Thesis (D.Ed.)--University of Delaware, 2009. / Principal faculty advisor: James A. Whitson, School of Education. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (D.W.S.)--Institute for Worship Studies, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 190-211).

Many immigrant (minority language) parents send their children to heritage language programs in hopes of helping their children maintain connections to their mother cultures and languages. This case study aims to explore the challenges minority language parents may encounter with decisions related to heritage language retention through community-based heritage language programs in a Canadian Chinese diaspora community. Five parent participants were recruited based on their diverse geographical and linguistic backgrounds. From interviews with these parents five themes emerged. These are 1) the nature of parental expectations regarding the function of heritage education, 2) the differences between heritage education and mainstream education, 3) varying perceptions of being part of a cultural minority, 4) manners of negotiating ethnic identity, and 5) the issue of diaspora values. The findings may shed light on how heritage education may be further developed, and also provide educators and policy makers with a better understanding of the importance of heritage education from the parents’ perspective.

Many immigrant (minority language) parents send their children to heritage language programs in hopes of helping their children maintain connections to their mother cultures and languages. This case study aims to explore the challenges minority language parents may encounter with decisions related to heritage language retention through community-based heritage language programs in a Canadian Chinese diaspora community. Five parent participants were recruited based on their diverse geographical and linguistic backgrounds. From interviews with these parents five themes emerged. These are 1) the nature of parental expectations regarding the function of heritage education, 2) the differences between heritage education and mainstream education, 3) varying perceptions of being part of a cultural minority, 4) manners of negotiating ethnic identity, and 5) the issue of diaspora values. The findings may shed light on how heritage education may be further developed, and also provide educators and policy makers with a better understanding of the importance of heritage education from the parents’ perspective.

Thesis (D.W.S.)--Institute for Worship Studies, 2006. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 241-248).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 145-148).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1993. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 145-148).

This thesis contributes to the ongoing discussion of modern Chinese identity by pro-viding a case study of Cheok Hong CHEONG. It necessarily considers Australian atti-tudes towards the Chinese during the 19th century, not least the White Australia Pol-icy. The emergence of that discriminatory immigration policy over the second half of the 19th century until its national implementation in 1901 provides the background to the thesis. Cheong was the leading figure among Chinese-Australian Christians and a prominent figure in the Australian Chinese community and the thesis seeks to iden-tify a man whose contribution has largely been shadowy in other studies or, more commonly, overlooked by the parochialism of colony/state emphasis in many histo-ries of Australia. His role in the Christian church fills a space in Victorian religious history. Although Cheong accumulated great wealth he was not part of the Chinese mer-chant class of the huagong/huaquiao traditions of the overseas Chinese diaspora of the 19th and 20th centuries. His wealth was accumulated through property investments following the spectacular collapse of the Victorian banking system during the 1890s. His community leadership role arose through his position in the Christian Church rather than, as was generally the case, through business. His English language skills, resulting from his church association, were the key to his role as a Chinese community spokesman.¶ Cheok Hong Cheong left an archive of some 800 documents in the English lan-guage covering the major people, incidents and concerns of his life and times. His Let-terbooks, together with the archives of the various Christian missions to the Chinese in Australia in the 19th and early 20th centuries, shed light on one person’s life and more broadly, through his involvements on the complex relationships of Chinese emigrants, with the often unsympathetic majority of Australians.¶ This is a case study of a Chinese identity formed outside China and influenced by a wider set of cultural influences than any other Chinese-Australian of his time —an identity that justifies the description of him as an ‘Alien Son’. Cheong’s story is a con-tribution to the urban and family history of an important ethnic sub-group within the wider immigrant history of Australia.¶ While Cheong remained a Chinese subject his identification with Australia cannot be questioned. All his children were born in Australia and he left just twice after his arrival in 1863. He visited England in 1891-2 and in 1906 he briefly visited China. Identity and culture issues are growing in importance as part of the revived relation-ship between the Chinese of the diaspora and the economic renewal of the People’s Republic of China and this thesis is offers a contribution to that discussion.

La présente étude porte sur l’utilisation des différentes langues et les attitudes linguistiques des Chinois résidant au Canada. Les travaux antérieurs suggèrent que le choix de langue est déterminé par le contexte linguistique et que l’utilisation des différentes langues influence la formation de l’identité ethnique. Nous avons recruté des Chinois qui habitent au Canada et leur avons demandé de remplir un questionnaire, certains ont participé aux entrevues individuelles par Zoom avec la chercheuse. La présente étude révèle que l’usage langagier est lié non seulement à des facteurs objectifs (l’occupation, la durée de résidence au Canada, le lieu d’habitation au Canada, la période d’utilisation d’une langue), mais aussi à des facteurs subjectifs (l’importance de la langue dans la vie, l’auto-évaluation du niveau linguistique). Nous avons également constaté que si une langue est exigée par le domaine de travail ou le programme d’études, alors elle sera utilisée plus fréquemment que les autres au quotidien. De plus, nos participants démontrent manifestement une identité chinoise et une attitude positive envers leur(s) langue(s) d’origine. Nous estimons que le contact avec la langue d’origine influence la formation de l’identité ethnique. / The current study focuses on the language usage and attitude of Chinese who lives in Canada. Previous studies suggest that language choice is determined by linguistic context and language usage influences the formation of ethnic identity. We recruited Chinese people living in Canada and asked them to complete a questionnaire, some of them have participated in the one-to-one interview with the researcher. The current study finds that language usage is linked not only to objective factors (occupation, length of residence in Canada, place of residence in Canada, length of time to speak the language) but also to subjective factors (importance of language in daily life, self-assessment of language level). We have also found that if a language is required by the field of work or major of study, then that language will be used more frequently than others daily. In addition, our participants clearly demonstrate Chinese identity and positive attitude towards their heritage language(s). We believe that contact with the heritage language influences the formation of ethnic identity.