This project proposes an interdisciplinary, community-based approach to maintenance and developing or passing on, to next generations and the wider society, of a minority language and culture. It takes the "Deutsch in Christchurch" centre as a case study in the implementation of such an approach.
The case study consists of two parts: a description and analysis of the story of Deutsch in Christchurch, and a survey held among participants in the centre’s activities and events, to explore attitudes and experiences of the target group. The study aims to explore and bring together experiences and insights from cultural studies, social psychology, sociology and education, amongst others, in order to try and positively impact the lives of members of minority communities and associated individuals across Aotearoa New Zealand and elsewhere. It shows that in order to create these results, an integrated and holistic approach is needed.
Table of Contents
Abstract
Acknowledgements
List of figures
1 Introduction
1.1 Aims of the study
1.2 Why a community-based approach to language and culture
1.3 Structure of the dissertation
2 Literature review
2.1 Theories of acculturation
2.2 Culture learning
2.3 Migrant communities and language learning
2.4 Growing up between different cultures
2.5 The intergenerational aspects of migration
2.6 Reinforcing intergenerational ties: initiatives and pedagogy
2.7 The Montessori method
2.8 Gaps in existing research
3 Research questions and methodology
4 The story of Deutsch in Christchurch
4.1 German immigration into NZ and Canterbury: a brief overview
4.2 Beginning of the centre
4.3 Playgroup and school group
4.4 Cultural events
5 Analysis of contextual factors
5.1 Links between the playgroup and events
5.2 Adapting existing educational methods to a community language group
5.3 Events and public perception
5.4 Traditionalism
5.5 Third generation Germans
5.6 German in the school system
6 The survey and some experiences with Deutsch in Christchurch
6.1 Survey setup and rationale
6.2 Participant recruitment and data analysis
6.3 Results of the survey
6.3.1 Participant demographics
6.3.2 Attitudes towards German language and culture
6.3.3 Language use and confidence in children
6.3.4 Belonging and identity
6.3.5 Intergenerational aspect
6.3.6 Enjoyment and educational value
6.4 Discussion and links with contextual factors
7 Conclusions and discussion
7.1 A discussion of the research questions
7.2 Limitations of the study
7.3 Recommendations for other communities
References
Appendix I. The questionnaire
Appendix II. Information sheet for participants
Abstract
This project proposes an interdisciplinary, community-based approach to maintenance and developing or passing on, to next generations and the wider society, of a minority language and culture. It takes the Deutsch in Christchurch centre as a case study in the implementation of such an approach. The case study consists of two parts: a description and analysis of the story of Deutsch in Christchurch, and a survey held among participants in the centre's activities and events, to explore attitudes and experiences of the target group. The study aims to explore and bring together experiences and insights from cultural studies, social psychology, sociology and education, amongst others, in order to try and positively impact the lives of members of minority communities and associated individuals across Aotearoa New Zealand and elsewhere. It shows that in order to create these results, an integrated and holistic approach is needed.
Zeiten andern sich, dich und deine Sicht
Bushido, Zeiten andern sich
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my supervisor, Associate Professor Evgeny Pavlov, for his supervision, and Dr. Andreas Dorrer for his earlier encouragement for this project. I also wish to thank everybody involved with Deutsch in Christchurch, for contributing their valuable time and creating a great space together. I am very grateful to everyone who participated in the survey. Finally, I would like to thank my family, and particularly my daughter, without whom this entire initiative would never have seen the light of day.
List of figures
Figure1Berlin Wall fragment and information panel at Rauora Park, Christchurch (photo: Facebook).
Figure 2. Weihnachtsmarkt at the Riverside Markets, 17 July 2021 (photo: Deutsch in Christchurch)
Figure3.Invitation for the lantern walk (photo: Facebook).
Figure 4. Menu at Federweisser Celebration (photo: Deutsch in Christchurch)
Figure 5. Attitudes towards German language and culture
Figure 6. Learning and using German
Figure 7. Awareness and interest related to German background
Figure 8. Feelings of pride and belonging
Figure 9. Intergenerational learning
Figure 10. Enjoyment of DC activities
Figure 11. Activities selected as most enjoyable
Figure 12. Activities selected as most educational
1 Introduction
Based on the 2018 Census, there are about 17,000 people in New Zealand who identify as being of German ethnicity (Stats NZ, 2018). The total number of German speakers was around 37,000 in 2013 (Statistics New Zealand, 2013). This number is higher, because there are several additional countries and regions around the world that have either German as an official language, or large German-speaking populations: for instance, there are slightly over 1,200 Austrians (Stats NZ, 2018) and slightly over 2,600 Swiss people (Stats NZ, 2018) in New Zealand. The 37,000 figure includes anyone who reported speaking German, and so it probably is additionally made up of a large variety of people who are not heritage speakers of the language, but for instance learned it as a foreign language in school.
Of the 17,000 people with German ethnicity, a large number probably migrated during their lifetime, and now live and grow up in a different country and culture than the one(s) they originate from. Many migrant parents feel the need to connect with this origin culture and community, for a range of reasons, but a big focus often lies on their children learning the associated language(s). While people should be supported in these efforts, there is also a danger in a too narrow focus on learning the language “properly” or “correctly” and paying attention mostly to spelling and grammar. In foreign language learning but even more so in supporting communities to maintain their heritage language, language and culture familiarisation should go hand in hand, as the two are closely intertwined, and the language is a vehicle to get to know the culture.
1.1 Aims of the study
This dissertation aims to provide a case study of the Deutsch in Christchurch initiative, of which I was one of the co-founders. Deutsch in Christchurch aims to reinforce a sense of identity and belonging in people identifying as German and those interested in the language and culture, both within themselves and in the context of life in New Zealand. The centre uses a holistic and community-based approach, including all the generations through a variety of activities and events, discussed in more detail throughout the dissertation and particularly in Chapter 4. This approach tries to connect a range of different academic fields and theories, and the aim of the case study is to investigate to what extent it is successful in doing so. On the basis of the study, recommendations should result for both Deutsch in Christchurch and other ethnic communities for future implementation and adaptation of the approach.
1.2 Why a community-based approach to language and culture
To me, community-based learning means that ideally, everyone is involved, across generations, genders and so forth, and that everyone contributes according to their own strengths and expertise. The last few decades have seen a rising interest in intergenerational approaches to learning, particularly in making connections between the elderly and pre-schoolers. Many of these initiatives focus on the majority group in a particular country, and there are relatively few that aim specifically at a particular minority group. The existing literature does not explicitly discuss the connection between language learning and intergenerational approaches. A potential reason for this is that most research is done on majority groups, and children's language acquisition would not be one of the major goals of the projects, as there would be plenty of other opportunities for the children involved to learn the majority language. The novelty and contribution of the current study lies in the fact that it aims at drawing explicit connections between the fields and aims of intergenerational learning and minority or heritage language and culture acquisition and maintenance.
A community-based approach and the results of this case study are expected to be relevant not only to German speakers in NZ, but to other groups here and overseas as well. With increasing globalisation and expanding patterns of migration, many countries around the world become increasingly multicultural and multilingual. Particularly in major cities, we find large groups of people with a linguistic and cultural background that differs from the mainstream society. For instance in Auckland, over 150 languages are spoken and 30% of school-aged children speak a language other than English (Education Review Office 2018). An unknown but probably not insignificant proportion of these children will be from culturally mixed families, where the parents have diverse cultural backgrounds that are both different from the majority one (e.g. a German-Brazilian mixed family living in NZ). Regardless of their ethnic backgrounds and family makeup, parents with a diverse background often have a wish for their children to grow up bi- or multilingual and remain connected to their culture and society of origin; they are therefore interested in maintaining the heritage language(s). In a still largely monolingual society like the New Zealand one, there remain many challenges for them. Despite efforts to increase awareness among teachers of the value of linguistic and cultural diversity, English remains dominant in mainstream schools, and it is difficult for individual teachers to cater for children with many different languages within the one classroom. The role of supporting families in integrating their different linguistic and cultural profiles with the mainstream NZ one therefore still falls to a large extent on initiatives developed by communities themselves. For this reason, the outcomes of this dissertation will have relevance for many of these groups.
1.3 Structure of the dissertation
This dissertation is structured as follows. Chapter 2 contains a review of the relevant literature for the topic under consideration. In Chapter 3, the research questions and methodology are introduced. Chapter 4 provides a brief history of Deutsch in Christchurch and an overview of activities and events that took place so far. In Chapter 5, a qualitative analysis of the centre's activities and context is given. Chapter 6 discusses the results of a survey investigating the experiences with and attitudes of members of the community who have taken part in Deutsch in Christchurch activities. Chapter 7 draws everything together, discussing the research questions on the basis of the analyses and findings from the survey, and providing recommendations and directions for the future based on the present study.
2 Literature review
This chapter discusses existing literature relevant for the research problem addressed in this thesis. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the project, existing studies in a range of different fields will be discussed. There is a vast body of literature on immigration, multiculturalism and multilingualism, and cross-cultural contact, across different fields. As is to be expected, studies in sociology usually focus on effects on the group or community level, while studies in psychology mostly look at the effects of migration and living across cultures on the level of the individual. As both of these levels have relevance for the aims of this study, each will be taken into account.
The first subsection provides a background by discussing theories of acculturation. The section following will go more deeply into the ‘culture learning' approach. The next section introduces the topic of minority or diaspora communities and existing studies on language and culture maintenance that use a variety of methods. After that, work on the relation between language and identity, particularly within the context of German and other European languages in New Zealand, is discussed. The next subsections move away from the focus on language and culture and instead look at educational practices in a more general sense, in the discussion of intergenerational and community-based methods of learning. The final subsection discusses the Montessori and Steiner methods as they are relevant for the approach to teaching within the Deutsch in Christchurch centre.
2.1 Theories of acculturation
In the context of migration, there will always be people from different cultures coming into contact with each other, and the study of acculturation (acquisition of cultural traits) has a long history. Three perspectives can be distinguished: unidirectional, bidimensional and interactive (Ngo, 2008). In the unidirectional tradition, successful acculturation is seen as identical to assimilation, or a total loss of identity and absorption into the mainstream culture by minority groups. Gordon (1964, 1978) identifies seven stages of assimilation. The unidirectional approach has received much criticism, amongst others for being Eurocentric and imperialistic, having too much of a focus on equal opportunity and free will, and of seeing cultures as monolithic and not paying attention to diversity within cultural groups (Ngo, 2008).
In a reaction to this criticism, the bidimensional model was developed by J.W. Berry (1974, 1980). According to this model, two dimensions are important: whether a group thinks it is valuable to maintain cultural identity, and whether the group sees value in maintaining relationships with other groups. The interaction between the two dimensions leads to four possible outcomes of intercultural contact:
- Integration: group maintains both cultural identity and relationships with other groups
- Separation: group maintains cultural identity but not relationships with other groups
- Assimilation: group doesn't maintain cultural identity but does maintain relationships with other groups
- Marginalisation: group doesn't maintain either cultural identity or relationships with other groups
The bidimensional approach was an improvement because it no longer considered assimilation the only possible or desirable outcome of intercultural contact. Integration in particular has long been pushed as the ‘ideal' outcome of acculturation by politicians (Chin, 2017). However, this framework is also not without problems. For instance, as also noted by Ngo (2008) and Chin (2017), it doesn't take into account power dynamics and oppressive systems within societies, and still places too much importance on free will. When there is a power differential in intergroup relations, integration is often not much different from assimilation.
