Language Brokering Among the Children of Latino Immigrants: Out-of-School Bilingual Practices and In-School Benefits

• In Event: Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: Bilingual Education Research: Theory, Policy, and Practice Poster Session

Abstract

As a result of proposition 227, the children of immigrants in California are usually educated entirely in English, but their day-to-day existence is still a bilingual one. Research indicates that the children of immigrants often serve as language brokers, or cultural and linguistic intermediaries, between their families and the outside world. The purpose of this study is twofold: (a) to validate the Language Brokering Measure-IV (LBM-IV) and (b) to examine the relationship of language brokering to positive and negative outcomes in Latino youth. Relating these out-of-school bilingual practices to in-school benefits highlights how educators can capitalize on the strengths of the children of immigrants, offer support to immigrant families, and create interventions relevant to their bilingual experiences.

Author

• Rebecca Anguiano, University of California - Berkeley