The Roles of Heritage Language Schools - Sumika Hasegawa

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate what heritage school meant to those who attended it and to learn about students' attitude toward their heritage culture and language. The researcher surveyed 46 students who were attending a particular Japanese Saturday school in the Northern California. Out of the 46 participants, 21students were randomly interviewed. In addition, the researcher conducted school/class observations to gather further data. The students showed deep attachment to the Japanese school, and the result indicated that the participants of this research perceived Japanese school to have served multiple purposes. These students indicated that their primary reason for attending the Saturday school was to socialize with other peers that spoke the same heritage language. Further research is needed to understand more about the roles of the heritage schools in the United States.