Abstract (300 words maximum)
The dominant assimilation practice and policies in South Korea have translated into monolingual, Korean-only practices in all aspects of the society. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that the major recent government policies reflect an assets-based perspective on immigrant mothers’ heritage languages (HLs) and their children’s potential bilingualism. Since 2015, bilingual coaching services have been provided for multicultural families under the initiative called Bilingual Education Environment Fostering Plan. Bilingual coaches with immigration backgrounds educate the families about bilingual education, teach parents strategies about interacting with preschool children in their first language, foster a community for the families, and provide further guidance to families about bilingual.
Given most children continue to be deprived of the right to acquire mother tongue in the South Korean context, initiatives like bilingual coaching program hold promise. Examining how it is implemented from the perspective of the practitioners could help sustain a well-intended program, which contributes to the children’s bilingual and bicultural development. The current study aims to explore perspectives and experiences of bilingual coaches who work at local Health Family Support Centers across South Korea. Data primarily collected from individual interviews with seven bilingual coaches from China, Japan, and Vietnam, and I focused on two Vietnamese bilingual coaches’ perspectives. Thematic coding method yielded that the coaches emphasized the immigrant mothers’ dedication to bilingual education as the most important factor in promoting bilingualism in the family. They also drew on their own experiences as immigrants in South Korea when coaching other families. While they found the work rewarding, they also pointed out challenges, such as heavy caseloads, not having expertise in early childhood education, and having to coach families in whose language they do not have proficiency. The ongoing research has implications for policies, programs, and practices for multicultural families and children beyond the South Korean context.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
BCOE - Inclusive Education
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Jayoung Choi
Promoting Bilingualism in Ethnolinguistically Minoritized Children: Perspectives from Two Vietnamese Bilingual Coaches in South Korea
The dominant assimilation practice and policies in South Korea have translated into monolingual, Korean-only practices in all aspects of the society. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that the major recent government policies reflect an assets-based perspective on immigrant mothers’ heritage languages (HLs) and their children’s potential bilingualism. Since 2015, bilingual coaching services have been provided for multicultural families under the initiative called Bilingual Education Environment Fostering Plan. Bilingual coaches with immigration backgrounds educate the families about bilingual education, teach parents strategies about interacting with preschool children in their first language, foster a community for the families, and provide further guidance to families about bilingual.
Given most children continue to be deprived of the right to acquire mother tongue in the South Korean context, initiatives like bilingual coaching program hold promise. Examining how it is implemented from the perspective of the practitioners could help sustain a well-intended program, which contributes to the children’s bilingual and bicultural development. The current study aims to explore perspectives and experiences of bilingual coaches who work at local Health Family Support Centers across South Korea. Data primarily collected from individual interviews with seven bilingual coaches from China, Japan, and Vietnam, and I focused on two Vietnamese bilingual coaches’ perspectives. Thematic coding method yielded that the coaches emphasized the immigrant mothers’ dedication to bilingual education as the most important factor in promoting bilingualism in the family. They also drew on their own experiences as immigrants in South Korea when coaching other families. While they found the work rewarding, they also pointed out challenges, such as heavy caseloads, not having expertise in early childhood education, and having to coach families in whose language they do not have proficiency. The ongoing research has implications for policies, programs, and practices for multicultural families and children beyond the South Korean context.