experiences of non-tibetan speakers in china's in china's tibetan schools: language and...
DESCRIPTION
Presentation given at the workshop on Minority Languages of the Chinese Tibetosphere at Uppsala University, Nov 3-4 2014.TRANSCRIPT
EXPERIENCES OF NON-TIBETAN SPEAKERS IN CHINA’S TIBETAN SCHOOLS: LANGUAGE AND EDUCATION
CAIXIANGDUOJIE
2
INTRODUCTION
• China’s Tibet is multicultural
• Tibetan, Han Chinese, Mongolian, Monguor, Hui, Salar, Naxi and other ethnic groups.
3
IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY
• Mandarin Chinese and Tibetan Languages
• are taught and
• used as the main media of instruction at schools, including universities.
• Other ethnic languages and dialects, and their speakers are generally ignored.
4
RESEARCH GOAL AND METHODS
• Goal
• Identify challenges faced by non-Tibetan speakers at schools in Tibetan areas of China,
• propose some solutions to these problems
• Methods
• Interviews (first hand data + secondary data)
• Family, surrounding communities, experiences at schools, derogatory names and punishments
• Snowball sampling
5
LOCATIONS
• Qinghai
• Gansu
• Sichuan
• Yunnan
• TAR
QH, 20, 67%
GS, 4, 13%
YN, 3, 10%
SC, 2, 7%
TAR, 1, 3%
LANGUAGES AND/OR DIALECTS
Local Chinese, 18, 60%
Salar, 4, 14%
Mangghuer, 2, 7%
Doskad, 2, 7%
Mongolian, 1, 3%
Naxi, 1, 3%
Qiang, 1, 3%Lhopa
, 1, 3%
7
FINDINGS AND SUGGESTIONS
“Only speak to grandpa in our mother-tongues!”
We need more
people to
preserve ethnic
languages and
dialects in Tibetan
areas!
Grandparents60%
Parents30%
Elder Siblings7%
Younger Siblings
2%
Others1%
Grandparents60%
Parents30%
Elder Siblings
7%
Younger Siblings
2%
Others1%
8
“My teachers
don’t speak my
language …and I
can’t speak my
language in
class!”
Need more
teachers
speaking local
students’languages and
dialects!
Yes, teacher speaks my language
5%
No, teacher doesn't speak my language
95%
“I was afraid of speaking my language in
class…because others would laugh at me!”
Encourages equality
and let majorities to
respect minorities!
Always spoke my mother tongue in
class0%
Some times spoke my mother tongue
in class13%
Rarely spoke my mother tongue in
class34%
Never spoke my mother tongue in
class53%
10
Learn students’ real names and don’t humiliate
them!
“I was bullied by being called derogatory names…I felt embarrassed and stupid!”• La ha (hybrid sheep)
• Lce do (clumsy person)
• Hor nag (black crow)
• Zazhong (mixture)
Bullied (derogatory names)
98%
Not Bullied2%
“I want to learn more about my
language but there are no teachers or
textbooks!”
Need more qualified
local teachers and
good local study
materials!
Interested in improving my
mother language70%
Not interested in learning my
mother tongues10%
Not sure20%
“I was beaten many times because I couldn’t recite
texts in Tibetan and Chinese correctly!”
Give them more time &
space to express their
own thoughts in their
non-native languages!
Coporal Punishment
90%
No Coporal Punishment
10%
“I feel didn’t learn much… textbooks were only in
Tibetan and Chinese… teachers were reading the
textbooks most of the time!”
Use languages and teaching methods that help students to LEARN!
“We are here… far from
home… miss home and
food”
Boarding schools need PARENTS &
TEACHERS!
15
CONCLUSION
Lack of
policy support
schools and programs
qualified local teachers
teaching resources
parents’ involvement
responsibilities
motivation in teaching & learning (students’
culture)
16
• Policy developers & implementers
• Autonomy, language
• School reform, textbook development, etc.
• Researchers
• Non-Tibetan speakers’ language, culture, education, family life, etc.
• Educators
• Teach so that students
• learn most
• are proud of their:
• Language
• Culture
• Identity
Consider…
Needs of non-Tibetan speaking communities:
• families, schools, teachers, students’challenges, abilities
BE RESPONSIBLE!
WORK TOGETHER!
20
Quzong (b. 1982)
• Personal Background• Born in Longzi ལྷུན་རྗེ་རྫོང་།, Shannan, TAR
• Teacher at Rikaze No.1 Primary School
• 5 family members
• Bon (grandfather) and Buddhism (others)
• Mother-tongue
• Lhopa
21
Duojia (b. 1992)
• Personal Background
• Aba County, Sichuan
• Student at QNU
• 7 family members
• Buddhism
• Mother-tongue
• Qiang
22
Zhenxiu (b. 1994)
• Personal Background
• Xianggelila County, Yunnan
• Student at QNU
• 6 family members
• Mother-tongue
• Naxi (Qihuami)
23
Macuo (b. 1994)
• Personal Background
• Deibu County, Gannan, Gansu
• Student at QNU
• 5 family members
• Buddhism
• Mother-tongue
• Mongolian