Chinese-Canadian Children Research Articles

Interpretation of the Emotional World of Chinese Children Images in Jade Peony

The first novel Jade Peony by Chinese-Canadian writer Wayson Choy mainly relates the experience about a family of three generations lived in Canada through those three Chinese children’s perspectives. Under the influence of dual culture, the growth of these Chinese Canadian children is accompanied by confusion and pain. This article will explore the emotional world behind these children’s images and reveal how they choose to survive and merge in the conflicts of different cultures.

Met and unmet expectations for parental monitoring knowledge in Chinese Canadian children.

Met and unmet expectations for parental monitoring knowledge in Chinese Canadian children.

CROSS-CULTURAL COMPARISONS OF YOUNG CHILDREN’S EARLY NUMERACY PERFORMANCE: EFFECTS OF AN EXPLICIT MIDPOINT ON NUMBER LINE PERFORMANCE FOR CANADIAN AND CHINESE-CANADIAN CHILDREN

INTRODUCTION. Children’s ability to place numbers on a line, where only the endpoints are marked, is related to other aspects of their mathematical understanding. In the present research, we examined the effects of a midpoint reference (e.g., marking the location of 5 on a 0-10 number line) on young children’s performance (3- to 5-year-olds) on a number line task. METHOD. We compared children with shared educational experiences but different cultural backgrounds: Chinese-Canadian children (n = 47) and Canadian children whose parents were educated in Canada or elsewhere (n = 47). All children completed a standard condition with only the endpoints marked and a midpoint condition where a midpoint reference was presented on the number line. RESULTS. The early numeracy skills of Chinese-Canadian children were better than those of the other Canadian children. Chinese-Canadian children made more accurate number line estimates when a midpoint reference at 5 was provided compared to Canadian children whereas the groups did not differ on a standard number line (i.e., no midpoint).Cultural differences persisted when mothers’ education, children’s age, and kindergarten attendance were controlled. DISCUSSION. These results suggest that strong fundamental numeracy skills are related to children’s performance on novel and complex tasks, such as the number line. These findings also indicate that differences across cultural groups may be related to language of instruction, parents’ education, or differences in home activities and emphasize the importance of developing more comprehensive frameworks for interpreting cultural differences in mathematical performance.

Effect of Bifocal and Prismatic Bifocal Spectacles on Myopia Progression in Children

Myopia is a significant public health problem, making it important to determine whether a bifocal spectacle treatment involving near prism slows myopia progression in children. To determine whether bifocal and prismatic bifocal spectacles control myopia in children with high rates of myopia progression and to assess whether the treatment effect is dependent on the lag of accommodation and/or near phoria status. This 3-year randomized clinical trial was conducted in a private practice. A total of 135 (73 female and 62 male) Chinese-Canadian children (aged 8-13 years; mean [SE] age, 10.29 [0.15] years; mean [SE] myopia, -3.08 [0.10] D) with myopia progression of at least 0.50 D in the preceding year were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments. A total of 128 (94.8%) completed the trial. Single-vision lenses (control, n = 41), +1.50-D executive bifocals (n = 48), and +1.50-D executive bifocals with 3-Δ base-in prism in the near segment of each lens (n = 46). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Myopia progression (primary) measured using an automated refractor following cycloplegia and increase in axial length (secondary) measured using ultrasonography at intervals of 6 months for 36 months. RESULTS Myopia progression over 3 years was an average (SE) of -2.06 (0.13) D for the single-vision lens group, -1.25 (0.10) D for the bifocal group, and -1.01 (0.13) D for the prismatic bifocal group. Axial length increased an average (SE) of 0.82 (0.05) mm, 0.57 (0.07) mm, and 0.54 (0.06) mm, respectively. The treatment effect of bifocals (0.81 D) and prismatic bifocals (1.05 D) was significant (P < .001). Both bifocal groups had less axial elongation (0.25 mm and 0.28 mm, respectively) than the single-vision lens group (P < .001). For children with high lags of accommodation (≥ 1.01 D), the treatment effect of both bifocals and prismatic bifocals was similar (1.1 D) (P < .001). For children with low lags (<1.01 D), the treatment effect of prismatic bifocals (0.99 D) was greater than of bifocals (0.50 D) (P = .03). The treatment effect of both bifocals and prismatic bifocals was independent of the near phoria status. Bifocal spectacles can slow myopia progression in children with an annual progression rate of at least 0.50 D after 3 years. These results suggest that prismatic bifocals are more effective for myopic children with low lags of accommodation. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00787579.

