‘Half of who you are’: Parent and child reflections on the emotional experiences of reversing familial language shift

Abstract

Aims and objectives: The study explores the emotional experiences of a mother and son during the re-introduction of the heritage language at age 6, following a 2-year hiatus. In particular, it seeks to highlight the affordances of a collaborative, emotionally sensitive approach to family language policy, with parent and child jointly incorporating and acknowledging aspects of the child’s identity development. Methodology: Adopting an autoethnographic approach, mother and son kept a joint research diary where critical incidents (as chosen by either one or both) were written down as verbatim as possible, and subsequently reflected on together, with reflections again entered into the diary. Data and analysis: Data were coded according to various emotions (frustration, pride, joy, love, guilt, etc.) as well as a code linked to identity development. These were then thematically analysed. Findings and conclusion: Parent–child collaboration and facilitation of child agency have a positive impact on a child’s attitude towards learning the heritage language. Jointly sharing and reflecting on the emotional journey of growing up bilingual and bringing up a bilingual child affords both parent and child an insight into each other’s concerns, charting a path towards a collaborative approach to family language policy development. Originality: The study is the first officially documented long-term study focusing on the reversal of familial language shift which provides emotional and language-related data from both parent and child, as part of a complex tapestry of emotion, identity, language, and parent–child relationship. Significance and Implications: Recommendations are made for children to be more actively involved in family language policy research, taking into account their emotional links to, and experiences with, various aspects of language use. In addition, a focus on emotions can assist in a better understanding of the links between language and identity, giving children and parents the space to reflect on and articulate their different points of view, shaping family language policy.

A Systematic Review of Early Childhood Research on Socioemotional Development and Prosocial Behaviour

“…Understanding how much parental input shapes a child's views is challenging. The interplay between parental behaviour, child temperament and other environmental factors is complex and requires nuanced investigation (Little, 2023). Researchers should use more sophisticated research designs to tease out these complexities.…”

“…Many studies suffer from small sample sizes, which can undermine their findings' statistical power and generalisability. Researchers need to consider larger and more diverse samples to ensure robust and applicable findings (Bret et al, 2022;Elhusseini et al, 2023;Stern et al, 2015;Keenan et al, 2017;Lau et al, 2023;Little, 2023;Wilson et al, 2023;Mesurado & Richaud, 2017;Stefan et al, 2017;Loheide-Niesmann et al, 2021). Focusing on specific populations, age groups and cultural contexts, such as low-income African-American families or specific countries, limits the generalisability of research findings.…”

“…The review of parental input and individual characteristics of participants is often insufficiently studied in academic research. Taking into account the influence given by parents and the different attributes shown by each child may contribute to a more thorough comprehension of the complicated interactions in the process (Little, 2023).…”

The multilingual children’s library as physical and metaphorical ‘space’ within the community: Practical and emotional considerations

“…Other families were observed where parents helped with spellings in heritage/home languages, to facilitate the story-writing. The activities helped families to maintain heritage/home languages, creating a metaphorical space where linguistic and cultural heritage was valued in contexts outside the family, and children's multiliteracies could be further developed (Little, 2021(Little, , 2022.…”