| Seeking to broaden the field of Chinese Heritage Language education, this dissertation brings together Nussbaum's (1997) philosophical defense of a liberal education through multicultural studies with theories of transformative pedagogy and educational leadership. This conceptual argument, supported by a qualitative study of an exemplary Chinese language school, explores the important issues of language program structure, curriculum design, textbook selection, teacher training, and learners' identity formation. The study identifies three levels of Chinese Heritage Language (HL) education: (1) Individual Identity Conformation (IIC), which focuses on preserving culture through HL instruction for ethnic communities and individuals; (2) National Identity Conformation (NIC), which considers HL as a national resource for the demands of foreign languages proficiency; and (3) Global Identity Conformation (GIC), which sees HL as an instrument for transcending one's own culture with developing mutual respect, and a sense of the humanity and legitimacy of all cultures.;The findings show that ChongMing Chinese Language School effectively communicates its goals of IIC, NIC, and GIC and by employing strategies of transformative pedagogy and leadership helps students improve their cultural consciousness and sense of personal identity. The school faculty, administrators, board members, advisors, and students become positive citizens with rational and emotional skills that help them form a critical understanding of popular and political discourse, developing the kind of cultural understanding pictured in Nussbaum's concept of world citizenship. |
