ERIC Number: EJ1377252
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2158-2440
Available Date: N/A
The Impact of Learning English on Chinese Pre-Schoolers' Identity Aspirations
Guo, Yadong; Gao, Xuesong
SAGE Open, v13 n1 Jan-Mar 2023
The promotion of the English language continues to be instrumental in helping China to engage with the world, but it has caused identity anxiety and cultural uncertainty among language learners. In this paper, we analyze data from a favorite-character-presentation task and an oral survey conducted with 82 preschool children in Shanghai. We found that Chinese remains the most important language for the participants in expressing their transcultural identity aspirations, but the influences of English can be observed in their language practice when presenting their favorite characters. These findings suggest that the participants' identity aspirations can be understood in the context of their translanguaging practices, which unfold in their use of linguistic and pictorial resources. The paper concludes with a discussion of how language educators and policymakers should consider children's exposure to informal language learning beyond the classroom in teaching.
Descriptors: Preschool Children, Self Concept, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Code Switching (Language), Language Usage, Informal Education, Cultural Differences, Anxiety, Task Analysis, Chinese, Language Attitudes, Teaching Methods, Foreign Countries, Freehand Drawing, Bilingualism, Biculturalism
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China (Shanghai)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A