A third approach, the interactive model (Bourhis et al., 1997), takes into account the role of the dominant or majority cultural group (the receiving society in the case of immigration) as well. They look at the interaction between the immigrant group's strategies and the receiving community's orientation, and whether these are consensual (intergroup harmony), problematic (partial agreement) or conflictual (intergroup conflict). Because Bourhis et al. (1997) split the ‘marginalisation' category in two, there are 25 different potential outcomes of the interaction between the groups, but according to Ngo (2008), they did not elaborate in detail on the implications of any of these possible outcomes for the immigrants' sense of wellbeing. In my opinion, it is vital to also consider how the majority cultural group(s) and host society can play a supportive role in the issue of acculturation (something that is also advocated by Berry, Phinney, Sam & Vedder (2010)), however it appears that this not an element that has been widely studied in acculturation research.
2.2 Culture learning
One approach to the issue of acculturation in a multicultural context as discussed above, is the culture learning approach. This approach “is based on the assumption that cross-cultural problems arise because cultural novices have difficulties managing everyday social encounters. Adaptation, therefore, comes in the form of learning culture-specific skills that are required to negotiate a new cultural milieu” (Masgoret & Ward, 2006, p. 58). Within this approach there is a large focus on learning communicative skills that are culture-specific, since cultures all have different norms and values around communication. While of course language competency is an important prerequisite for successful communication, on its own it is not enough, and there is a huge difference between cultures in what is an acceptable communication style in terms of amount of physical contact, gaze, gesturing, silence, politeness strategies, turn taking, and so forth. Also what are acceptable topics to be discussed e.g. among strangers or acquaintances differs a lot. These norms, values and conventions around communication are usually implicit and unspoken rules, and it is often difficult for people who didn't grow up in the culture to become aware of them in the first place, and if they are aware of them, to adopt them, in particular if the norms, values and conventions they grew up with were very different. Masgoret and Ward (2006) mention a number of factors that can lead to individual differences in culture learning: motivation and expectations, personality, previous experiences and length of residence.
With regard to Germans in NZ, different communicative styles have been mentioned in the literature as an area of struggle for German immigrants. For instance, Germans place high value on honesty in communication, while New Zealanders place value on consideration and politeness. As a result, Germans are often perceived as rude by New Zealanders while in the opposite direction, they perceive New Zealanders as insincere and hypocritical (Bonisch- Brednich, 2002; Wohlfart, 2017). From various studies mentioned in Masgoret and Ward (2006), however, it turns out that adopting different communication styles or accepting new values is not crucial to successful sociocultural adaptation; rather, knowledge and awareness of cross-cultural differences in conventions and values has a much greater benefit. Community initiatives could play a role in fostering this awareness. In this respect, again it is important that not only the immigrant group becomes aware of these differences with the host society, but also that the majority cultural group in the host society becomes aware of the cross-cultural differences with various cultural groups.
2.3 Migrant communities and language learning
There is a large body of literature on minority language and culture maintenance in different contexts all around the world. In much of this literature, the minority language in question is termed “heritage language” (other terms used are “home language” or “community language”). Heritage language is defined as “a minority language not spoken by the majority within the community or country, with both language and culture being passed down the generations” (Little, 2019, p. 219; Blackledge & Creese, 2010). This term is often used in order to contrast this transmission down the generations to more formal foreign language learning in schools, particularly for world languages such as Spanish or German. The term is unfortunate in a sense, though, as it has a connotation of being strongly linked to a community's past, and being an invariable, static asset that needs to be “preserved”. These ideas may mean it is not a very attractive prospect for children and youngsters in the minority language community to put effort into learning to speak the language, as they see it as something old-fashioned. Language maintenance may be more positively viewed, and actually be more successful, if instead the focus would shift away from this and towards a more dynamic and future-oriented approach. This would involve shifting away from the “heritage” terminology, and also a bigger focus on the diversity within language communities, and a bigger role for digital technology.
One finding is that for languages that are well resourced (such as German or French), a lot of options exist but are usually targeted either at native (monolingual) speakers of the language, or at speakers of other languages who want to learn it as a foreign language, and there is very little available for heritage language learners specifically (Little, 2019). For languages that are less well resourced, for example Macedonian, the number of options is generally very limited to begin with (Guskaroka & Elliott, 2021). Eisenchlas, Schalley & Moyes (2016) report on a pilot study that explored home-based literacy teaching for German-speaking children in Australia, by means of three games developed specifically for the project.
All studies mentioned above conclude that there is generally a high level of support among parents within language groups for their children to grow up multilingually, and develop competency both in speaking and writing in the minority language. Both survey and interview results indicate this, but of course there may be a bias here in the sense that parents who feel strongly about maintaining their heritage language are more likely to take part in a research project, as opposed to those who don't have such strong views, or even have negative attitudes towards maintaining the home language. The studies also identify numerous challenges that minority language communities are facing, such as lack of (financial) resources.
The concept of motivation, mentioned above for sociocultural adaptation, is also important in language learning (Masgoret & Gardner, 2003; Masgoret & Ward, 2006). Virtually all of the literature here is concerned with motivation in second or foreign language acquisition, since for first language acquisition the presence of motivation would be considered a given. This means that not all of the findings are also applicable to children who grow up as multilingual speakers of a community language and a majority language. Still clearly, some amount of motivation both on the part of the parents and on the part of the children is required to keep speaking a home language when the family has migrated, even if this language is the L1 of both the parent and the child. Many studies have found a positive effect of motivation on achievement in foreign or second language learning in a classroom setting (Masgoret & Gardner, 2003). Important factors that feed into motivation are for instance attitudes about the learning situation and a willingness to identify with the language community.
An educational approach to second and foreign language learning that has gained some popularity in recent years is Content and Language Integrated Learning, or CLIL (Moller, 2017). This method basically refers to the teaching of content of any kind in a language that is not the first language of the students, with the goal of encouraging active bilingualism in this target language. The approach was first introduced in schools where subjects like biology or history would be taught in a foreign language. Nowadays, it is more widely applied, for instance also in teaching and playing sports. Since this method aims at actively promoting bilingualism and conversation in the target language, it appears to be also well suited for community groups, since it allows them to have language learning taking place without the need of constant formal instruction.
2.4 Growing up between different cultures
For the so-called second generation, the young people who grow up “between two cultures”, it is not only, or not even mostly, the language skills that will be of crucial importance and interest for their development. A study by Cunningham and King (2018) identified a number of themes related to the mixed ethnic identities of young people in New Zealand with Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Korean or Spanish parentage. Many of the young people in their study, and not only the immigrant parents, point out that it is important to them to maintain a link with the country of origin, including the language and culture. For the young people, this may be less about their parents' heritage but more about “developing belonging in multiple locations for these young people raised in what Turner (1969) termed liminal space between languages and cultures” (Cunningham & King, 2018, p. 9).
This need for multiple belonging, and an associated increased risk of feelings of alienation and identity crisis in younger people if needs are not met, is one of the main reasons the interdisciplinary focus of the present project is proposed. In order to be able to foster this multiple belonging, a strong and visible presence of the various communities will be needed, and this requires efforts on the societal and the group level. To assist this process, a communitybased and intergenerational approach integrating language and culture is expected to be helpful. A study by De Waele & Van Oudenhoven (2009) suggests that when multiple belonging is created, it can have significant benefits. This includes fostering active multilingualism. Their study with teenagers in London found that the participants who reported being equally proficient in multiple languages scored significantly higher on their measure of open- mindedness, and also higher on cultural empathy.
There may be a perception that continental European immigrants integrate into a host society like the NZ one quite unproblematically. This appears to be unfounded, however. Previous research (e.g. Bonisch-Brednich, 2003; Burgelt, 2008; Burgelt et al., 2008; Wohlfart, 2017) has identified a number of issues Germans in New Zealand have been facing. One finding these studies have in common is that Germans generally keep a “low profile” (Bonisch- Brednich, 2003, title page). They appear to be hesitant in sharing their German identity and in socialising with other Germans. Burgelt et al. (2008) report that this may be often connected to German history:
German history still casts its shadows over German migrants in that it discourages associating with other German migrants. Even though participants experienced World War II only as children or were born after World War II, and did not feel personally responsible for what had happened, some participants still had guilt and shame feelings. These feelings are sustained by attitudes of many non-Germans including New Zealanders. To avoid these reactions, some participants did not like disclosing that they are German and did not desire to associate with other Germans. (Burgelt et al., 2008, p. 295).
These experiences are probably not isolated; other studies as well report feelings of being marginalised by New Zealanders (Cunningham & King, 2018, p. 7) and experiences of discrimination (Wohlfart, 2017, p. 208), even for second-generation people with a German background. This suggests that in NZ society, many people still have an assimilationist orientation. Research in psychology suggests that growing up between two cultures is significantly related to e.g. lower self-esteem (Hoersting, 2009) and lower levels of emotional stability (De Waele & Van Oudenhoven, 2009). In this way, low visibility of the German language and culture may be harmful not only to the immigrants themselves, but also, or even more so, to their children who grow up in the country of arrival, but partly cut off from their roots.
2.5 The intergenerational aspects of migration
We've seen above that migration can have lasting effects for people across several generations. The importance of ties between the generations is also acknowledged in the context of migrant families, where the intergenerational ties are interrupted when parents and their children move to a different location. “In relation to children, the importance of family relations has been widely recognised as crucial to their development and learning, with emphasis on parents' and grandparents' roles,” Sime and Pietka-Nykaza (2015, p. 209) state, based on studies by Attias- Donfut and Segalen (2002) and Kenner, Ruby, Jessel, Gregory, and Arju (2007). What is special about the situation of migrant families, as opposed to families belonging to the majority cultural group in a country, is that intergenerational learning becomes a much more important (and perhaps in some cases the only) factor that plays a role in how children are familiarised with the norms, values, traditions and so forth of the cultures associated with the parents' backgrounds. In their country of origin, this role would be partly filled by institutions outside the family sphere, which won't be the case to the same extent any longer. Sime and Pietka- Nykaza (2015), based on their study of Polish families in Scotland, also stress the importance of the agency that children bring to the process of cultural learning, and that it should be looked at more in the sense of a symmetrical process, in which the roles of “teacher” and “learner” are often exchanged. For instance, while parents and grandparents are important for their Polish language acquisition, the children in the study would teach their parents and grandparents in turn about elements of Scottish culture, and practice English with them.
