Dr. Chan Lü (The Ohio State University)

Topic: Parenting Styles and Family Language Policy: How They Shape Children's Bilingual Outcomes

For families raising children in multiple languages, the home environment plays a crucial role — but it's not just about what languages parents speak. How parents engage with their children may matter just as much.

This talk explores how parenting styles and family language policy — how families navigate languages at home, from conscious decisions to everyday habits and beliefs — work together to shape children's bilingual development. Drawing on a recent study of Chinese immigrant families in the United States, we'll examine how different parenting approaches influence children's confidence in each language and their willingness to use them day-to-day.

We'll discuss what these family dynamics mean for multilingual learners across different ages, and what educators can take back to better support the bilingual children and families they work with.