Development of children’s moral evaluations of modesty and self-promotion in diverse cultural settings

This cross-cultural study of the moral judgements of Mainland Han-Chinese, Chinese-Canadian, and Euro-Canadian children aged seven to 11 examined the evaluations of narrative protagonists’ modest lies and self-promoting truthful statements in situations where they had done a good deed. The story characters had thus either lied or told the truth about a prosocial act that they had committed. Chinese children judged modest lies more positively and boastful truths less positively than Euro-Canadian children. Chinese and Chinese-Canadian children rated immodest statements more negatively than did Euro-Canadian children. The cultural differences were greatest with the oldest children. Chinese children rated modest lies significantly more positively than either Canadian group who did not differ from each other but an interaction between age and culture revealed the three groups to be significantly different at age 11 with Chinese children most positive, followed by Chinese-Canadian children, and with Euro-Canadian children evaluating modest lies least positively. Cultural strictures and acculturation factors respecting modesty and self-enhancement are reflected in these differences.

Social and psychological adjustment of Chinese Canadian children

This study examined social and psychological adjustment of immigrant and Canadian-born Chinese children in Canada. Participants included a sample of elementary school children (N = 356, M age = 11 years). Data on social functioning, peer relationships, school-related social competence, perceived self-worth, and loneliness were collected from peer assessments, teacher ratings, and self-reports. The results indicated that immigrant and Canadian-born Chinese children had different experiences of social and psychological adjustment in the school. Among aspects of acculturation, English proficiency and participation in Chinese cultural activities were positively associated with social competence and negatively associated with adjustment problems, particularly in immigrant Chinese children. These results indicate the involvement of contextual factors in children’s social functioning and psychological well-being.

Randomized Trial of Effect of Bifocal and Prismatic Bifocal Spectacles on Myopic Progression

To determine whether bifocal and prismatic bifocal spectacles could control myopia in children with high rates of myopic progression. This was a randomized controlled clinical trial. One hundred thirty-five (73 girls and 62 boys) myopic Chinese Canadian children (myopia of > or =1.00 diopters [D]) with myopic progression of at least 0.50 D in the preceding year were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments: (1) single-vision lenses (n = 41), (2) +1.50-D executive bifocals (n = 48), or (3) +1.50-D executive bifocals with a 3-prism diopters base-in prism in the near segment of each lens (n = 46). Myopic progression measured by an automated refractor under cycloplegia and increase in axial length (secondary) measured by ultrasonography at 6-month intervals for 24 months. Only the data of the right eye were used. Of the 135 children (mean age, 10.29 years [SE, 0.15 years]; mean visual acuity, -3.08 D [SE, 0.10 D]), 131 (97%) completed the trial after 24 months. Myopic progression averaged -1.55 D (SE, 0.12 D) for those who wore single-vision lenses, -0.96 D (SE, 0.09 D) for those who wore bifocals, and -0.70 D (SE, 0.10 D) for those who wore prismatic bifocals. Axial length increased an average of 0.62 mm (SE, 0.04 mm), 0.41 mm (SE, 0.04 mm), and 0.41 mm (SE, 0.05 mm), respectively. The treatment effect of bifocals (0.59 D) and prismatic bifocals (0.85 D) was significant (P < .001) and both bifocal groups had less axial elongation (0.21 mm) than the single-vision lens group (P < .001). Bifocal lenses can moderately slow myopic progression in children with high rates of progression after 24 months. APPLICATIONS TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Bifocal spectacles may be considered for slowing myopic progression in children with an annual progression rate of at least 0.50 D.

Neurophysiological correlates of executive function: a comparison of european-canadian and chinese-canadian 5-year-olds

This study explored the neurophysiological correlates of executive function (EF) in young children from two different cultural backgrounds. Twenty European-Canadian and 17 Chinese-Canadian 5-year-olds participated in a go/no-go task, during which high-density electroencephalographic (EEG) data were recorded. No cultural group differences were observed in children's behavioral performance on the task, but marked differences were revealed by ERP analyses, which focused on the amplitude and latency of the N2 waveform. Chinese-Canadian children showed larger (i.e., more negative) N2 amplitudes than European-Canadian children on the right side of the scalp on no-go trials, as well as on the left side of the scalp on go trials, and for all children, larger N2 amplitudes were associated with faster median reaction times. Source analyses of the N2 were consistent with the hypothesis that compared to European-Canadian children, Chinese-Canadian children showed more activation in dorsomedial, ventromedial, and (bilateral) ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. These findings reveal that EEG can provide a measure of cultural differences in neurocognitive function that is more sensitive than behavioral data alone; that Chinese-Canadian children show a pattern of hemispheric differentiation in the context of this task than that is more pronounced than that of age-matched European-Canadian children; that the asymmetrically lateralized N2 may be a reliable marker of both effortful inhibition (on the right) and effortful approach (on the left); and that the neural correlates of EF may vary across samples of healthy participants, even in children.

