DYNAMIC RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN BELIEFS AND PRACTICES: HOW CHINESE FAMILIES SUPPORT THEIR CHILDREN’S BILITERACY ACQUISITION A dissertation submitted to the Kent State University College and Graduate School of Education, Health, and Human Services in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy By Shu Hui Lin May 2014 © Copyright, 2014 by Shu Hui Lin All Rights Reserved ii A dissertation written by Shu Hui Lin B.A., Bradley University, 1994 M.B.A., University of Dallas, 1995 Ph.D., Kent State University, 2014 Approved by ___________________________________ , Director, Doctoral Dissertation Committee Martha Lash ___________________________________ , Member, Doctoral Dissertation Committee Kenneth Cushner ___________________________________, Member, Doctoral Dissertation Committee Vilma Seeberg Accepted by ___________________________________ , Director, School of Teaching, Learning, and Alexa L. Sandmann Curriculum Studies ___________________________________ , Dean, College and Graduate School of Daniel F. Mahony Education, Health, and Human Services iii SHU HUI LIN, Ph.D., May 2014 Curriculum and Instruction DYNAMIC RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN BELIEFS AND PRACTICES: HOW CHINESE FAMILIES SUPPORT THEIR CHILDREN’S BILITERACY ACQUISITION (312 pp.) Director of Dissertation: Martha Lash, Ph.D. The purpose of this study was to understand and to describe how Chinese families’ home literacy practices support their children’s bilingualism as well as maintain their heritage language in U.S. mainstream society. This qualitative research took the form of a multiple case study in which five purposefully selected Chinese families’ home literacy practices were investigated in one Midwest community in the US. The study sheds light on the Chinese families’ sociocultural literacy practices and strategies they adopted to interact socially with their children to promote the achievement of biliteracy (Chinese– English listening, speaking, reading, and writing). Data collection and data analysis were based on Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. The results of the study show that Chinese parents who live in the US play important roles in the maintenance of their children’s heritage language (Mandarin Chinese) and in their learning of the English language. Several major findings revealed that first, parenting styles among Chinese immigrant parents explain their strategies. Second, parents have unique perspectives on the value of Mandarin Chinese or English or both. Third, Chinese families living in the US practice home-based involvement to promote children’s learning in school. Fourth, parents’ languages experiences impact efforts to enhance children’s acquisition of biliteracy. Fifth, social environment has more impact on the development of children’s biliteracy than physical environment. Sixth, diverse strategies implemented in informal and formal literacy practices are useful in predicting children’s oral ability in Mandarin. Seventh, dynamic relationship between beliefs and practices shapes the different roles parents play in Mandarin Chinese and English informal and formal literacy practices. The findings of this study provide suggestions and strategies for other families who face the challenge of biliteracy acquisition. The results of this study have direct implications for school personnel critically reflecting upon their practices to cooperate with parents in assisting bilingual children at home and at school. This study calls for generous support for educators, teachers, parents, and children who are working hard to face the challenges of biliteracy, heritage-language preservation, and bilingualism. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The lengthy journey of dissertation writing would have been impossible without many wonderful people contributing their time, energy, and expertise to making this happen. I wish to express my heartfelt appreciation for my advisor, committee members, participants, colleagues, friends, and family. First, I will always be grateful to my advisor, Dr. Martha Lash, for the many hours she devoted to discussing my dissertation progress, reading and responding to my numerous drafts, and giving me her insightful suggestions. Second, special thanks go to Dr. Kenneth Cushner and Dr. Vilma Seeberg for their perspectives and expertise. Moreover, I like to express many thanks to the five participating families whose insights and experiences are woven throughout the pages of this project: The Wu family, Wang family, Yang family, Lee family, and Chen family for their trust and sharing. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of my colleagues and friends who encouraged, supported and shared their comments on my work: Dr. Shu-Chu Yang, Dr. Li-Chen Hsueh, Dr.Chih-Hsien Chen, Dr. Yu Hui Chou, Dr. Lang Ying Chou, and Julia Stoll. Special thanks go to Dr. Linda L. Meixner, my editor, for her prompt work. Finally, I would like to express my thanks and love to my dear family for their ongoing love and support. Their affectionate considerations and unwavering confidence in me motivated me to complete my dissertation. I appreciate my parents, father-in-law, my husband Jung Jeng, my sister, sister-in-law, and my brothers for their patience support and encouragement throughout this journey. I also give thanks to my three lovely children, who have kept me walking during my entire education. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................x LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................xiii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................1 Problem Statement .................................................................................................3 Purpose of the Study ...............................................................................................5 Research Questions ................................................................................................6 Significance of the Study .......................................................................................7 Definition of Key Terms ........................................................................................7 Summary ..............................................................................................................10 II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ......................................................................11 Conceptual Framework ........................................................................................11 Development of Literacy in Bilingual Children ...................................................14 First-Language Acquisition .............................................................................16 Second-Language Acquisition .........................................................................18 Home Literacy Practices ......................................................................................22 Parental Involvement .......................................................................................22 Parental Literacy Beliefs ..................................................................................26 Home Literacy Environment............................................................................29 Chinese Families in the United States ..................................................................31 Summary ..............................................................................................................33 III. METHODOLOGY ...............................................................................................35 Introduction ..........................................................................................................35 Research Design ...................................................................................................36 Participant Selection .............................................................................................37 Gaining Entry and Participation ...........................................................................38 Research Ethics and Protection of Human Subjects ............................................41 Role of the Researcher .........................................................................................41 Data Collection Procedures ..................................................................................42 Interviews .........................................................................................................42 Home Visits and Informal Observations..........................................................44 Weekly Schedule Checklist .............................................................................45 v Parent Audio Recordings .................................................................................45 Documents and Artifacts..................................................................................46 Field Notes .......................................................................................................46 Method of Data Analysis ......................................................................................47 Data Management ............................................................................................47 Data Analysis ...................................................................................................48