International Journal of Language & Literature

Meeting Challenges: A Narrative Inquiry into an English-Chinese Bilingual Education Program
Liping Wei, Ed.D.; Amy Barnhill, Ph.D.

Abstract
This paper aims to examine the challenges and difficulties experienced by an English-Chinese bilingual education program in the largest school district of a south western state in the U.S., in hopes of shedding light on the development of English-Chinese bilingual education and bilingual education in general. The majority of the studies on bilingual education are focused on elementary Spanish-English programs; there is not much research on Chinese-English bilingual education, not to mention the research studies that systematically examine the challenges faced by an English-Chinese bilingual program. This study adds to this body of research by unpacking a particular Chinese-English bilingual program, grounded in Cummins’ argument that “(t)he accumulation of such case studies presents a rich and robust picture of bilingual education that can benefit practice and influence policy (Cummins, 1999, p. 8).” 8 challenges this program has experienced are identified and analyzed. Readers will walk away with not only the knowledge of the implementation of this particular program, but also important insights into how to advance bilingual education programs in the midst of all the constraints in the current socio-cultural and political contexts.

Full Text: PDF      DOI: 10.15640/ijll.v5n1a1