Parental Support for Chinese-English Bilingual Education: A Survey of Parents of Primary and Secondary Students in Shanghai

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Parental Support for Chinese-English Bilingual Education: A Survey of Parents of Primary and Secondary Students in Shanghai
Language: English
Authors: Wei, Rining
Source: Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. 2011 32(5):481-496.
Availability: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 16
Publication Date: 2011
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Descriptors: Bilingual Education Programs, Parent Participation, Foreign Countries, English (Second Language), Second Language Instruction, Bilingualism, Parent Child Relationship, Second Language Learning, Program Implementation, Surveys, Questionnaires, Language Proficiency
Geographic Terms: China (Shanghai)
DOI: 10.1080/01434632.2011.592588
ISSN: 0143-4632
Abstract: While many studies conducted outside China attest to the importance of parental support in determining the extent of success in implementing a bilingual education (BE) programme, few empirical studies have been conducted into the strength of parental support for Chinese-English BE in mainland China. This paper reports upon a survey targeting parents of students who were receiving some form of BE in Shanghai (viz. BE parents, N=199) and parents of those who were not (viz. non-BE parents, N=196). The instruments are two questionnaires respectively designed for these two groups of parents, aiming to elicit information about their support for BE, and three related factors, namely their demands for English proficiency, perceived ineptitude of teaching English only as a subject and perceived effects of BE on children's English proficiency. A major finding is that 78% non-BE and over 85% BE parents were supportive of BE. This strength of parental support was probably a function of the three aforementioned factors. The paper concludes with some implications of the findings and a call for empirical studies of other factors affecting the implementation of a BE programme, as parental support alone does not seem sufficient to carry the Shanghai BE project forward. (Contains 3 notes and 5 tables.)
Abstractor: As Provided
Number of References: 71
Entry Date: 2012
Accession Number: EJ949444
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:While many studies conducted outside China attest to the importance of parental support in determining the extent of success in implementing a bilingual education (BE) programme, few empirical studies have been conducted into the strength of parental support for Chinese-English BE in mainland China. This paper reports upon a survey targeting parents of students who were receiving some form of BE in Shanghai (viz. BE parents, N=199) and parents of those who were not (viz. non-BE parents, N=196). The instruments are two questionnaires respectively designed for these two groups of parents, aiming to elicit information about their support for BE, and three related factors, namely their demands for English proficiency, perceived ineptitude of teaching English only as a subject and perceived effects of BE on children's English proficiency. A major finding is that 78% non-BE and over 85% BE parents were supportive of BE. This strength of parental support was probably a function of the three aforementioned factors. The paper concludes with some implications of the findings and a call for empirical studies of other factors affecting the implementation of a BE programme, as parental support alone does not seem sufficient to carry the Shanghai BE project forward. (Contains 3 notes and 5 tables.)
ISSN:0143-4632
DOI:10.1080/01434632.2011.592588