Cultural differences in consumer socialization: A comparison of Chinese–Canadian and Caucasian–Canadian children

Based on the extant literature on the cultural/subcultural differences in socialization goals and parental practices in the childrearing process, this study compares Chinese–Canadian and Caucasian–Canadian families with respect to three issues central to consumer socialization – family communication patterns, children's consumer decision-making styles, and children's influence in family purchase decisions. Some significant results include: (1) Chinese–Canadian children perceived both of their parents as more socio-oriented than Caucasian–Canadian children perceived theirs whereas no significant between-group difference was found on the perceived level of concept-orientation for either parent; (2) Chinese–Canadian children, relative to their Caucasian–Canadian counterparts, exhibited more utilitarian and confused-by-overchoice consumer decision-making orientations but less social/conspicuous and impulsive orientations; and (3) Chinese–Canadian children exercised greater purchase influence than their Caucasian–Canadian counterparts for the adolescent ‘convenience’ product category but no difference was found for the adolescent ‘durable’ product category.

Social functioning and adjustment in Canadian-born children with Chinese and European backgrounds.

The purpose of the study was to examine social functioning and adjustment in peer context in Chinese Canadian and European Canadian children. A sample of elementary school children participated in the study. Data on social functioning, peer acceptance and rejection, and victimization were collected from peer assessments and sociometric nominations. The results indicated that Chinese Canadian children were viewed by peers as less aggressive-disruptive than European Canadian children. Chinese Canadian girls, but not boys, were more shy-sensitive than their European Canadian counterparts. Sociability was associated with peer acceptance, whereas aggression was associated with peer rejection and victimization. Shyness was associated with peer relationship difficulties more evidently in European Canadian children than in Chinese Canadian children. These results indicate the relevance of ethnic background to children's peer social experiences.

Myopia Prevalence in Chinese-Canadian Children in an Optometric Practice

The high prevalence of myopia in Chinese children living in urban East Asian countries such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China has been well documented. However, it is not clear whether the prevalence of myopia would be similarly high for this group of children if they were living in a Western country. This study aims to determine the prevalence and progression of myopia in ethnic Chinese children living in Canada. Right eye refraction data of Chinese-Canadian children aged 6 to 12 years were collated from the 2003 clinical records of an optometric practice in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Myopia was defined as a spherical equivalent refraction (SER) equal or less than -0.50 D. The prevalence of myopia and refractive error distribution in children of different ages and the magnitude of refractive error shifts over the preceding 8 years were determined. Data were adjusted for potential biases in the clinic sample. A questionnaire was administered to 300 Chinese and 300 Caucasian children randomly selected from the clinic records to study lifestyle issues that may impact on myopia development. Optometric records of 1468 children were analyzed (729 boys and 739 girls). The clinic bias adjusted prevalence of myopia increased from 22.4% at age 6 to 64.1% at age 12 and concurrently the portion of the children that were emmetropic (refraction between -0.25 and +0.75 D) decreased (68.6% at 6 years to 27.2% at 12 years). The highest incidence of myopia for both girls ( approximately 35%) and boys ( approximately 25%) occurred at 9 and 10 years of age. The average annual refractive shift for all children was -0.52+/-0.42 D and -0.90+/-0.40 D for just myopic children. The questionnaire revealed that these Chinese-Canadian children spent a greater amount of time performing near work and less time outdoors than did Caucasian-Canadian children. Ethnic Chinese children living in Canada develop myopia comparable in prevalence and magnitude to those living in urban East Asian countries. Recent migration of the children and their families to Canada does not appear to lower their myopia risk.

Biliteracy and trilingual practices in the home context: Case studies of Chinese-Canadian children

Although Chinese has become the third largest mother tongue in both Canada and the USA, Chinese/English biliteracy development has received little attention in educational research.This article explores three Chinese-Canadian first and second graders’ biliteracy (Chinese/English reading and writing) and trilingual (Mandarin, Cantonese, and English) practices in the home milieu. Findings suggest that the home context is a crucial environment for success or failure in achieving biliteracy. All families expected their children to become biliterate and multilingual, but the three children vary in their preferences and use of different languages and literacies at home. Factors such as parents’ perceptions of their minority status in the host society, their attitudes toward the role of heritage language and their own proficiencies in the dominant language, as well as several school and societal factors, such as quality of instruction in heritage language schools, language policies in the mainstream schools, and the media, played an important role in shaping the children’s language choices and patterns of use at home. These multiple factors suggest that helping immigrant children become biliterate and multilingual is a challenging task that requires concerted efforts between parents, public schools, and community organizations.