Wohlfart (2017) specifically looks at changes that happened over three generations of German migrants in New Zealand. She distinguishes between the first generation (G1), who moved to NZ as adults, second generation (G2), who either moved with their parents as minors or were born in NZ, and third generation (G3), who are the children of the second generation. The study shows that intergenerational transmission of German language and culture drops off dramatically between the generations, with the most marked transition happening in G2. Most of G1 participants still identify as German/Austrian, and German continues to be their dominant language even after decades in NZ. G2 received German input from their parents and grew up bilingually, but many report having had trouble reconciling their dual identities, and further issues of lack of agency in the move and overt discrimination (e.g. at high school). Subsequently, their strategy for dealing with this appears to have been full assimilation into mainstream NZ society, and a decision, conscious or subconscious, not to pass on their heritage to their children. As a result, G3 identifies fully as Kiwis, and have often completely lost any active German language skills. The only elements to typically make it into G3 language and cultural awareness are a couple of terms for food items and address terms such as mama and papa. These results indicate that helping G2 come to terms with their dual identities may go some way to meaningful language and cultural maintenance. This can be taken as further evidence to justify the current research.
2.6 Reinforcing intergenerational ties: initiatives and pedagogy
In the past decades, there is an increasing awareness more generally of the importance of intergenerational contact, in addition to peer-to-peer contact, and its benefits for people of all ages. Current industrialised societies, particularly in the Western world, are organised in such a way that most of people's activities outside the nuclear family take place in groups of people who all have roughly the same age, called an “age-segregated society” by Holmes (2009, p. 114). Most schools and childcare centres are organised around this principle, as are sport clubs and other extracurricular activities that children take part in. In adult life, this changes to some extent, as of course workplaces will usually have people of different age groups, but still it is common for many people to have most friendships and spend most of their leisure activities with people of comparable age.
The societies in question have an aging population, due to longer life expectancies and low birth rates. It has been noted by many, however, that this longer life expectancy does not correlate with higher quality of life for aging people (Holmes, 2009; Gallagher, 2019). While the issue is very complex and there are many interrelated factors that play a role in people's sense of wellbeing, creating an increased sense of connectedness between generations may counter some of the less desirable effects of the ways in which modern societies are organised (Carstensen, Freedman & Larson, 2016; Peters et al., 2021). There have been a range of initiatives in various countries to bring people from different generations together again. In the Netherlands, experiments have been done in which elderly people and university students lived together (Harris, 2016). However, there is still a lack of research into the outcomes of increasing contact between the generations, and so the exact effects of many initiatives connecting the generations are not currently known (Peters et al., 2021).
Turning to education specifically, there have been a variety of initiatives that are reported in the literature, most of them targeted towards the early childhood years (Cartmel et al., 2018; Holmes, 2009; Kaplan & Larkin, 2004; Kernan & Cortellesi, 2019). There have been some clear benefits identified, both to young children and the elderly, from these programs. However, there has been little research as yet into intergenerational learning pedagogy, and also about the role of the community in learning (Fitzpatrick, 2019). Intergenerational learning is the oldest form of learning, predating formal education. With the introduction of formal schooling and the separation of work and family life, this type of learning began to decline, and learning came to be associated with formal education, and something individualistic, one-sided and normative, as a “transmission of knowledge from experts or the acquisition of knowledge by novices, with the learner in a passive role” (Fitzpatrick 2019, p. 48). The emergence of socio-cultural theory within education changed this, and in the present day, the focus has shifted again to the importance of relationships and interaction, learning as an active and agentive process, lifelong and lifewide learning, and the community as a resource for learning (Fitzpatrick 2019). However, particularly in formal second and foreign language teaching, actual practices have often not kept up with these developments. It is surrounded by many normative connotations, which may actually work as discouragement and hindrance for the learner. Monolingual native speakers are often still seen as the sole experts, and knowledge transmission can be very asymmetrical. Therefore, modelling language teaching for community or minority languages on the basis of teaching practices in formal education appears to be not a good fit, and potentially counterproductive. Also, language and culture familiarisation should go hand in hand, as the two are closely intertwined, and the language is a vehicle to get to know the culture.
Most of our current knowledge about intergenerational learning is furthermore based on initiatives that target elderly and younger kids in society more generally, and not any minority groups more specifically. One exception is the “TOY for Inclusion” project reported on by Daniel, Rezmuves, Cortellesi & Trikic (2019), which is aimed at Roma communities in several European countries. The Roma people have faced a long history of exclusion and forced assimilation, and as a result are still very disadvantaged in many ways. Ironically, initiatives targeting only Roma often only led to further exclusion. The project reported on worked to establish eight “Play Hubs” that explicitly reached out to Roma but importantly, were welcoming any interested member of the community. People of all ages who got involved were also engaged as co-creators and implementers, rather than passive receivers. This inclusive and symmetrical approach has parallels with the aims of Deutsch in Christchurch, and as Daniel et al. (2019) report, for this initiative it contributed to a feeling of shared belonging, responsibility and solidarity, and provided a way to overcome stereotypes.
Finally, the existing educational literature does not explicitly discuss the connection between community language learning or maintenance and intergenerational approaches. Probably because most research to date has been done on majority groups, children's language acquisition would not be one of the major goals of the projects, as there would be plenty of other opportunities for the children involved to learn the majority language. The current study also aims to address this research gap.
2.7 The Montessori method
As the Deutsch in Christchurch centre's current teacher is using the Montessori method, and also elements from the Steiner method, one of the purposes of this analysis is to investigate in which ways these methods can contribute to the aims of the centre specifically, and to learning the home language and culture by children growing up as members of a migrant community more generally. To this aim, a general overview of both methods will be given first.
The Montessori method was developed by Maria Montessori (1870-1952). The individuality of each child is central to the method, and the educator's main role is to support the child in reaching their potential by enabling them to lead their own learning. This is done by helping them to develop their self-esteem, self-awareness and self-discipline. A few key features and tools of the method that go towards this aim are (Steenberg 2002; Education Hub, 2021a):
- Well-ordered and pleasing learning environment;
- Children take responsibility for their own learning and have freedom of choice;
- Self-directed learning;
- Emphasis on active bodily movement and involving all the senses;
- Close observation of individual children so appropriate activities can be offered.
In terms of individual children's development over the years, the Montessori method recognises three sensitive periods before the age of around 6 years old: Sensibilitat fur Ordnung [sensitivity to structure], Sensibilitatfur Bewegung [sensitivity to movement], and Sensibilitat fur Sprache [sensitivity to language] (Steenberg, 2002, p. 21-26).
The Steiner (or Waldorf) method is based on the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner (18611925). As with Montessori, one of the central elements of the Steiner approach also is based around the individuality of the child, and children are seen as active agents in their development. Again there is a focus on involving all the senses. One element that is more specific to the Steiner as opposed to the Montessori Method is the centrality of rhythm and repetition, with a cyclical schedule of daily, weekly and yearly activities (Education Hub, 2021b). That is not to say that recurring celebrations aren't important within Montessori education, and indeed in the present time, there is an effort to create understanding between people from different cultural backgrounds through celebrating each other's holidays (Age of Montessori, 2021).
An important part of building children's self-awareness and self-esteem is by helping them develop a sense of belonging to a larger group: e.g. the family and the school, but also the wider community and culture. It is well known that this is often more problematic for migrant children (cf. Hoersting 2009), which is why community language schools have an important role to play in this process. With its focus on children's individual needs and building important life skills like self-awareness and self-esteem, it seems that the Montessori method would be well suited for them. The focus on a yearly cycle of cultural celebrations is also likely to be beneficial in creating a sense of community not only in children but also parents and others. Moreover, research in neuroscience has shown that multi-sensory approaches to language learning are generally more effective, and lead to better results (e.g. Blomert & Froyen, 2010; Shams & Seitz, 2008). A paper by Charalambous and Yerosimou (2015) describes how a method involving music and drama has been used successfully in a Greek language community school. For these reasons, it appears that the Montessori method with its emphasis on bodily motion and action, and involving the senses, turns out to be well suited for the overarching goals of a community language group.
2.8 Gaps in existing research
Based on this literature review, a number of gaps in existing research have been identified. Firstly, the research areas on intergenerational learning and on heritage/community language acquisition and maintenance are disconnected from each other. Although they focus on similar issues, an interdisciplinary approach between the two has not been attempted yet. The literature on intergenerational learning doesn't address the role it can play in language acquisition, and studies of community/heritage language maintenance often focus on nuclear families and overlook the potential role of the wider community (despite multiple studies highlighting the lack of intergenerational language transmission in migrant families). The current study intends to bridge this gap. Secondly, there are clear parallels between the recommended pedagogy for intergenerational and community-based learning as identified by Fitzpatrick (2019), and central principles behind the Montessori and Steiner methods. There appears to be a much better fit between the needs and wants of minority communities and the aims of the intergenerational learning framework and Montessori and Steiner methods, as opposed to traditional methods of teaching, particularly language teaching. The current study also intends to make connections in this area.
3 Research questions and methodology
Having identified the research gap in the previous chapter, this chapter will present the research questions and methodology for the study. The study's aim is to draw on outcomes and approaches from the fields of community language maintenance, intergenerational and culture learning, and Montessori educational methods, and to weave them together in order to examine how this combination can be supportive and beneficial to members of minority language and cultural groups. To that end, the following research question will be considered:
How can creating a natural language space, using intergenerational and culture learning approaches, help members of minority communities in building their ethnic identity and language confidence?
The research question will be investigated by means of a case study of the initiative Deutsch in Christchurch, which started in March 2021. The organisation will be discussed in more detail in Chapter 4, but in brief, it aims at providing a platform for all people interested in German language and culture in Christchurch. As the organisation works towards an integrative approach, it will present an excellent case by which we can examine and describe how an interdisciplinary focus could be put into practice. The study will consider the following subquestions:
1. How can elements from intergenerational and culture learning approaches, and Steiner and Montessori methods, complement each other?
2. How can these approaches be applied in the context of minority communities specifically?
3. What lessons can we learn from the initiative Deutsch in Christchurch? To what extent was it possible to implement and integrate intergenerational and culture learning approaches in this context? What were the strong and weak points of the approaches?
As mentioned, the methodology used will be that of a case study. Case studies are common in education research and have been defined in many different ways (Cohen et al., 2017). Usually a case study studies a particular case, like an organisation, in its context, and uses multiple methods. Outlining the case in this study was unproblematic, because it is focused on a single organisation. In contrast, the context of the case is much more open-ended, and can include things like the history of German migration to NZ; German identity; attitudes of Germans, New Zealanders and others towards multilingualism and multiculturalism; the relationships between different groups in Christchurch and the wider NZ society; the school system; and many more. A range of these factors will be discussed, but because this is an exploratory and descriptive case study, it does not intend to take into account every factor that is potentially relevant. Rather, it can serve as a starting point in developing theory in this area. The outcomes of the study will be helpful for initiatives and efforts like Deutsch in Christchurch in other countries and by other minority cultural groups. It is intended as a pilot, and can be useful to map out interesting areas to address in follow-up research.
Also part of the context of the case, is the complex question of the identities of the people involved, that is, the target audience of the organisation. As discussed in more detail in Chapters 4 and 5, DC aims to have an inclusive approach and attract people from a variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds. On top of that, identity is always multi-faceted and can change over time. Anyone's wish to engage with the “German” part of their identity does not negate or diminish other aspects of themselves. Because I need a phrase to describe the group, throughout the dissertation, I will often refer to the community or target audience as “Germans” or “German speakers”. It is important to keep in mind that this term does not define any individual in the group, and I want to stress that in no way, the terms are meant as a label to assign a static or all-encompassing identity to anyone.
