Educative and Child-Rearing Practices Among Recent Chinese Migrants in Australia: Continuity, Change, Hybridity

Abstract

This qualitative study analyzed educative and childrearing practices of Chinese immigrant parents from China, living in Sydney, Australia, and data on Chinese educational patterns. Evidence of the study highlights a continuity of childrearing practices with distinctive cultural traits expressed in the emphasis on mother-tongue maintenance, strictness and parental control, as well as intensive parental engagement in children’s education. Some changes in their expectations and parenting styles were also noticeable in adapting to a new environment. The findings suggest a hybrid model among the middle-class Chinese immigrant families, given the highly-skilled character of recent immigrants. Findings from this study also suggest that educational attainments of children of immigrants may not be limited to formal education, but are also associated with various social and cultural mores embedded in the family.