How Do We Understand Chinese Bilingual Learning Experience? -An Observational Study Of Peer Support In The Chinese Literacy Class

There are many resources that offer bilingual supports, among which schools, communities, teachers, and family members (parents, grandparents, siblings) are well known best givers. However, what has been less explored is how bilingual peers help each other as an additional resource and information-giver in the class. There are some case studies focusing on learning autonomy in peer collaboration, but what has been largely absent in the academic discourse is about how we should understand about the reciprocal role that bilingual peers play in accomplishing academic task. This dissertation is based on the study of Chinese bilingual peers working together on academic tasks in and beyond the classroom. The study is ethnographically based and taking place in the GCSE Chinese class of a weekend Chinese community school in London. Participants include four Chinese students aged from 13-16. Findings obtained through participant observation, unstructured or semi-structured interviews illustrate that bilingual peers support reflects upon the learning scenarios that involve learning autonomy in collaboration; bilingual peers share same learning identity built on the resources that friends spontaneously offer one another with trust, respect, equality and reciprocity; bilingual peer support also means additional resources to be used to facilitate learning. The implication for schools and the class teacher is we shall well value and make a good use of ’peer interaction’ as useful resources rather than interferences. It is hoped that this theses will inform the work with teachers in both the mainstream school and community school context.