The case study is divided into two parts. The first part is an analysis of the Deutsch in Christchurch approach in its context, based on data available in the public domain like the website, Facebook and other social media, newsletters sent out by the organisation, and the constitution. This will be the topic of Chapters 4 and 5. The second part of the case study is a survey done online via Qualtrics, targeting families with children under 18 who have attended one or more Deutsch in Christchurch events and activities. The survey questions can be found in Appendix I. The aim of the survey is to get an idea of the experiences with and attitudes towards Deutsch in Christchurch among community members who have been involved. The survey and its rationale, data collection and outcomes are discussed in Chapter 6. In the final section of that chapter, Section 6.4, connections are drawn between the qualitative contextual analysis and the survey. Chapter 7, finally, provides a conclusion on the basis of the three research questions as outlined above.
4 The story of Deutsch in Christchurch
This chapter gives an overview of developments related to Deutsch in Christchurch from its beginning up until the present. First, some historical detail about German immigration into New Zealand and the Canterbury region will be given. Then, the chapter will continue with a brief description of Deutsch in Christchurch and the activities and events that were organised so far.
4.1 German immigration into NZ and Canterbury: a brief overview
There have always been a large number of Germans immigrating into New Zealand, even during the early settlement period before 1870 (P.L. Berry, 1964). Bonisch-Brednich (2002) describes the immigration of Germans to NZ during a large part of the 20th century: from the 1930s to flee from the rise of national-socialism in Europe, through to the 1980s and 1990s when so-called “lifestyle migration” (Bonisch-Brednich, 2002; Wohlfart, 2017) took off and people started coming to NZ after having got to know the country by traveling there. Many of these people wanted to get away from, as they saw it, an overpopulated and polluted Europe and were attracted by the spacious landscapes in NZ and an image of unspoilt natural beauty. It is likely that this type of migration has continued to boom well into the 2000s, with only perhaps very recently the Covid-19 pandemic putting a bit of a damper on it.
Despite this long history of migration, Germans have left relatively few marks on the society and economy of New Zealand. Looking at Christchurch specifically, there are not many businesses that clearly have a German profile, with only a few exceptions. A number of European clubs and societies exist too, amongst others the Christchurch Austrian Society, Christchurch Swiss Club, Hungarian Club, Netherlands Society Christchurch, Alliance Frangaise, Dante Aligheiri Society (Italian) and Polish Association (CINCH, 2022), but no German society had been active in the area for a long time. In early 2021 there were a few scattered community initiatives, for instance a few Stammtisch events (a recurring event in which a group of people meets informally in a pub or restaurant) and a playgroup that was loosely set up, but across the board, the German community in the wider Christchurch area was still fairly invisible. This is well characterised by Bonisch-Brednich, who states that Germans “keep a low profile” (title page). From Wohlfart (2017), it is clear however that this can have quite a strong effect on the maintenance of German language and culture in NZ. The same picture appears when we look at the educational system, that is, primary, secondary and tertiary schools. Only four high schools in Canterbury offer German as an elective subject: Burnside, Lincoln, Christchurch Girls and Ashburton high schools. To the best of my knowledge there are no reliable opportunities to learn German at school at the primary or intermediate level.
4.2 Beginning of the centre
Deutsch in Christchurch (DC) was co-founded in March 2021 by Vera Leier and Tobias Maletz. The initiative was set up because a need was felt that there was very little on offer for the German-speaking and affiliated community in Christchurch and surroundings, in terms of being able to engage with their language and cultural heritage and background. DC aims to be inclusive and for that reason, the target audience of the centre is loosely defined: basically, anyone could self-identify whether they feel they belong to it. Also, there is a large variety of cultural backgrounds among the potential audience. German is spoken in different countries and as a result, the potential audience also includes people with an Austrian or Swiss background or people from different regions or states, as well as people who lived in a Germanspeaking country for part of their life, partners of German speakers who come from somewhere else, second or third generation New Zealanders of German heritage, and perhaps more. It is important to acknowledge this diversity within the target group when analysing and interpreting the findings from the different elements of the case study.
The centre started off at Knox Church with a playgroup for all ages and an adult language course, and a Facebook page and group were created along with a first version of the website.1 The playgroup has been running since March 2021, and relocated to Phillipstown Community Hub in June 2021. An additional German school group for primary school aged children started from July 2021. For adults, a number of conversation groups have run, in addition to language classes for beginners and advanced beginners, and a book club organised by Vera.
DC officially gained non-for-profit status in June 2021, and because of that, people can become a member; in fact, having a minimum number of members is a requirement to keep non-for-profit status. In the constitution, the purposes of the organisation are set out to be, amongst others (Deutsch in Christchurch Incorporate, 2021, p. 3):
We aim to develop a sense of identity among the children of our community by teaching them the German language and culture, and creating a place of belonging for them. We consider it essential to teach our children to appreciate their diverse backgrounds and ultimately to contribute to enriching the wider community, regardless of ethnicity.
In addition to the recurring weekly activities, the aim is to organise cultural events on a regular basis. Some of these are explicitly aimed at the wider public, with the intention to promote German language and culture within the wider NZ society and among Cantabrians specifically, and to support participation and integration of a range of diverse ethnic groups. In 2021, there were two bigger events with a public aim like this: the Midwinter Christmas Market at the Riverside Market, on 17 July, and Kia ora Berlin Wall, a celebration of the official inauguration of a part of the Berlin wall located in Christchurch, on 7 November. Both were well attended, with the Riverside reporting around 30,000 visitors throughout the day for the Christmas Market. The Berlin Wall event had limits on visitors, as a result of Covid-19 restrictions, but was attended by the maximum number of people allowed; around 200 people. Other smaller events included a Tanz in den Mai (Maypole dance) celebration, Erntedankfest (harvest festival), Brezel (pretzel) baking, Laternenlauf (lantern walk), Bauhaus seminar and a Nikolaus celebration.
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Figure 1. Berlin Wall fragment and information panel at Rauora Park, Christchurch (photo: Facebook)
The centre now is running as a non-for-profit organisation with about 30 members, and had the first AGM in February 2022, after which the first official committee was established. The centre also received funding from the Christchurch City Council to acquire its own domain name and develop a new website with professional assistance, which went live in February 2022.
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Figure 2. Weihnachtsmarkt at the Riverside Markets, 17 July 2021 (photo: Deutsch in Christchurch)
4.3 Playgroup and school group
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Figure 3. Invitation for the lantern walk (photo: Facebook)
The playgroup has no fixed age range - it is basically left up to the parents to decide whether they think it suits their children. Ages of children currently attending range from 0 to 10 years. The school group is aimed at primary school aged children. Since the start up until now, the group sessions are led by a Montessori trained and qualified teacher. This makes the DC playgroup and school group a case of non-formal learning environments. Non-formal learning is a type of learning that takes place outside of formal educational systems but that is still structured, and is often community-based (Council of Europe, 2022). Learners, or their parents in the case of children, usually make a conscious decision to engage in the learning activity and have a clear goal in mind with it. Simultaneously, informal learning also takes place at DC activities and events, both the playgroup and school group but also importantly the cultural events. Informal learning is non-intentional, and takes place during activities that are not primarily done with a learning purpose in mind. It can and does happen anywhere, and is also sometimes called experiential learning. The Council of Europe (2022) states that non-formal and informal approaches are essential for successful language learning, particularly in the context of migration.
The playgroup is organised around a rotating theme - each theme will last for about three to four weeks, and usually follows the seasons of the year: spring time, Christmas, harvest time, and so on. The sessions start with a Begrufiungslied, followed by singing several songs together that are connected to the theme, combined with drama. Then, there will be a craft activity or game that also relates to the theme, and some time for free play. The playgroup sessions end with an Abschiedslied sung together, and each theme cycle likewise ends with a small celebration session in which everyone brings a small something (like a piece of fruit) to contribute to a shared meal. Throughout the first term of 2022, between 15 and 25 children have attended each week.
The school group aims at increasing German literacy in primary school aged children, and improving understanding of the differences between German and English alphabets and spelling. There is again a big focus on learning through play. The group is usually divided into several smaller groups depending on children's fluency and interests, with one group, for instance, practicing writing, while the others practice reading or play a picture game to increase vocabulary and build up confidence in speaking. There are around 10 to 12 children taking part in the school group each term.
4.4 Cultural events
The centre's cultural events are central to the philosophy aiming at creating a sense of belonging within the community, particularly for the children. Through these events, the intergenerational aspect of the centre can be put into practice, as they are explicitly targeted at the whole extended family and people of all generations. Events aimed at the wider public are also opportunities to build ties between the DC community and other European communities, and other initiatives related to German in New Zealand. For instance, the 2021 Christmas Market had a nativity play performed by students of Christchurch Girls High School who did German as an elective subject, in collaboration with one of the teachers at the school. The market also formed an opportunity for established and new German businesses to get exposure and expand their customer base. At the smaller events this aspect is also still important. The Federweisser (new wine) celebration in April 2022 was held at the Netherlands Society Christchurch, and the wine was provided by Giesen Wines from Blenheim, owned by a German family.
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Figure 4. Menu at Federweisser Celebration, April 2022 (photo: Deutsch in Christchurch)
5 Analysis of contextual factors
This chapter will continue with and develop further the description in the previous chapter and give an analysis of some of the processes and developments related to DC described there. It will take a more distant view, analyse to what extent DC has been able to implement the different teaching methods discussed in the literature review, and discuss links between the different events and activities. The advantages and challenges of an integrated approach will also be discussed. The chapter is organised into a number of different subsections, that each discuss a different theme. The first subsection will discuss links between the different elements of DC and how they fit into the overall approach and connect together. Section 5.2 goes into how well existing methods work for a community language group. Section 5.3 and 5.4 take a closer look at connections between DC and the wider context of the public and of tradition. Section 5.5 discusses which groups are reached at present. The final two sections look at the wider context of the educational system, and how the future of the DC approach shapes up.
5.1 Links between the playgroup and events
As mentioned, the idea behind DC is that there is a close relationship between the weekly activities meant for children (the playgroup and school group) and the cultural events. This is related to the mission set out in the constitution, of creating a place of belonging for children. For instance at certain times of the year, for a few weeks crafting activities, songs and play during the playgroup will be following the theme of an event taking place during that time period. In 2021 DC did this for the Erntedankfest, Christmas Market, Fruhlingsfest and Christmas party in December. The larger public events, the Christmas Market and Kia ora Berlin Wall event, also had children's activities like crafting and handball CLIL as part of the program. Those were open to the public, but quite a few children from the playgroup and school group attended.
The intergenerational aspect of the centre can also be expressed through these events. How much this actually happens in practice is still an open question. Overall, there is a fairly large age range attending at DC events, but it is unclear to what extent people of different ages who do not know each other actually interact. The expectation is that informal language learning opportunities will still arise, however. Possibly, what might be needed is to bring people together more actively to create intergenerational interaction, as for instance happened in the initiatives and projects described in the volume by Kernan and Cortellesi (2019). At the moment, this is not something that is actively done at DC events, so it could be an area for improvement.
