Challenges Encountered in a Chinese Immersion Program in the United States

The rapid rise of Asian economies has increased the popularity of learning Chinese language worldwide. Although CIP have become popular in the United States, research into these programs is scant. This study explores the practices and challenges of one such Chinese immersion program by using a case study methodology to gain in-depth insights. The case school is a state-funded nonprofit organization created by a group of community members. The main research participants were teachers of the kindergarten levels of immersion classes. The researchers used semistructured interviews, an online questionnaire, and document collection to obtain data. The main challenges faced by the CIPs are as follows: (1) difficulty in recruiting qualified teachers; (2) insufficient professional development; (3) difficulty in balancing content and language instruction; (4) insufficient use of Chinese; and (5) shortage of external resource support. Strategies to overcome these obstacles encountered in CIP have been discussed and suggested in this paper.