An Issue of Urban/Rural Division? Examining Mongolian Language Education in the IMAR

Autor/in	Zhang, Qi
Titel	An Issue of Urban/Rural Division? Examining Mongolian Language Education in the IMAR
Quelle	In: IAFOR Journal of Education, 8 (2020) 4, S.95-113 (19 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2187-0594
Schlagwörter	Rural Urban Differences; Urbanization; Multilingualism; Language Minorities; Mandarin Chinese; English (Second Language); Language Attitudes; Native Language Instruction; Elementary School Students; Secondary School Students; Rural Schools; Language of Instruction; Learning Motivation; Social Mobility; Ethnic Groups; Bilingual Education; Foreign Countries; Mongolia + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Stadt-Land-Beziehung; Urbanisation; Urbanisierung; Mehrsprachigkeit; Multilingualismus; Sprachminderheit; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Sprachverhalten; Native language education; Muttersprachlicher Unterricht; Sekundarschüler; Rural area; Rural areas; School; Schools; Ländlicher Raum; Schule; Schulen; Teaching language; Unterrichtssprache; Motivation for studies; Lernmotivation; Soziale Mobilität; Ethnie; Bilingual teaching; Bilingualer Unterricht; Ausland; Mongolei
Abstract	Against the backdrop of the increasing disparities in urban and rural areas in China nowadays, this qualitative study explores trilingual education in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (IMAR), with a focus on the Mongolian language programme. Through a field trip to five primary and secondary schools, interviews and class observations reveal that students are highly motivated in conducting their primary and lower secondary schooling through Mongolian, due to the high utilitarian value associated with Mongolian. Preferential policies make it possible to maximise the chance of academic advancement, career prospects and possible social upward mobility for learners of Mongolian. However, the dominant positions of Putonghua as the national common language, and English as a lingua franca in schools with admirable academic quality, restrict the ability to convert the linguistic capital of Mongolian into other forms of capital outside of Inner Mongolia. The study reveals that the problems and difficulties of Mongolian language education in compact ethnic minority regions tend to be the same as those faced by other Chinese rural schools. The marginalisation of a minority language is examined in relation to fast-paced urbanisation; changes would require institutional support to enhance the symbolic value of the ethnic minority language. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	International Academic Forum. Sakae 1-16-26 - 201 Naka Ward, Nagoya Aichi, Japan 460-0008. Tel: +81-50-5806-3184; Web site: http://iafor.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01