Challenges Encountered in a Chinese Immersion Program in the United States
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Challenges Encountered in a Chinese Immersion Program in the United States Ya-Ling Chen1
· Ting-An Yang1 · Hsiuling Lydia Chen2
© De La Salle University 2017
Abstract The rapid rise of Asian economies has increased the popularity of learning Chinese language worldwide. Although CIP have become popular in the United States, research into these programs is scant. This study explores the practices and challenges of one such Chinese immersion program by using a case study methodology to gain indepth insights. The case school is a state-funded nonprofit organization created by a group of community members. The main research participants were teachers of the kindergarten levels of immersion classes. The researchers used semistructured interviews, an online questionnaire, and document collection to obtain data. The main challenges faced by the CIPs are as follows: (1) difficulty in recruiting qualified teachers; (2) insufficient professional development; (3) difficulty in balancing content and language instruction; (4) insufficient use of Chinese; and (5) shortage of external resource support. Strategies to overcome these obstacles encountered in CIP have been discussed and suggested in this paper. Keywords Chinese immersion program challenge · Foreign language immersion · Chinese language teaching · Dual language immersion
& Ya-Ling Chen [email protected] Ting-An Yang [email protected] Hsiuling Lydia Chen [email protected] 1
National Pingtung University, Pingtung, Taiwan
2
St. Louis Language Immersion Schools-The Chinese School, St. Louis, MO, USA
Introduction Chinese people account for approximately one-fifth of the world’s total population, and the rapid rise of Asian economies has increased the popularity of learning Chinese language worldwide. The United States has witnessed an increase in the interest and popularity of Chinese language programs (Asia Society and the College Board 2008). At the federal level, funding has been provided by the U.S. Department of Education in grants (e.g., the Foreign Language Assistance Program, STAR Talk, and the Flagship programs) to establish foreign language programs that promote high levels of proficiency in foreign languages (Pufahl and Rhodes 2011). Many K-12 school systems also offer Chinese language learning courses; however, most Chinese language programs are weekend or after-school programs (Asian Society and the College Board 2008). Although many dual language programs are available in the United States, most of them do not offer Chinese language programs. The first Chinese immersion (CI) school was developed in the United States in 1981; the next one was not developed until 1996; however, CI schools opened every year after that. These schools are not only attended by Chinese children but also by the children of American parents who want them to learn a second or even third language. Among these programs, 68% are public, 11% are charter, and 20% are private schools. Chinese Immersion Programs (CIPs) in charter and private schools tend to
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