在地視野下的美南休士頓區台系中文學校發展與現況

Abstract

美國中文學校源遠流長，近年來隨著時勢發展，逐漸表現了多元發展的獨特性面貌。新近研究多半以教學面去剖析中文學校這個課題，缺乏以人、地、環境為背景所提出的質性研究報告。本研究以美南休士頓區為研究區域，用質性研究和田野調查的方式，提出關於台系中文學校的發展、和另一種思維觀點下的現況報告，可提供未來國內外協助中文學校發展相關人士的參考。 田調期間從2009年9月至2010年2月為止，研究者實際參與中文學校的各式活動、走訪各中文學校、並以中文學校校長的訪問記錄和相關人士的訪談為主要資料。結果發現：一、新移民形成的聚落提供台系中文學校經營的學生和主要資源來源；二、家長會功能的強弱之變革，受到了場地和制度的影響；三、因為學生需求和背景的改變，學校課程的安排出現了正體注音班和簡體拼音班消長的明顯趨勢；四、台系中文學校的師資，受到了台灣移民減少、專業要求提高、大陸系教學系統移入的影響。 中文學校的情感功能形成了各成員投入的動機，並且是蓄積中文學校經營能量的根本。除此之外，對學生而言，中文學校既能提供語言學習功能，亦能幫助華裔學生建立和形成自我認同。展望未來，中文學校的功能性將成為日後轉型或擴大經營的關鍵。Chinese schools in the United States have been well-established with a long history. Along with the changing times, they have been developing their unique and pluralistic features. Most of recent researches analyze Chinese schools in light of instruction, but they are lack of qualitative investigation in the perspective of human resource, territory, and circumstance. This research studies Taiwanese-based Chinese schools in Houston area of south Texas. With qualitative methodology and field study, the research provides the development of Taiwanese-based Chinese schools in Houston area and their paradigm shift in order to offer a solid reference for relevant researchers on the studies of overseas Chinese school’s development. The field study has conducted from September 2009 to February 2010 by the researcher who attended varied programs and activities in 7 Taiwanese-based Chinese schools through observation and actual participation in Houston. The primary materials and information are collected from the interviews and recording of schools’ principals and relevant personnel. The researcher discovered that: 1) new immigrants are the main source for the Taiwanese-based Chinese schools; 2) how well the function of parents association is depends on the venue and system of individual institution; 3) in response to changingstudents’ demand, schools offer both traditional Chinese phonetic classes and simplified Chinese phonetic classes; 4) the qualified Chinese teachers in Taiwanese-based school are affected by the decrease of Taiwan immigrants, the increase of professional demand, and the transfusion of Mainland Chinese instructional system. The operation and sustainability of Taiwanese-based schools attribute to all the members’ (including faculty and students) affection toward their institution. For students of Chinese descent, these schools not only provide them the functions of language learning, but of forming self identity. The future of Taiwanese-based schools will be tied with their major transformation and extensive operation along with the Chinese community and Houston’s society.