Choosing Immersion: Latino Parents Seeking Bilingualism

• In Event: 566 - Section on Latino/a Sociology Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Section on Latino/a Sociology Roundtables (one-hour). Table 01. Youth and Parents

Abstract

Extant scholarship on language assimilation in the U.S. finds that most native languages do not survive the second or third generation and documents the widespread and long-standing hostility towards bilingualism among immigrants and their children and bilingual education. Yet, dual language immersion programs that teach children in two languages are growing in popularity and enroll significant percentages of Latino origin families. Why do Latino parents want their children to be bilingual and why do they select dual language immersion? And, do these motives vary among heterogeneous Latino families? To better understand motives Latino families have for choosing Spanish/English immersion, this paper draws from ethnography at a dual immersion school located in the greater Los Angeles area and in-depth interviews with parents with children enrolled in the school. I find that despite the hostility towards bilingual education in the U.S., Latino parents seek dual immersion education for their children because they believe bilingualism is an advantage that will provide them important personal and professional opportunities in their future. Yet, class and generational differences among Latino parents manifest in their reasons for choosing immersion and middle class Latino parents are more likely to express concerns about preparing children for an increasingly diverse world, while working class parents emphasize familial connections more often. These motives reflect Latino parents’ resources and power and also affect their participation at the school.

Author

• Jazmin A. Muro, University of Southern California