Chinese adolescents in Britain and Hong Kong: identity and aspirations

Verma, Gajendra, Chan, Yiu Man, Bagley, Christopher, Sham, Sylvia, Darby, Douglas, Woodrow, Derek and Skinner, George (1999) Chinese adolescents in Britain and Hong Kong: identity and aspirations , Aldershot. Ashgate Publishing, 212pp.

Abstract

This book is based on several years work in Hong Kong and Britain, both before and after the absorption of the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong into the People’s Republic of China in 1997. The initial chapters review the history of Chinese people in Britain; specific aspects of Chinese culture and personality; Chinese educational systems; and the recent history of migration from Hong Kong to Britain. The central part of the book compares three samples of adolescents (about 350 in each of the three cultures): Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong; Chinese adolescents in Britain, with sub-divisions of those who have grown up in Britain and those recently arrived; and Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong. All of the 1,050 respondents completed measures of self-concept, identity, educational aspirations and views about the family, society and the future. The final part of the book contains extended qualitative accounts from personal interview with a sub-sample of Chinese adolescents in Britain and concludes with proposals for educational and policy changes which can accommodate the aspirations of Chinese adolescents in the British educational system.
Contents
The context and background of the study; The Chinese community in Britain; Self esteem and cultural identity; The design of the study and sample characteristics; Identity and migration experience in Chinese adolescents; Language and identity; Demographic factors in cultural identity; Cultural identity in cross-cultural perspective; The experience of school and educational aspirations; Qualitative study of Chinese families in Britain; Conclusions and policy recommendations.

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