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

• 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
• ISSN: 1843-5610

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.