Parent satisfaction and one-way Mandarin Chinese dual-language programs in Utah

ABSTRACT

This study invited parents in 21 one-way Mandarin Chinese dual immersion programs in Utah to respond to a survey on-line. Five hundred and eighty parents participated in this study. The objectives of the survey study were to learn the parents’ reasons for enrollment, their program satisfaction, and whether there was a group difference based on the following parental demographic factors: ethnicity, income, and education. In general, the majority of the parents were satisfied with the program; however, the results of the chi-square test illustrated that more Asian parents chose the program for their child so that they could better relate to their heritage. Moreover, the results of the MANOVA test revealed that there was an interaction effect between education level and ethnicity on program satisfaction. Based on the mean scores of the survey items, this study observed the tendencies that Asian parents without a higher education degree were more satisfied with the language learning environment in the program and the native and academic language of teachers while parents of other ethnicities (not white or Asian) with graduate degree(s) were least satisfied.

Ko-Yin Sung received her Ph.D. from The University of Texas at San Antonio in 2009 and is currently the coordinator of the Chinese language program and an Associate Professor of Chinese at Utah State University. Her research interests include bilingual education, Chinese-character acquisition, language learning strategies, and technology-assisted language learning.