Also, there is still work to do related to how events by DC are perceived by members of the community. For the traditional events that are also taking place in Germany, like the Christmas Market and Federweifier, some of the feedback of people present included that they were not organised exactly the same as they would be in Germany. One visitor for instance criticised a vegetarian version of the Zwiebelkuchen (onion tart) that is traditionally eaten at the Federweifier event. These people seemed to have the idea that the DC events were not “properly German” and not up to standard. This traditionalist attitude is of course not limited to the older generations, but there seem to be comparatively more people in this age group who feel that way. DC's mission explicitly is not to imitate traditions from Germany as perfectly as is possible. Personally I see this as something doomed for failure anyway, for two reasons. Firstly, traditions in Germany are very diverse and there are many regional differences in how traditional events are celebrated. Secondly, celebrations in Germany are constantly changing as well, as social norms and values are changing and the society is becoming more multicultural and diverse. To my mind, there is also a danger inherent in very traditionalist approaches, on which I will say more below. For the intergenerational aspect, it means that it can take time to find people in all the generations who are willing to engage with others in such a way that they can learn from each other and the interaction will be mutually beneficial and enriching.
5.2 Adapting existing educational methods to a community language group
In terms of the language courses for adults, one difficulty with existing methods and approaches to teaching a second language is that they are usually not designed or intended for minority language and cultural groups. For example, many textbooks and methods for teaching German as a foreign language have people who are speakers of other languages as their target audience; these people typically take these courses because they intend to visit or live in Germany. This means that they do usually not include much language use that is typical for the home and family situation. Because of this, these existing methods do not always meet the needs of members of a heritage language group, who would more typically like to increase their use of the language in everyday life, in a home and family situation. There can be a mismatch between the topics, vocabulary selection, and level of formality in these methods and the language that families would like to use and learn.
Challenges are also evident in the classroom situation. The age range of children enrolled in the DC school group is much larger as what you would see in a typical primary school classroom. Children's ages can range from 5 to 12 years old, and as a result it can be difficult to find activities that are suitable for the entire group. One potential solution would be to split the group into several different classes with a more narrow age range, for instance a group for 5-8 year olds and a group for 9-12 year olds. This is also quite hard to implement, though, because the overall numbers of children are quite low. The resulting groups could end up quite small, and this would be impractical and probably also not financially sustainable. Also, siblings from the same family may end up in different groups, increasing the burden of time commitment on families.
An additional challenge is that there is a range of different levels of exposure and fluency that children bring to the group. Some children do not use German at all within the family, or very rarely. In contrast, others have a practically monolingual German environment at home. The teacher has to put in a lot of time and effort to cater for these individual differences, with activities that are also suited to each child's interests and temperament. In the survey (discussed in full in Chapter 6) there was one comment from a parent about this as well:
“Due to the different age groups and different language levels teacher [name] is often under pressure and parents need to assist. Maybe in a smaller group it would be more relaxed and the children would get more support when they need it.”
As discussed above, though, creating smaller groups would most likely not be practical. Also, involvement and assistance of the parents is actually something that DC is actively and deliberately encouraging, in order to create intergenerational connections and foster intergenerational learning. Probably, this philosophy has not been communicated clearly enough to the parents, and DC will need to address this and make it clear that parent involvement is central to the DC approach.
The issues discussed here are probably not limited to the German community. Other minority groups, unless they are much larger, will also likely run into these same problems. Of course, as was discussed in Section 2.7, the Montessori and Steiner methods have a large focus on children's individual differences. This means that they are particularly well suited to deal with these specific challenges.
5.3 Events and public perception
There are also a number of challenges associated with the events aimed at the general public that have emerged during the past year. Firstly, Germans tend to be very sensitive to topic which have to do with Germany's history, and when organising any event related to German culture, there will likely always be people expressing concern about certain aspects of the past. For instance, DC initially set the date for the Maifest, which was intended as an opening event and celebration of the start of the centre, on the 20th of April. A member of the public then reminded the organisers that this date has negative connotations within German history. While the date chosen was purely coincidental, nevertheless to avoid any perceived association with extremist groups the event was postponed until one week later.
With the Kia ora Berlin Wall event, concerns were voiced by members of the public that the event was trying to celebrate or glorify the Berlin Wall itself or the German Democratic Republic. One of the organisers then posted in the DC Facebook group that actually, quite the opposite was intended. Namely, to commemorate the fall of the wall and to raise awareness with the public that nowadays pieces of the wall are located all around the world where they stand for freedom, peace and democracy. It is quite interesting that it was felt necessary to ease people's concerns in this way. Even though the concerns were unfounded in this case, the public reactions show that the tendency exists among the German community to be highly aware of history. Even in the present day, navigating German identity is not straightforward, and when people do come forward and initiatives develop, the intention and message can easily be misunderstood. This may be one factor linked to the “keeping a low profile” observed by Bonisch-Brednich (2002) - this non-engagement of many Germans in NZ with their Germanness can be seen as a risk avoidance strategy. This factor would perhaps play a smaller role in minority communities whose countries of origin have a less troubled past.
5.4 Traditionalism
Related to the points mentioned above about feedback on traditional events, there is another interesting point. It has been suggested several times in this thesis that DC doesn't aim to offer “traditional” German culture. Several reasons for this have been mentioned already. Firstly, there are various factors related to the location in NZ, which mean that events cannot be organised in the same way as in Germany. For instance particular foods and items may be unavailable or difficult to come by. Also, because NZ is in the southern hemisphere, the year is different from the European year, and traditional events like Christmas take place at the “wrong” time of the year. This means that inevitably, events and celebrations need to be changed and will be an adapted version of the German ones. Secondly, DC's goals are to be inclusive and accessible to people from all ages and different groups in society. A traditionalist approach would not be appealing to many of this target group, because they are not familiar with all the details of these traditions. In addition, many German traditions are problematic because they are always in danger of being co-opted for political agendas, mainly by the extreme right. Things that are highly structured and circumscribed, like folk dancing, would be susceptible for this, and also activities and objects with a militaristic character, like parades, banners and the like.
What DC aims for is not to do away with tradition, but rather, to reinvent and reform it so that it is moulded differently and more fitting to the context in NZ. The events are there because they are a vehicle to transfer cultural values to children and other interested people like those from the third generation. This means that the exact form the events come in does not matter so much. The cultural values involved are not always exclusively German, but intended to create diversity and inclusiveness more widely by focusing on things that are shared between groups and cultures: coming together as a group and spending time together, sharing food, and marking the passing of the seasons or of time, which is also an important element within Montessori and Steiner philosophies. In Germany, Christmas and particularly the Advent period (the four weeks leading up to Christmas) is traditionally a time of contemplation. This element is not so evident in the southern hemisphere anymore, because it is celebrated in summer here, and the connection between long, dark days and turning inward became lost. Without bringing back in the Christian religious elements, the DC Christmas market is held in the NZ winter so that the elements more fitting with this season (contemplation, and also creating light, warmth and the opportunity for socialising in the colder months) come more to the front.
In this way, the DC approach also aims to foster understanding and show the NZ public another side of Christmas. Also with other events, DC aims to be welcoming to people from all kinds of backgrounds. Traditionalists actually do the exact opposite to this, because they use the traditions to exclude people, for gatekeeping: if you don't exactly know the “right” way of doing it according to them, then you don't belong to the group.
5.5 Third generation Germans
So far, it appears that most of the people interested and involved in DC events are first or second generation German, Austrian or Swiss immigrants. The first generation is typically born in Germany or another overseas country, and moved to NZ at some point in their life. Most of the adults taking part in activities fall into this group, and also quite a few of the children. The second generation, so those people born in NZ, is mostly made up of children. DC events so far seem to not have attracted many second generation adults, and third generation adults or children. This is also suggested by the survey results (see Chapter 6) that show most respondents use German in the home daily. It is an interesting question why second and third generation people are not reached, as the long history of German immigration mentioned in Section 4.1 would mean that there must be quite a large number of people in Canterbury who would belong to this group. Wohlfart (2017, p. 28) mentions Gans (1997) suggesting that “members of the third generation re-embrace the ethnicity of their ancestors only in symbolic ways that do not interfere with their daily lives.” Ethnic festivals and food would be an example of this symbolic ethnicity. Potentially, the large public events likes the Christmas Market would be interesting for this group, as these fit with those criteria. However, I do not have any data about ethnic backgrounds of the visitors for that event, so I can't be sure about the actual interest from second and third generation Germans. Activities like the playgroup and school group that are also taking place in the German language of course need an amount of involvement and commitment that is not only symbolic, and so they may be not that interesting to second and third generation adults, who maybe do not speak the language anymore and do not see the value of passing it on to their children.
5.6 German in the school system
German has traditionally been a language taught in high schools across NZ, but in the present day, there appears to be a decline in the number of schools that teach it. In addition, German at the University of Canterbury continues to remain under threat from being cancelled altogether due to budget cuts. It was already mentioned previously that only four high schools in Canterbury have German as part of the curriculum. There are a couple of existing DC initiatives for collaborations with high schools, like the nativity play at the Christmas Market performed by students of Christchurch Girls' High School. Part of the future mission for DC is also to rethink how foreign languages are taught at school, and to encourage the teaching of German as a foreign language in schools in the region. This would have multiple benefits: it is helpful for the community in strengthening their identity when they see the language being taught in schools, it will help some of the second generation children in complementing the language learning at home with more formal learning at school, and it will create more interest and knowledge within the wider NZ population about German language and culture.
Possibly the approach that DC takes to language learning could also be helpful in the formal curriculum, both on the primary and high school level. The ways in which foreign languages are taught at present is not attractive to many students. When the languages are taught at all, the classes generally put effort into preparation for exams, and for instance cultural and oral competency are do not have a large focus. A more integrated approach like the one that DC proposes would mean that language learning may become more attractive to a larger range of students in the mainstream education system as well.
6 The survey and some experiences with Deutsch in Christchurch
This chapter discusses an online survey conducted amongst the target audience of Deutsch in Christchurch. In Section 6.1, the survey setup will be discussed, and the rationale for including the questions that were asked. Section 6.2 discusses the recruitment phase and data analysis. In Section 6.3, interesting outcomes of the survey are discussed, grouped by themes. Links are being drawn in Section 6.4 between survey results and the analysis of contextual factors in Chapter 5.
6.1 Survey setup and rationale
In the research setup, a decision was made to include a survey so the case study would include some of the viewpoints of the target group for which DC aims to provide a service. By including a survey, the case study becomes more well-rounded and representative because it is conducted not only with the researcher's viewpoints in mind, but also that of the group of participants in DC activities and events. Because the central research question of this thesis is how intergenerational and cultural learning approaches can be applied for minority language communities, the survey focused only on recruiting participants with children under 18. To make as large a number of people as possible eligible within this group, the only other criteria was that they had attended at least one DC activity or event in the past year.
