Experiences of Non-Tibetan Speakers in China's in China's Tibetan Schools: Language and Education

EXPERIENCES OF NON-TIBETAN SPEAKERS IN CHINA’S TIBETAN SCHOOLS: LANGUAGE AND EDUCATION

CAIXIANGDUOJIE

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INTRODUCTION

• China’s Tibet is multicultural

• Tibetan, Han Chinese, Mongolian, Monguor, Hui, Salar, Naxi and other ethnic groups.

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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.

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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

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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%

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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%

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“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%

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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!

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CONCLUSION

Lack of

policy support

schools and programs

qualified local teachers

teaching resources

parents’ involvement

responsibilities

motivation in teaching & learning (students’

culture)

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• 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!

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Thank you!

谢谢

ཐུགས་རྗེ་ཆྗེ།

qinghaicaihang@gmail.comCAIXIANGDUOJIE

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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

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Duojia (b. 1992)

• Personal Background

• Aba County, Sichuan

• Student at QNU

• 7 family members

• Buddhism

• Mother-tongue

• Qiang

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Zhenxiu (b. 1994)

• Personal Background

• Xianggelila County, Yunnan

• Student at QNU

• 6 family members

• Mother-tongue

• Naxi (Qihuami)

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Macuo (b. 1994)

• Personal Background

• Deibu County, Gannan, Gansu

• Student at QNU

• 5 family members

• Buddhism

• Mother-tongue

• Mongolian