Cultural Identity and Mathematics Learning of Chinese Families Living in Australia

350 Pages·2015·3.78 MB·English

by  Angel Mok

Cultural Identity and Mathematics Learning of
Chinese Families Living in Australia

Man Yee Angel Mok
BA, BECS, MTeach

Department of Education
Faculty of Human Sciences
Macquarie University
A Thesis Submitted to Macquarie University in Fulfilment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
February, 2015
Table of Contents

Table of Contents ..................................................................................................... i
List of diagrams and tables ...................................................................................... v
Summary ................................................................................................................ vi
Statement of Candidate ........................................................................................ viii
送給父親母親 ........................................................................................................ ix
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................. x
Glossary .................................................................................................................. xi
PART 1 .................................................................................................................... 1
ENTERING THE STORY ...................................................................................... 1
Chapter 1 The Narrator ............................................................................................ 3
My positioning statement ............................................................................... 3
My narrative ................................................................................................... 7
Chapter 2 The Scene .............................................................................................. 23
Introduction .................................................................................................. 23
Research context .......................................................................................... 26
Mathematics as a cultural discourse ..................................................... 28
In search of an answer .................................................................................. 30
Confucian Heritage Culture (CHC) ............................................................. 36
Confucian conceptions on education .................................................... 36
Research questions ....................................................................................... 40
Methodological approach ............................................................................. 40
Plot of the thesis ........................................................................................... 42
Chapter 3 The Representation ............................................................................... 46
Introduction .................................................................................................. 46
The framework for interpretation ................................................................. 47
Hermeneutics underpinning in the interpretation of narratives ............ 49
Narrative inquiry .......................................................................................... 51
What does narrative inquiry do? ........................................................... 53
Narrative as analysis ............................................................................. 55
Limitations of narrative inquiry ............................................................ 59
Diagram 3.1. Ensuring Validity ............................................................ 63
Narrative inquiry in this study ..................................................................... 64
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Diagram 3.2. Modes and process of data gathering and analysis. ....... 66
Gathering data ............................................................................................... 67
A Case study approach .......................................................................... 67
Interview ................................................................................................ 68
Journal diary .......................................................................................... 71
Observation............................................................................................ 71
Field notes ............................................................................................. 72
Questionnaire ......................................................................................... 72
Analysing data .............................................................................................. 73
Examining themes ................................................................................. 74
Constructing narratives ................................................................................. 78
Process ................................................................................................... 80
Table 3.1. An overview of family information (in the order of interview) .. 83
Conclusion .................................................................................................... 85
PART 2 .................................................................................................................. 86
TELLING THE STORIES ..................................................................................... 86
Chapter 4 The Whole of its Parts. The Parts in the Whole .................................... 88
Introduction .................................................................................................. 88
Transnationalism .......................................................................................... 89
Transformation ...................................................................................... 92
Children and transnationalism ............................................................... 96
Belonging...................................................................................................... 97
Where is home – belonging in the transnational space ....................... 100
Performative belonging ....................................................................... 102
The Parts in the Whole ............................................................................... 105
Chineseness ................................................................................................ 106
Chineseness and China ........................................................................ 108
(In)Authenticity of Chineseness ................................................................. 111
Precariousness of Chineseness ................................................................... 113
Diaspora in modern time ............................................................................ 115
Chinese diaspora in Australia .............................................................. 119
Chinese ties .......................................................................................... 122
Conclusion .................................................................................................. 123
Family narrative ................................................................................................... 126
The Marin ................................................................................................... 126
Family narrative ................................................................................................... 143
The Regits ................................................................................................... 143
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Scene break ................................................................................................ 160
Chapter 5 Narratives of Identity Formation ........................................................ 162
Introduction ................................................................................................ 162
Identity formation ...................................................................................... 162
Analytic tools ............................................................................................. 167
Understanding cultural identity .................................................................. 169
As an imagination ............................................................................... 170
As strategic locations .......................................................................... 171
Conclusion ................................................................................................. 175
Family Narrative .................................................................................................. 177
The Tran ..................................................................................................... 177
Family narrative .................................................................................................. 194
The Gibbs ................................................................................................... 194
Family narrative .................................................................................................. 210
The Lows ................................................................................................... 210
Family narrative .................................................................................................. 227
The Henlys ................................................................................................. 227
Scene break ................................................................................................ 242
PART 3 ................................................................................................................ 244
LISTENING FOR THE STORIES ..................................................................... 244
Chapter 6 The Unfinished ................................................................................... 245
Introduction ................................................................................................ 245
Table 6.1 An overview of participants’ connections to their homeland
and their self-identification .......................................................................... 246
Connection to homeland in the transnational world .................................. 247
Changing image of homeland ............................................................. 247
Visits ................................................................................................... 249
Transnational grandparents and transnational children ...................... 254
Representation of Chineseness outside the core ........................................ 258
Speaking Chinese. Doing Chinese ...................................................... 260
Other practices .................................................................................... 262
Immigration experience in context ............................................................ 265
Friendly, but not friends ...................................................................... 267
Connecting to belong .......................................................................... 270
Education and mathematics ....................................................................... 272
Attitudes to mathematics .................................................................... 275
Mathematics in education ................................................................... 278
New themes ................................................................................................ 280
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Conclusion .................................................................................................. 282
Chapter 7 THE END ............................................................................................ 283
Introduction ................................................................................................ 283
Cultural identity and mathematics learning ................................................ 283
Implications and Recommendations ........................................................... 285
Tackle maths anxiety on parents ......................................................... 286
Every child can be good at mathematics ............................................. 288
Study of transnational grandparents ................................................... 290
Methodological suggestions ................................................................ 291
Leaving the inquiry ..................................................................................... 293
Lastly… ............................................................................................... 294
References .................................................................................................. 296
Appendix A .......................................................................................................... 307
Indicative interview topics .......................................................................... 307
Appendix B .......................................................................................................... 309
Sample journal diary ................................................................................... 309
Appendix C .......................................................................................................... 312
Questionnaire .............................................................................................. 312
Appendix D .......................................................................................................... 319
Coding ........................................................................................................ 319
Appendix E .......................................................................................................... 322
Reflective diary ........................................................................................... 322
Appendix F ........................................................................................................... 324
Ethics Approval (Macquarie University) ................................................... 324
Appendix G .......................................................................................................... 326
Ethics Approval (DEC, NSW).................................................................... 326
Appendix H .......................................................................................................... 327
Parent information sheet and consent form ................................................ 327
Appendix I............................................................................................................ 334
Teacher information sheet and consent form ............................................. 334

