Learning to be Australian: Adaptation and identity formation of young Taiwanese-Chinese immigrants in Melbourne, Australia

This research focuses on the adaptation and self-identity of young Taiwanese immigrants to Australia. The study is based on in-depth interviews and observation of young Taiwan-born immigrants in Melbourne, Australia. Participants were initially exposed to Chinese values as part of their education in Taiwan, both in schools and in their families. On moving to a multicultural country with many ethnic groups, immigrants had to learn to communicate with people in English and encountered many problems in their schooling and interpersonal relationships due to language deficiencies. Responses to these difficulties ranged from studying the English language harder to retreating to the use of Chinese to make friends, mainly within the Taiwanese community. However, families of young immigrants may have influenced their choice of friends and therefore also their identity. Families also influenced the young immigrants' choice of a university major. In turn this influenced their careers after graduation. Family influences lessened over the years, and young immigrants eventually adapted to the Australian career environment. However, due to their dual or multicultural backgrounds, those young immigrants became competitive not only in Australia, but also in Taiwan, Mainland China, Asia, and elsewhere in the world.