TITLE:
The Roles of Multilingual Learning Facilitators in Assisting Non-Chinese-Speaking Students in Learning Chinese in Hong Kong: An Exploratory Study
AUTHORS:
Shek-Kam Tse, Heiken To, Pik-Fong Tsui, Victor Laing, Kam-Fong Wu, Lu-Sai Lam
KEYWORDS:
Multilingual, Multicultural, Non-Chinese Pre-Schoolers, Chinese Learning, Chinese as a Second Language
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.9 No.1,
January
29,
2021
ABSTRACT: This study aimed to define
the roles played by Multilingual Learning Facilitators (MLFs), a novel post
created to facilitate non-Chinese-speaking (NCS) pre-schoolers in learning
Chinese in Hong Kong, based in community agencies. Qualitative analysis of
field observations and interviews with MLFs and social workers found that roles
fell under teaching-related and social work-related categories. For
teaching-related roles, MLFs facilitated learning of Chinese in NCS pre-schoolers, assisted social workers in classroom management
during activities, engaged NCS parents, and fostered communication between
social workers and NCS parents. For social work-related duties, MLFs offered
consulting for NCS parents dealing with issues, and also fostered communication
between social workers and NCS parents. These roles are made possible due to
MLFs’ language and cultural expertise of that of NCS families and the local
Chinese community. This addresses current limitations faced by teachers and
social workers in their roles in teaching NCS students, and expands resources
available for NCS families, from schools to the community, in supporting their
children in learning Chinese, potentially opening up opportunities for NCS
children to integrate into the local community.