Volume: 19  Number: 3  Page: 266–277  doi:10.2167/lcc319.0

Parental Influences on Language Learning in Hebrew Sunday School Classes

Avital Feuer York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The purpose of this study is to explore the nature of attitudes held by parents of Jewish Hebrew students at a Boston area Sunday school. Five parents of diverse backgrounds were interviewed in-depth to discuss the nature of their attitudes. Three common themes emerged related to the reasons for their high levels of involvement with the Sunday school: (1) the importance of interpersonal relationships within the Jewish community, (2) support in discovering elements of Jewish identity, and (3) the responsibility for constructing necessary social and educational structures or frameworks in order for the learning to be possible. Implications of the study for the development of Sunday school Hebrew classes in North America are discussed.

Keywords: attitude, parental influence, Sunday school, identity, ancestral language, languages: Hebrew

© 2006 A. Feuer

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