mandarin plays in their overall identity constructions. Existing literature (e.g. Lu, 2001; Shin, 2010) has found that maintaining fluency in a heritage language has positive effects on speakers’ cultural identities. The findings of this study show that feelings of Chineseness are linked to connections with a larger Chinese community and are indeed made stronger through communication in Mandarin. The implications highlight the importance of a translanguaging approach that validates the participants' multiple identities (Chinese/Canadian) and promotes cultural activities both inside and outside of the classroom.