For easy distribution and to reach as large a potential audience as possible, the survey was set up in Qualtrics, an online tool that is available free for use for students at the University of Canterbury. As is usual for an online survey, mostly closed questions were asked. Ten questions had the form of statements about participants' attitudes towards German in their daily life and towards DC, with 6-point Likert scales to select from, running from 1 (strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree). An even number of responses was included, to force respondents to either take a positive or a negative stance, avoiding a ‘neutral' option that is uninformative for data analysis in this study. Two additional questions asked participants about the activities that they think their child(ren) most enjoyed, and which ones they considered most educational for their child(ren). An open question was added for participants to add further comments on their experiences with DC, if they wished to do so. The final two questions asked for demographic information: the participants' age group, and their use of German within the household (as a four-answer multiple choice statement). On purpose, the survey did not ask for any other information like the ages of the children, nationality of the partner, or which activities were attended. Because most of the participants would likely be known to the researcher, including this information would have meant that individual participants could be identified, and anonymity could have been compromised. A copy of the survey is added in Appendix I.
6.2 Participant recruitment and data analysis
Human ethics approval was applied for and granted on 5 May 2022. A copy of the information sheet for participants is added to Appendix II. The survey was then created in Qualtrics, and went live on 7 May 2022. Links to the survey were distributed via the DC Facebook group, and several other groups on messenger apps like Signal and WhatsApp, with the request for members of the group to distribute it further in their own networks. A QR code linking to the survey was also put on display at activities and events.
A total of 31 responses was collected via Qualtrics. Seven responses were incomplete, and removed from the data. One response was a clear outlier: it was exactly opposite to the patterns that were otherwise shown in the data. Because the survey was anonymous and shared via publicly accessible platforms like Facebook, and the response didn't include any comments, it was most likely given in bad faith, and was removed from the dataset. A total of 23 responses were considered for data analysis.
After the survey was closed on 29 June 2022, the responses were downloaded from Qualtrics in Microsoft Excel format. Excel was used to further process the data and create the graphs shown in the next section.
6.3 Results of the survey
This section discusses the survey results. For clarity, the responses to the questions are grouped by different themes. After discussing participant demographics, general attitudes towards German language and culture are discussed, followed by the viewpoints of parents towards their children's language use and confidence. Next, the questions about identity and belonging will be discussed, followed by the intergenerational aspect, and finally the respondents' opinions on which activities offered by DC are most enjoyable and/or educational.
6.3.1 Participant demographics
Of the 23 participants, 11 were 18-40 years old, and 12 were 41-60 years old. None of the participants was over 60. In terms of German use at home, the group was very homogeneous: 21 participants communicated in German with their family on a daily basis, one family communicated in German occasionally, and one family listened to, watched or read German but did not speak it at home themselves. This indicates that most of the respondents are likely from the first generation and immigrated into New Zealand at some point in their lives, most likely as adults. As Wohlfart (2017) mentions, for the first generation German is often still their dominant language. Because the survey was targeting families with children under 18, it is not surprising that there were no respondents over 60.
6.3.2 Attitudes towards German language and culture
The first two Likert scale statements were about the importance of German language and culture. As can be seen in Figure 5, the majority of participants strongly agreed with statements about the importance of German language and culture for their children. For language, this effect was a bit stronger than for culture. Because the participants can be expected to be from a variety of cultural backgrounds, the statement was phrased as “my culture” instead of “German culture”. Interestingly, one participant strongly disagreed with the importance of culture, but still found language highly important. One limitation of a quantitative study like this, is that no more specific questions could be asked about what the term “culture” means for the respondents, and it is possible that each of them had quite different things in mind when answering this question. This can partly explain the more varied results of the question about culture.
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Figure 5. Attitudes towards German language and culture
6.3.3 Language use and confidence in children
Two questions specifically asked for respondents' experiences with the DC approach and how it is affecting their children's language use. A majority of participants found the activities helpful: 19 responded with ‘slightly agree', ‘agree' or ‘strongly agree' (see Figure 6, right-hand graph). Four participants disagreed that it was helpful to their children in language acquisition. Again because of the nature of the questionnaire, it is hard to say why they have this opinion, because they did not comment on it. A smaller majority of participants also think that their use of German at home has increased since they attend DC activities: 15 people agreed to this statement (Figure 6, left-hand graph). The results are more varied for this question though. Most people answered ‘slightly agree', and also five people answered ‘disagree'. One explanation could be that the use of German at home for some families is already quite high. Another explanation is that for those respondents who don't attend activities regularly, there is unlikely to be a strong influence on the use of German in the home. Thirdly, there could be other factors playing a role; for instance if the home situation is generally monolingual English, there is always less German spoken in the home. Still, it is encouraging to see that a majority of respondents thinks that there are real life results of attending in learning and using German, even after DC has only existed for a little more than a year.
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Figure 6. Learning and using German
6.3.4 Belonging and identity
Two questions in the survey went into the issue of awareness of and interest in the family's (partly) German background. Again, most of the responses were positive; 19 respondents agreed that attending DC events had made the family more aware of their backgrounds (Figure 7, left-hand graph), and 20 agreed that their children in particular had become more interested in German language and culture (Figure 7, right-hand graph). Within the ‘agree' category, responses were quite evenly distributed between the three options. Four respondents disagreed with the statement about awareness, and three respondents disagreed with the statement about interest. These respondents' answers to other Likert scale questions were considered, to see if there is a possible correlation between awareness and interest, and how much DC activities are helping their children in learning and using German. This seems to be the case to some extent. All three respondents who disagreed that their children have become more interested in German language and culture, also reported that their use of German at home hasn't increased. Likewise, the four participants who disagreed with the statement about increased awareness of the family's background, reported that their use of German at home hasn't increased. There was an overlap of two participants here, that is, two participants disagreed with both the statement about interest and the one about awareness. Three of the four participants who disagreed with the statement ‘Deutsch in Christchurch activities are helping my children to learn German' (Figure 6, left graph) also belong to this group of respondents who disagree with the statements about awareness and interest. The potential meaning and implications of this correlation are discussed in Section 6.4.
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Figure 7. Awareness and interest related to German background
A further statement was about whether respondents felt proud of their culture when attending DC activities (Figure 8, left-hand graph). The responses to this statement were quite mixed: most respondents either slightly agreed (7) or strongly agreed (8), but four also disagreed. We can't be certain what exactly respondents' feelings are because none of them commented on it, but it seems that most respondents have strong feelings about this topic: they either feel a strong sense of pride, or they are quite hesitant to express pride. Possibly this is due to the sensitivity of the topic, because pride in one's culture can also be interpreted in a negative way (e.g. as nationalism). And like with the previous question about culture, it is again not possible to determine what the participants had in mind when asked about “culture”. Some may have thought of stereotypical elements that they may not be particularly proud of.
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Figure 8. Feelings of pride and belonging
For the question about belonging, responses were more similar to each other (see Figure 8, right-hand graph). This statement was phrased negatively as ‘I don't feel our family belongs when we attend Deutsch in Christchurch activities', and all participants except three disagreed with it. Three participants slightly agreed with the statement and probably feel that their families don't quite belong at DC activities. Again there could be several factors related to this, and none of them commented on it, so it's hard to say what exactly gives them this feeling. One of the respondents answering in this way also stated that their family uses German at home only occasionally, so it's possible that they feel there is a language barrier. Interestingly, the other two respondents who feel they don't quite belong reported that their children's interest in German language and culture hasn't increased, and that their children's language hasn't improved. These correlations will be discussed in Section 6.4.
6.3.5 Intergenerational aspect
The survey also included a question about whether participants thought any intergenerational learning was taking place. As can be seen in Figure 9, all participants agreed with the statement ‘Through Deutsch in Christchurch, people of different ages can learn with and from each other', with most selecting the option ‘agree' (9) or ‘strongly agree' (11).
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Figure 9. Intergenerational learning
This indicates that at least in the perception of the group of participants, intergenerational learning happens at DC events and activities. Even though it was discussed in Section 5.1 that the intergenerational aspect of DC needs more work, this indicates that participants feel it is already happening. Considering that their responses are generally very positive, we can also infer that they think this intergenerational aspect is a good thing.
6.3.6 Enjoyment and educational value
The final statement to be discussed is about whether children enjoy DC activities. Here, responses were particularly positive, with 13 respondents selecting ‘strongly agree', nine selecting ‘agree' and one selecting ‘slightly agree' (see Figure 10). This is a strong indication that the DC approach is working very well in this aspect: to make children enthusiastic about activities involving German language and culture.
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Figure 10. Enjoyment of DC activities
Participants were also asked about which activities their family most enjoyed (shown in Figure 11), and which ones they found most educational for their children (shown in Figure 12). Respondents could select as many as they liked, so the total number of responses is larger than the total number of participants. They could also add further suggestions. Traditional celebrations like the Christmas Market, Erntedankfest or Federweifier were selected most often both as enjoyable and as educational. Also song, dance and drama were often selected both as enjoyable and educational. Learning to read and write German was not selected so often as enjoyable, but was seen as highly educational by respondents. For crafting, it is the opposite: while many children enjoy it, it is not seen as educational by many parents. Lastly, sports and physical activities was the option least chosen both in terms of being enjoyable and educational. Both crafting and physical activities still use German content and language integrated learning (CLIL) and therefore can provide real educational value; however, in the perception of many parents this might not figure as educational as compared to explicit reading and writing instruction.
Two respondents added something not in the lists that their families found enjoyable: catching up with friends, and the feeling of community and “it takes a village to raise a child.” This also indicates that the aspect of belonging is very important generally for people participating in DC activities.
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Figure 12. Activities selected as most educational
One of the respondents commented implicitly that they would like to have more input on what activities and themes are on offer during the playgroup:
“Initially the plan was to have a more inclusive playgroup where everyone can bring in ideas and organise activities rather than having one tutor who determines what is done.”
Indeed one feature of the DC approach is that parents are encouraged to be actively involved and provide input and feedback; this was clearly present at the beginning but may have become a bit underemphasised along the way. The choice of activities has mostly been organised centrally so far, and this could be a point of improvement for DC. It may be a good idea to seek parents' input and ideas more explicitly, by announcing during the sessions that DC is open to ideas. On the other hand, still some amount of central direction is still going to be necessary, so the program doesn't become too chaotic and incoherent.
6.4 Discussion and links with contextual factors
In the previous sections, individual questions in the survey were discussed, along multiple themes. Overall, the experiences of participants with DC are mainly positive. All reported that their children enjoy DC activities, and most of them think that DC is helping their children in acquiring German. Also most of them think that DC has stimulated interest and awareness in their children and perhaps the wider family about their different backgrounds and about German language and culture. This is also reflected in some of the comments that participants left in the open question:
“My child always was shy and a bit embarrassed to speak German in public, however since attending DIC he now think German is cool and proudly speaks in public and he enjoys telling friends and family that he can speak German. We have made great friends and this group connects me and the children to our roots and that in return makes me feel more home in nz too as this gap for German culture in our life is now filled and so as a family as a whole it made our life here away from German family more fulfilled.”
“I very much enjoy that Deutsch in Christchurch brings together many German speakers who create this comforting atmosphere and insight for my child that her father and grandparents are not the only odd ones who speak this foreign language.”
