How Are Identities Constructed For Young Learners In Multilingual Settings? A Study Of Chinese Bilingual Learners In Their Weekend School

With increasing population of immigration of Chinese Diaspora in the UK, more and more Chinese community schools have been set up to help maintain Chinese young generation’s knowledge of their home country. My interest was aroused by recent findings which address the pivotal role Chinese community schools play. Thus I attempt to explore the way these Chinese weekend schools construct the Chinese bilingual learners’ identities through the learning process and interactions in this multilingual settings and how bilingualism and biculturalism are encouraged in these community schools. The study was ethnographically based and took place in a Chinese weekend school in London. Participants included three Chinese student aged 8-9, their parents and the teacher. Findings obtained through participant observation and semi-structured interviews demonstrated that Chinese community schools advocate bilingualism and biculturalism, and play a crucial and complementary role in the lives of Chinese young bilingual learners and their construction of bilingual cultural identities through socio-cultural and bilingual approaches to literacy learning. The study also supports the early argument (Chen 2004 & 2007) that conflicts are due to misunderstandings, and community schools would bridge the gap between parents and their children, and cut the distance between ethnic minority homes and mainstream schools through intercultural communication. It is hoped that the research will inform work with the mainstream school and promote bilingualism in the school practice as both a learning identity and inclusive perspectives.