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American Teachers' Perspectives on Chinese American Students' Culture

An, Jing
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1398875282

Abstract Details

2014, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, Curriculum and Instruction Social Studies Education (Education).
The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore American teachers' perspectives on their Chinese American students' culture, which includes the use of language, communication style, family values with regard to education, and development and identity. Different from previous studies on Chinese Americans, which were conducted in coastal urban areas, this study took place in a Midwestern rural town. 17 American teachers (K-12), eight Chinese immigrant parents, and five Chinese American students participated in semi-structured interviews. Data consisted of interviews with teachers, parents, and students, and pertinent state and operational social studies curricula. Data analysis followed the naturalistic inquiry approach, and themes emerged from the data. Major findings of the study include: (1) While the majority of the student participants' native language was Chinese and they began learning English upon entering school, none of the teacher participants was able to provide language assistance; (2) Teacher participants positively commented on Chinese immigrant parents' involvement in their children's education, but did not realize parents' communicative challenges caused by linguistic barriers and a lack of understanding of American culture and American education; (3) Teacher participants were not aware of the cultural influence behind Chinese immigrant parents' high expectations for their children's education and some teacher participants thought high socioeconomic status Chinese American families attached more importance to education than low status families; and (4) The majority of teacher participants believed their Chinese American students fit well in the school culture but half of the parent participants reported racial discrimination against their children, and fewer than half of the social studies teachers in this study included cultural diversity in their curriculum as required by the official state curriculum standards. Based on the findings, this study has implications for practice and policy. Implications for practice focus on improving the communication between American teachers and Chinese immigrant parents and on helping in-service teachers better understand their ethnically diverse students. Implications for policy emphasize the development of preservice teachers' skills in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages [TESOL] and their appreciation for Asian cultures.
Frans Doppen (Committee Chair)
Francis Godwyll (Committee Member)
Ginger Weade (Committee Member)
Jeesun Jung (Committee Member)
Asian American Studies; Education; Teacher Education
Chinese American; culture; use of language; communication style; family values; identity

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • An, J. (2014). American Teachers' Perspectives on Chinese American Students' Culture [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1398875282

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • An, Jing. American Teachers' Perspectives on Chinese American Students' Culture. 2014. Ohio University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1398875282.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • An, Jing. "American Teachers' Perspectives on Chinese American Students' Culture." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1398875282

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ohiou1398875282
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This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.