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Article published In: Australian Review of Applied Linguistics
Vol. 48:3 (2025) ► pp.513–534

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Parental ideologies in heritage language maintenance

The case of Korean interlingual families in New Zealand

ORCiD logo with link | University of Auckland
 | University of Queensland
Published online: 17 December 2024
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.24045.par
Abstract
This study explores the role of parental ideologies in heritage language (HL) maintenance among three interlingual families in New Zealand. This study draws on data from semi-structured interviews with Korean immigrant mothers and non-Korean fathers. A thematic approach was used to analyze the data. The findings in this study revealed that the three families placed great value in Korean HL maintenance. All three family language policies (FLPs) centered around a “One Person, One Language” approach, with the mothers using Korean. However, there were still wide-ranging variations in their FLPs. Moreover, the mothers’ attitudes toward HL learning were related to their perceptions of their children’s identities, which affected their HL-teaching strategies. The mothers’ HL maintenance efforts were possible because of their partners’ support. However, their husbands’ positive attitudes were also clearly associated with heteronormative gender roles and a related ideology of parenting. The findings suggest that even in positive FLP contexts, there is thus still a role for a more holistic and critical approach to HL maintenance.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Family Language Policy
  • Studies on immigrant parents’ attitudes toward HL maintenance
  • The study
  • Data collection and analysis
  • Family language policy: One Person, One Language approach
  • Parental perceptions of their children’s identity and HL
  • Different strategies for HL teaching
  • Discussion and conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
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