iv
List of diagrams and tables
Heading (based on Chapter numerals) Page

Diagram 3.1: Ensuring Validity 61
Diagram 3.2: Modes and process of data collection and analysis 64
Table 3.1: An overview of family information 78
Table 7.1: An overview of participants’ connections to their
homeland and their self-identification 238
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Summary
Research studies on migration and education often see Chinese families as
homogeneous and Chinese identity as fixed and stable. This view on
homogeneity dismisses the growing complexity of cultural identities of
Chinese people living overseas in this era when migrants have frequent and
multiple connections with more than one social world. Expectations of
homogeneity also produce stereotypes that misrepresent who Chinese people
are. Stereotypes of Chinese families often portray parents as demanding and
authoritative, who have high expectations on their children who are disciplined,
diligent and good at mathematics. The last stereotype is supposedly confirmed
by media reports of Asian students’ performance in international mathematics
assessments such as TIMSS and PISA.
Adopting a narrative approach, this ethnographic study conducted by a
researcher with a Chinese cultural heritage explored the cultural identities of
Chinese families living in Australian and how they might impact on their
children’s mathematics learning. The notion of Chineseness in the diasporic
context was interrogated and the impact of transnationalism on Chinese
families’ belonging to both their homeland and Australia were also examined.
Results showed that participating families have considerably different ties with
both their homelands and Australia. Their identities as seen in how they relate
to the people and practices in both places did not have much impact on their
children’s mathematics learning. It was found that parents valued education
and perceived mathematics more broadly as a subject to prepare their children
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for a better future. The extra help offered by parents or private tutoring was
seen to provide the support their children need to achieve in mathematics.
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Statement of Candidate
I, Man Yee Angel Mok, certify that the work in this thesis is my original work
and it has not been submitted for a higher degree to any other university or
institution other than Macquarie University. It is entirely my own work and
that every reference to other materials has been acknowledged. The research
presented in this thesis was approved by Macquarie University Ethics Review
Committee Approval No.52001100768 (Appendix F). Ethical approval for
interviewing families and teachers in schools has been obtained from New
South Wales Department of Education and Communities state education
research approval process (SERAP), approval No. 2011185 (Appendix G).
Signature of candidate:

Date: 11th February, 2015
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