Vietnamese Australian children’s voice on community language schools
What is it about?
This qualitative study reports Vietnamese Australian children’s perspectives on their learning experiences at their community language schools. The study draws on interview data with three mothers and their four children (aged 10–12), who used to attend or are currently attending community language schools in the state of Victoria, Australia.
Why is it important?
Against the backdrop of the current limited research on children’s experiences at community language schools, this study is a contribution to the existing literature in two ways. First, it contributes a children’s voice into research on these so-called marginalised educational sites. Second, it provides a nuanced exploration of the children’s experiences through the lens of Bourdieu’s (1984) constructs of habitus, capital, and field by discussing how their perspectives towards their community language schools are shaped by their lived experiences in the fields they participate in.