Education paper by Szécsi, Tünde
Floda Gulf Coast University

Hungarian-American Families’ Perception on Heritage Language Literacy Practices through Media Technologies

Type of Abstract (select):

Abstract (max. 250 words):
Despite the increasing number of linguistically diverse immigrants in the USA, more than 90 % of the population uses solely English for communication. Research also indicates that within three generations the heritage language (HL) is completely lost, often causing devastating consequences on immigrant children’s identities, family relationship, and academic accomplishments. Besides numerous well-researched factors, little attention was given to the effects of the use of media-technologies in families’ HL practices.
During the past decade technology has transformed our lives. The advancement and the availability of various media technologies has changed the way people live, work and communicate. Media sources have also been found beneficial for HL development. Among those are television programs in the HL, cartoons on video or DVD from the heritage culture, pop songs and audiobooks in the HL, video tapes for educational purposes, and the Internet (Cho & Krashen, 2000), DeCapua and Wintergerst, 2009, Park & Sarkar, 2007). In addition, media technologies such as email, social networking websites and Skype, a telephone and video calling service over the World Wide Web, carry new opportunities to connect immigrants with their families in the heritage country (Şenyürekli & Detzner, 2009). As a result, through becoming a part of each other’s virtual lives, immigrant families have enjoyed a day-to-day relationship with relatives and friends in the heritage country.
A study was conducted to delve deep into Hungarian – American families ' perceptions regarding the role media technologies play in their children's literacy development and maintenance of the Hungarian language in the United States. One hundred families participated in the on-line survey. Our analysis focused on the parents’ perception on the importance of HL maintenance, the barriers in this process and their perception on the use of media in HL maintenance. This presentation will report on the perceptions of Hungarian – American families on the use of media technologies in the maintenance of the Hungarian language and culture. For educators and families, regardless of their country of residence, this presentation will provide new insights into strategies and practices for maintenance of the Hungarian language and culture through the family members’ eyes.



Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Dr. Tunde Szecsi is a professor at Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, FL where she is the Co-Coordinator for the Elementary Teacher Education Programs. She earned her Master’s degrees in Hungarian, Russian and English language and literature in Hungary. For seventeen years she taught at high school and college level in Hungary. In 2003, she obtained her Ph.D. in Early Childhood Education at University at Buffalo, and since then she has taught courses on elementary and early childhood education, teaching English as a second language. She served as coeditor for the 2007 and 2012 international theme issues and the Teaching Strategies column of the Childhood Education journal. Over the past decade, she has made numerous presentations throughout the world, and has contributed over forty articles and five book chapters in child development, multicultural education, culturally responsive teacher preparation, and humane education.