These comments both also highlight the importance of connections and creating a sense of belonging, particularly for the children to see that there are others, also children of the same age, who speak German. For many children, this is likely to be a different experience compared to at school or at other activities where they may very well be the only German speaker.
Another and perhaps quite surprising outcome of the survey was that respondents clearly saw the intergenerational aspect working out, despite my own analysis in which I indicated that this aspect could be further improved. As already mentioned, opportunities for informal intergenerational learning will arise at any activities, and DC mostly acts as a facilitator in this, rather than individuals like me actively creating or steering things. That means that more will happen than I would be aware of. Another indication of this is that the traditional events that DC organises were selected most often not only as most enjoyable but also as most educational. This is a clear sign that the integrated approach of playgroup/school group and larger cultural events is valuable. Through the combination of these two aspects, DC is able to offer a more holistic approach to the transmission of a language and culture than what would have been possible if the organisation were to offer only the one or the other.
There was a small minority of respondents who didn't think that attending DC events and activities had a beneficial effect on their children's interest and awareness and their acquisition and use of German, and who also often had less of a feeling of belonging at the events. As I mentioned in the results section, it is interesting that the answers to these questions sometimes correlated with each other. This raises a number of questions. Firstly, could there be a causal relationship between sense of belonging, interest/awareness, and language proficiency and use? Secondly, what could be the underlying reasons why these respondents answered in this way? Everyone belonging to this minority mentioned indicated that their children enjoy the activities, and that they find it very important for their children to learn about their culture and speak German. Some indicated that they felt proud of their culture when attending DC events and activities, while others didn't.
Of course, the absolute number of responses is quite small, so it is not possible to draw any generalisations or get a full picture of what the causal relations are, as there are probably also other personal factors at play. It seems likely though, that a lower sense of belonging would translate into less interest and awareness, and in turn into less language usage and improvement. From the literature there is a clear link between motivation and language learning (Masgoret & Gardner, 2003), and a sense of belonging, interest and awareness are of course important factors in increasing motivation. The entire family is important in this respect, though, and the parents also have to feel motivated to support their children in their language development. Even when children are enjoying the DC activities, it is less likely that this translates into more interest for the culture and background, and more language use in the home, if the enthusiasm is not shared by the parents in the same way. Because none of the participants who answered in this way made any comments, we can't be sure of the underlying reasons why they were not feeling the same sense of belonging compared to other respondents. Some of these reasons may be very personal and there is not much use in guessing what they could be. Also, we have to rely on the reports of the parents only, and so we can't be sure how the children feel about DC and whether they share the same sense of not belonging. Nevertheless, it is important to keep in mind these family dynamics when discussing initiatives like DC aimed at maintaining and fostering a heritage language and culture.
Despite these minority viewpoints, overall the evaluation by participants of the DC initiative was very favourable. Several other comments left by participants mentioned the sense of community that they perceived:
“It is wonderful to see the community coming closer together since Germans don't usually tend to spend a lot of time together here in Christchurch (my impression). Due to Deutsch in Christchurch they have a reason to celebrate national holidays or other festive days together which is wonderful.”
“Deutsch in Christchurch is a great way to create a bond with other families, create a community and have my child speak more German.”
“I think Deutsch in Christchurch is an amazing opportunity for connecting with our roots, being part of a community and finding your place. It can be tricky for a child (even for grown ups) to find it's identity. Having the chance of enjoying both cultures (growing up bilingual) without feeling embarressed and being accepted and appreciated with what you are can support your growth and give you the opportunity to embrace yourself. I am very thankful for being part of Deutsch in Christchurch - me and my family found new friends we can rely on.”
The first quote comments on how the participant thinks that Germans tend to not spend a lot of time together in Christchurch, something that was mentioned earlier in this thesis and also observed by Bonisch-Brednich (2002) and Wohlfart (2017) for Germans in NZ generally. From the survey results and the comments, it appears that DC is generally very successful in its aim to be a meeting point and create a sense of community for those interested in German language and culture in Christchurch.
7 Conclusions and discussion
This dissertation has set out to make a case study of the Deutsch in Christchurch centre, to investigate the question of how creating a natural language space, using intergenerational and culture learning approaches, can help members of minority communities in building their ethnic identity and language confidence. The first part of the case study described the history of the centre, and analysed its context by means of different themes: links between different elements of the centre, how existing methods can be used, and which connections can be drawn between the public and other groups and the centre. The second part of the case study discussed a survey held among the target audience of the centre, to examine their experiences with and attitudes towards activities held by DC. The final section of the previous chapter made some connections already between the two parts of the case study. In this final chapter, I will continue with drawing together the different strands of the case, by means of considering the three subquestions that were formulated in Chapter 3.
Limitations of the study will also be discussed. Finally, some recommendations for other communities will be made based on the findings of the present study.
7.1 A discussion of the research questions
The study has been carried out based on three sub-questions, which I will discuss one by one.
Sub-question 1. How can elements from intergenerational and culture learning approaches, and Steiner and Montessori methods, complement each other?
The literature review in Chapter 2 gave an overview of the different approaches that feed into the DC philosophy. All of these approaches and methods have in common that they are relation- and interaction-based: they centre on the relationships between people, how learning happens within communities, and how learning is an active and agentive process. The different approaches complement each other as well. In schools using the Montessori and Steiner methods, the teacher is still a leader figure in the classroom. By contrast, with intergenerational approaches the role of teacher and learner is shared more among members of the different generations, and they are able to switch roles. Because of this, intergenerational learning is taking a broader viewpoint. In addition, the Steiner and Montessori methods work with a fairly structured learning environment, whereas typically in intergenerational and culture learning approaches, informal and unstructured learning experiences play a more central role.
The approaches also complement each other because of the different focus points, where the intergenerational one focuses more on all ages, and Montessori and Steiner more on children. Neither of them has a major focus on intercultural encounters. Culture learning of course has this as its main focus; it is all about how to create communicative skills in a certain culture, but is not very explicit about how exactly this would have to be done. Because communicative skills are learned through interaction, the intergenerational and Montessori and Steiner approaches present themselves as rounded and balanced methods to facilitate reaching this goal.
Sub-question 2. How can these approaches be applied in the context of minority communities specifically?
Minority communities are often underresourced, and they have to rely on themselves to provide their own programmes. From the DC case study discussed here, it has come to light that a program applying all the approaches mentioned above should offer language classes for all different age groups, and in addition many events in which people have a lot of opportunities to interact, such as dance courses, cooking courses, sports tournaments, cultural events, markets, and so on. These activities can all take a CLIL strategy. This will mean that the entire community can be involved, and as a result the learning can draw on the various strengths of different community members of all ages and different backgrounds. When connections are made with other cultural groups, the activities at the same time provide an opportunity for culture learning to take place, for multiple groups within the society.
Sub-question 3. What lessons can we learn from the initiative Deutsch in Christchurch? To what extent was it possible to implement and integrate intergenerational and culture learning approaches in this context? What were the strong and weak points of the approaches?
Throughout the case study, the practical implementation of the various approaches has been discussed. There is a clear demand or need for an initiative like DC from the community, as is evident by the numbers of people attending the events and the results of the survey. The developments within DC also show that the intergenerational approach seems to be very suitable for this purpose. While it appears to be very popular and researched a lot in the last ten to fifteen years, it has not been applied yet to language and culture community purposes. The experiences within DC clearly show the benefits of the intergenerational approach, and provide a justification for its application more widely within other groups.
From the survey, there is a clear indication that participants in the activities think the intergenerational approach is working, even though the intergenerational learning is happening informally and therefore would not always be obvious to me. DC's intergenerational approach is still lacking in one area, however: there is currently no involvement from and engagement with people between roughly the ages of 14 and 21. DC has taken several attempts at gauging interest and finding out how to best connect with this group, but that has not led to any useful data or concrete results so far. The DC approach has already taken a broader angle on intergenerational connections by including not only pre-schoolers and elderly people, but to get a better and more representative coverage across the generations, it would be great to build more engagement with this group in future.
There is a bit of a tension between providing as much opportunity as possible for community members to engage with language learning and practice on the one hand, and creating an accessible and inclusive environment, on the other. As soon as there are attendees who do not speak German, the language of communication by default has to switch to English. Therefore, a big public event like the Christmas Market does a limited amount of work to provide people with opportunities to speak the language, but it does contribute a lot to the work of creating awareness and an inclusive multicultural environment. This makes it all the more important that there is a wide range of activities on offer, because there are some aspects of the various approaches that underlie a holistic idea to language and culture transmission that are less compatible with each other.
Another limitation of an integrated and holistic approach like the one pursued by DC is that one has to find and build up a lot of co-operations and collaborations through ties with multiple other stakeholders: schools, the city council and other government organisations, business owners, other non-for-profit organisations both locally and internationally, individuals volunteering at events and activities, and so forth. This means that it often depends on the goodwill of individual people how well these connections will work and how successful the overall integrated approach will be. Nevertheless, the clear advantages of the integrated approach for culture and language learning as evident from this study, offset the increased difficulties on the organisational side. In other words, the extra effort is worth it, as it pays off in getting better results in terms of language and culture transmission, and the overall sense of belonging by people participating.
Based on the survey, we can conclude that many parents and children feel more rooted and more motivated in exploring more aspects of their identity. Feedback to the DC methods based on the survey was very positive: the majority of respondents indicated that attending DC activities and events made a difference in their everyday lives, increasing language use in the home, increasing interest in and awareness of German language and culture in children, and creating a sense of belonging. As discussed in Section 6.4, there is a small minority of respondents for whom this wasn't the case. Also, the majority of respondents are most likely first generation immigrants, and it seems that second and third generation adults are quite a bit harder to reach, and are not yet attending DC activities and events in large numbers. As the organisation grows, different ways in which this part of the target audience can be reached and motivated can be explored.
Overall, however, we can say that the DC approach is successful in its goal of creating a natural language space, using intergenerational and culture learning approaches. Survey results indicate that it is supporting the community by doing this. The different methods and approaches and their integration still need to be fine-tuned: as mentioned above, there are aspects of the intergenerational and culture learning approaches that don't fully come out yet, or that are inherently less compatible with each other. Overall, though, the approach is working really well. Since embracing diversity seems to be a focal point for many countries nowadays, the DC approach proves to be a very valuable addition, potentially in many different contexts, when it comes to finding your roots and living among a range of diverse communities. The hope is that the DC approach, by being inclusive, can contribute to creating tolerance for otherness.
7.2 Limitations of the study
The study comes with some clear limitations as well. It is a small case study focusing on one particular group in a particular location, and so some aspects may not be relevant to other situations and communities. Also to investigate effectiveness of the methods that DC is using, either in terms of language confidence or proficiency, or feelings of belonging and questions around identity for the members of the DC community, more intensive research methods for data collection will be needed, like (participant) observation, interviews, or longitudinal data collection on children's language acquisition. The survey that was discussed in Chapter 6 was very insightful, but also left many unanswered questions. This is the nature of a questionnaire, having many closed questions, but for more complicated topics like identity and belonging this type of data collection is less suitable. You would preferably do interviews, in which you can explore topics in more depth. This is beyond the scope of an MA dissertation but could be a fruitful avenue for future postgraduate study. In addition, because the number of participants in the survey was quite small, we don't know if the answers are representative for the entire group of people who have taken part in activities and events organised by DC. Respondents may have given their answers like they did for very personal reasons. This would not be different if for instance the interview method would have been used, but at least this would have allowed the opportunity to ask follow-up questions to get more of a sense of the underlying reasons why people gave certain answers.
