PhD Oral Exam - Wei Mao, Education

When studying for a doctoral degree (PhD), candidates submit a thesis that provides a critical review of the current state of knowledge of the thesis subject as well as the student’s own contributions to the subject. The distinguishing criterion of doctoral graduate research is a significant and original contribution to knowledge.

Once accepted, the candidate presents the thesis orally. This oral exam is open to the public.

Abstract

This project explores how families living in China and Canada navigate parent-child interactions to support early bilingualism, integrating insights from four interconnected studies. Study 1 examines the perspectives of 16 Chinese parents of 3- to 6-year-olds living in China on two language support strategies: dialogic reading (DR) and co-viewing and conversing about television programs or videos (CVC). Parents recognized these strategies’ potential benefits for language and cognitive development but expressed reservations, including challenges related to child engagement, children’s potential resistance to interruptions, the parent’s own linguistic skills, and the practices’ demands on parental time and effort. These findings underscore the importance of adapting language support strategies to address parents’ practical concerns.

Studies 2, 3 and 4 shift focus to 29 Chinese-Canadian families living in multilingual Montreal, where children were being raised in Mandarin and also regularly exposed to one or more of the local societal languages (French or English). Methods included a parent questionnaire, pretest-posttest observations of storybook reading by parent-child dyads, the use of DR and the digital reading pen by parents and children at home over an eight-week period, and focus group discussions with parents. Study 2 revealed that parents preferred interacting in Mandarin when reading together, even when reading a book written in a societal language. Parents used more dialogic talk, particularly literal questions, with societal language books, but inferential and distancing questions, critical for advanced cognitive and linguistic development, were used sparingly. Study 3 introduced DR instruction to parents, leading to increased use of DR strategies, and thus prompting richer interactions across languages. However, parents reported challenges to DR, such as practical constraints, divergence from home practices, and occasional child resistance. Study 4 introduced a digital reading pen to explore its role in multilingual storybook reading. While the pen eased language demands and promoted child autonomy, it often disrupted parent-child interaction, leading parents to view it as better suited to independent than interactive reading.

Collectively, the studies bridge gaps between practices recommended in applied research and real-world parenting practices. The findings point to the need for greater collaboration between researchers, parents, and developers of educational tools to develop practices and create resources that align with families’ lived experiences and goals, enriching both research and practice.