An analysis of Chinese parental attitudes toward their children's heritage language maintenance and development

This study examines Chinese parental attitudes toward their children's heritage language maintenance and development in a largely Chinese community in the greater Los Angeles area. It seeks to analyze factors that might affect Chinese parental attitudes on their children's Chinese language development. Data was collected through 2 focus group discussions, 99 questionnaires and 17 interviews. The study hypothesized that (1) Chinese parents who have higher educational attainment will have higher expectations for their children's Chinese language development, (2) Among first generation immigrants, newly arrived parents will show more ambivalence towards having their children continue Chinese language learning than those who have been residents in the United States for more than two years, and (3) Parents educated from multicultural societies, such as Malaysia, are more likely to perceive developing fluent bilingualism and cultivating academic excellence as complementary, rather than contradictory goals. The findings of this study confirm all three hypotheses.