Heritage Language Learning and Ethnic Identity Maintenance among Chinese-Canadian Adolescents

Heritage language learning and ethnic identity maintenance are two salient issues for minority adolescents in Canada. Based on a questionnaire survey of 515 Chinese-Canadian adolescents conducted in a western Canadian city, this paper explores respondents' motivations to learn heritage language...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of identity and migration studies : JIMS 2018-01, Vol.12 (1), p.64-169
Main Author: Chow, Henry P H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic achievement
Adolescents
Age
Chinese Canadians
Chinese languages
Country of birth
Cultural identity
Ethnic identity
Ethnicity
Heritage language
Immigration
Language acquisition
Language maintenance
Learning
Listening
Minority & ethnic groups
Population
Radio broadcasting
Religious identity
Respondents
Retention
Sociodemographics
Socioeconomic factors
Students
Teenagers
Variables
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Summary:Heritage language learning and ethnic identity maintenance are two salient issues for minority adolescents in Canada. Based on a questionnaire survey of 515 Chinese-Canadian adolescents conducted in a western Canadian city, this paper explores respondents' motivations to learn heritage language and their maintenance of ethnic identity. The findings revealed that respondents considered the learning of heritage language to be important and demonstrated a strong communicative orientation of heritage language acquisition. Multiple ordinary least-squares regression further demonstrated that sex, age, religious affiliation, integrative motivation to learn, ethnic identity, exposure to ethnic media, and parental encouragement were significantly associated with academic performance in heritage language school, whereas age, country of birth, Chinese language proficiency, exposure to ethnic media, intention to further studies in ethnic homeland, and medium of communication with parents were significantly related to ethnic identity maintenance.
ISSN:1843-5610