Perspectives on Struggling English Language Learners: Case Studies of Two Chinese-Canadian Children

Chinese learners are often stereotyped as high achievers and overlooked in literacy research. This year-long, qualitative study in a combined Grade 4/5 classroom presents the cases of two struggling Chinese-Canadian learners. The study offers a new perspective on struggling learners by revealing a complex, multilayered understanding of these learners from different social members' viewpoints. I provide detailed descriptions of these learners' literacy experiences and dispositions of learning at school and at home, and their teachers' and parents' perspectives on their struggles with English literacy. The findings suggest that several home and school cultural discontinuities and pedagogical influences contributed to the children's difficulty with literacy. The discontinuities included (1) parents' preference for word-by-word decoding versus teachers' preference for semantic connections between pages, (2) parents' and teachers' different interpretations of what and how much homework should be given, (3) parents' and teachers' perspectives on the causes of the children's low literacy performance, and (4) lack of communication between the school and home. The pedagogical influences included (1) decontextualized literacy activities and lack of direct instruction, (2) instructional materials that were detached from the learners' cultural backgrounds, (3) insufficient recognition and utilization of students' resources in their first language, and (4) problematic assessment of these learners. The study raises critical issues in understanding the multivoicedness concerning struggling English language learners and provides educators with guidance for effective instructional planning and for building school-parent partnerships.

Alternative therapy use by Chinese-Canadian children with stroke and cerebrovascular disease.

The use of alternative therapies in immigrant children with stroke and cerebrovascular diseases has not been reported. We identified immigrant and first-generation Chinese-Canadian children with stroke and cerebrovascular diseases in a pediatric stroke clinic and used standardized questionnaires to interview their parents about alternative therapy use. The chi-square test was used to assess the associations of parental educational level and foreign birth in the child with alternative therapy use. We identified 17 children, 9 boys and 8 girls. Six were immigrants to Canada and 11 were Canadian born. Nine of 17 families (53%) reported using alternative therapies. All 9 used Chinese herbs, but only 3 were able to report the names of specific preparations. Four families were using medications that had the potential to affect coagulation. Documentation of alternative therapy use was found in the medical charts of 3 of the 9 patients. Three families reported feeling uncomfortable discussing alternative therapy use with their physicians. We did not see an association between alternative therapy use and parental educational level or foreign birth in the child. Physicians should be aware that parents of children with stroke may be using alternative therapies to treat their children and may be unwilling or unable to report all therapies used.

A Cross-language Comparison of Preschool Children's Vocal Fundamental Frequency in Speech and Song Production

Pitch is a psychoacoustic concept that has distinctive functions in speech and music across languages. The present investigation is based on a hypothesis that speakers of tonal and non-tonal languages may have distinctive vocal pitch behaviours. Ethnographic observations was conducted on the vocal development of a group of English and Chinese Canadian children over 42 months. Acoustic analyses were performed on recorded vocalizations to extract pitch. Comparisons of longitudinal vocal fundamental frequencies between the Chinese and English speaking children suggest possible language differences in the use of pitch to distinguish between speech and song production. Implications on strategies to provide more effective singing experience in a multicultural classroom are discussed.

Mongolian spots in Chinese children.

Ninety-two Chinese Canadian newborn infants (49 boys and 43 girls) and 1633 Chinese Canadian children (819 boys and 814 girls) in Calgary, Alberta, Canada were examined for the presence of Mongolian spots. Mongolian spots were present in all newborns and disappeared slowly until 6 years of age when the rate of disappearance increased. At 10 years of age, none were found. The overall incidence regardless of age was 58% in boys and 53.3% in girls. The most frequent site of involvement was the sacrococcygeal area, followed by the gluteal and lumbar areas. Both sides were equally affected. In only 7.8% of boys and 3.3% of girls was the involved area greater than 15% of the body surface area. Most (63.8% of boys and 67.4% of girls) had less than 5% involved. The color of the Mongolian spots varied from gray to grayish blue to grayish black. In general, younger children had darker Mongolian spots.