May H Hsieh

From Invisible to Visible: Stories of Taiwanese Hakka Heritage Teachers' Journeys May H Hsieh

From invisible to visible: Stories of Taiwanese Hakka heritage teachers' journeys is a study exploring teachers' views and experiences with Hakka heritage language education and instruction in Taiwan. These teachers are involved in Taiwan's current heritage language program and also experienced the Mandarin Movement which started several decades ago. Data for this qualitative study was collected from interviews with 10 Hakka teachers involved in Hakka heritage language instruction in elementary schools in Taiwan. The research findings indicate that the heritage language program reinforces the value of Hakka culture and Hakka identity. In addition, this study shows that the Mandarin Movement demonstrated the elementary school's important role in the cultivation of students' language use habits and perceptions toward the various Taiwanese languages.