Finally, the researcher is an insider to the community studied. This gives a unique perspective but there is also a danger of subjectivity, because analysis and interpretation of aspects of the case and how the available literature and findings connect to it are through my own lens and position. I also bring my personal experiences as a child growing up in a culture different to my own, which means that I may not be an impartial bystander at all times because the topic is of close interest to me. I am also one of the co-founders of Deutsch in Christchurch, which gives a great insider perspective, but as I of course have the wish for the initiative to be successful, at the same time this could make me biased against reporting unwanted findings. I have done my best throughout to give a balanced picture and identify weaknesses where I see them. However, future research would benefit from a more diverse range of viewpoints, by interviewing other people involved in Deutsch in Christchurch both in leadership roles and as members.
7.3 Recommendations for other communities
Above in Section 7.1, I have discussed the outcomes of the study including the advantages and disadvantages of the integrated approach taken by DC. In this final section I will take a broader viewpoint and look towards the future, attempting to give some recommendations based on the DC experiences, for other communities who would like to pursue a similar goal.
All in all, I believe that the approach to language and culture transmission that has been the topic of this thesis could be a valuable tool for many other communities in New Zealand and elsewhere. As societies worldwide become increasingly multilingual and multicultural, a focus that points not only inwards, towards the own group with its roots and history, but at the same time outwards towards other groups, is vital. In order for this to work, it is important that initiatives are oriented towards the future: out with the old, and in with the new. It is important to not be too focused on things that are happening now or how things like cultural customs have been in the past. Make sure to think about and consider deeply what it is that you actually want to achieve in the long term, for future generations of your group in the particular place that you are in.
As mentioned many times before a central element of the approach is about inclusiveness and embracing diversity. This holistic approach can perhaps best be illustrated by the following metaphor. I like to make a comparison between a society on the one hand, and a forest with trees on the other. The healthiest forests are mixed, with many different kinds of trees all growing together. An individual tree grows stronger every year; you can see this when it gains another year ring and know that this year ring couldn't grow without the previous ones. The trees are all connected with each other through their roots and the soil, so if every tree is strong, then the forest as a whole thrives. Just like a forest, a society is strong when its member groups are healthy, and the younger generations can build on the roots and strengths of the older ones. At the same time, you need the intercultural aspect, like the root system of a forest, so individuals can communicate to grow and flourish with each other. Strengthening yourself means strengthening each other at the same time.
The problems and challenges facing our multicultural societies are also all interconnected with each other, so in order to address these, an integrated and holistic approach is not just a possibility, but rather a necessity. Just like a single tree is a small but vital element in an interconnected forest, I hope that this study has brought a small but vital contribution to addressing the challenges of our time.
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Appendix I. The questionnaire
Consider the following statements and give your reaction. (6-point Likert scales: strongly disagree/disagree/slightly disagree/slightly agree/agree/strongly agree)
1. It's important to me that my children learn about my culture.
2. It's important to me that my children can speak German.
3. Attending Deutsch in Christchurch activities has made our family more aware of our background(s).
4. My children have become more interested in German language and culture through Deutsch in Christchurch activities.
5. Since attending Deutsch in Christchurch activities we use more German at home.
6. My children enjoy Deutsch in Christchurch activities.
7. Through Deutsch in Christchurch, people of different ages can learn with and from each other.
8. I feel proud of my culture when I attend Deutsch in Christchurch activities.
9. I don't feel our family belongs when we attend Deutsch in Christchurch activities.
10. Deutsch in Christchurch activities are helping my children to learn German.
Which parts of Deutsch in Christchurch does your family most enjoy? (multiple answers possible)
- Song, dance and drama
- Sports and physical activities
- Learning to read and write German
- Crafting
- Traditional celebrations (Christmas, Erntedankfest, FederweiBer, etc.)
- Other, namely
Which parts of Deutsch in Christchurch do you find most educational for your children? (multiple answers possible)
- Song, dance and drama
- Sports and physical activities
- Learning to read and write German
- Crafting
- Traditional celebrations (Christmas, Erntedankfest, FederweiBer, etc.)
- Other, namely
Is there anything else you would like to share about your experiences with Deutsch in Christchurch? (Please note: your answer may be used in publications. Please do not include any identifying information about yourself or others.) (open question)
What is your age group?
- 18-40 years old
- 41-60 years old
- Over 60 years old
Please select the statement that best describes your living situation.
- We do not use German in our household in any way.
- In our household we listen to, watch, or read German (movies, books, music) but we don't speak it.
- In our household we use German to communicate occasionally (for instance, with family overseas).
- In our household we use German to communicate with each other daily.
Appendix II. Information sheet for participants
Department of Global, Cultural and Language studies
Phone: +642041338422
Email: tma225@uclive.ac.nz
25/04/2022
HREC Ref: [Provided by HREC when study approved]
A community-based approach to language and culture learning and maintenance: a case study of the Deutsch in Christchurch initiative Information Sheet for participants
Guten Tag,
You are invited to participate in a research study on your experiences with events and activities organised by Deutsch in Christchurch . This study is being conducted by Tobias Maletz from the University of Canterbury I Te Whare Wananga o Waitaha . The study is being carried out as a requirement for my MA Dissertation with a specialisation in German at the University of Canterbury .
What is the purpose of this research?
This research aims to set up a guideline to a successful community-based approach to learning and maintaining language and culture. I am interested in finding out about the experiences of families with children under 18 with the Deutsch in Christchurch approach to learning about German language and culture, through activities and events. The information from this study will help us gain an understanding about community experiences with the approach that the Deutsch in Christchurch initiative has taken .
Why have you received this invitation?
You are invited to participate in this research because you have responded to a request for participants on the Deutsch in Christchurch website or social media channels, or other people shared information about this study because they thought you may be interested in it.
Your participation is voluntary (your choice), and the survey is completely anonymous. If you decide not to participate, there are no consequences. Your decision will not affect your relationship with me, the University of Canterbury, or Deutsch in Christchurch.
What is involved in participating?
If you choose to take part in this research, please complete the online survey that follows this information page. The survey involves answering 12 questions about the role of German language and culture in your family life, and your experiences with Deutsch in Christchurch activities and events . Completing the survey should take around 5 to 10 minutes.
Are there any potential benefits from taking part in this research?
We do not expect any direct benefits to you personally from completing this survey. However, the information gathered will potentially benefit you because it allows Deutsch in Christchurch to better tailor activities and events to community needs and wishes, where possible .
Are there any potential risks involved in this research?
We are not aware of any risks to participants in the research.
What if you change your mind during or after the study?
You are free to withdraw at any time. To do this, simply close your browser window or the application (App) the survey is presented on. Any information you have entered up to that point will be deleted from the data set. As this is an anonymous survey it will not be possible to withdraw your information after you have completed the survey.
What will happen to the information you provide?
All data will be anonymous . We will not be able to identify you or link your identity with any responses you provide. All data will be stored on the University of Canterbury's computer network in password-protected files.
All data will be destroyed five years after completion of the study. I will be responsible for making sure that only members of the research team use your data for the purposes mentioned in this information sheet.
Will the results of the study be published?
Results may be published in peer-reviewed, academic journals. Results may also be presented during conferences or seminars to wider professional and academic communities . Your answer to the open question may be quoted, but you will not be identifiable in any publication.
Who can I contact if I have any questions or concerns?
If you have any questions about the research, please contact Tobias Malet z.
This study has been reviewed and approved by the University of Canterbury Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC). If you have concerns or complaints about this research, please contact the Chair of the HREC at human-ethics@canterbury.ac.nz.
What happens next?
If you would like a PDF version of this information sheet, please email Tobias Maletz at the email address above.
Please read the following statement of consent and start the survey below.
Statement of consent
I have read the study information and understand what is involved in participating. I confirm I am over 18 years of age. By completing the survey and submitting my responses, I consent to participate.
[...]
Frequently Asked Questions about the Language Preview
What is the main topic of the document?
The document presents a language preview focusing on an interdisciplinary, community-based approach to maintaining and developing a minority language and culture, using the Deutsch in Christchurch centre as a case study.
What is included in this language preview?
The preview includes the title, table of contents, objectives and key themes, chapter summaries, and key words, providing a comprehensive overview of the research.
What are the key themes explored in the language preview?
Key themes include acculturation theories, culture learning, migrant communities and language learning, intergenerational aspects of migration, reinforcing intergenerational ties through initiatives and pedagogy, and the application of the Montessori method.
What is Deutsch in Christchurch?
Deutsch in Christchurch is an initiative that aims to reinforce a sense of identity and belonging in people identifying as German and those interested in the language and culture, both within themselves and in the context of life in New Zealand. It employs a holistic and community-based approach.
What is the research methodology used in the study?
The research employs a case study methodology, combining a description and analysis of Deutsch in Christchurch with a survey of participants to explore their attitudes and experiences.
What is the aim of the survey?
The survey aims to gather insights into the experiences and attitudes of community members who have participated in Deutsch in Christchurch activities, focusing on the impact on their ethnic identity and language confidence.
What are some of the activities organized by Deutsch in Christchurch?
Activities include playgroups, school groups, cultural events (e.g., Midwinter Christmas Market, Berlin Wall celebration), conversation groups, language classes, and a book club.
What are the research questions explored in the study?
The main research question is: "How can creating a natural language space, using intergenerational and culture learning approaches, help members of minority communities in building their ethnic identity and language confidence?" Sub-questions delve into the complementary nature of these approaches, their application in minority communities, and lessons learned from Deutsch in Christchurch.
What is the role of the Montessori method in Deutsch in Christchurch?
The Montessori method, with its focus on individuality, self-directed learning, and multi-sensory approaches, is used by the centre's teacher to support children in learning the German language and culture.
What are some of the challenges faced by minority language communities?
Challenges include lack of resources, finding appropriate learning materials for heritage language learners, navigating different communicative styles, and overcoming historical sensitivities related to German identity.
What are the limitations of the study?
Limitations include the small sample size of the survey, the focus on a single community, and the potential for researcher bias due to the researcher's involvement with Deutsch in Christchurch.
What recommendations are made for other communities?
Recommendations include embracing inclusiveness and diversity, adopting a future-oriented approach, fostering intergenerational connections, and establishing collaborations with various stakeholders.
What is the purpose of the literature review?
The literature review examines existing studies in areas such as acculturation theories, culture learning, community language maintenance, intergenerational approaches, and the Montessori method to provide a theoretical framework for the research.
- Quote paper
- Tobias Maletz (Author), 2022, A community-based approach to language and culture learning and maintenance. A case study of the Deutsch in Christchurch initiative, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1309140