Bilingual or English Only? Influence of Language and English Proficiency on Asian American Educational Attainment

• In Event: 598 - Section on Asia and Asian America Roundtable Session.
  In Refereed Roundtable: Section on Asia and Asian America Roundtables. Table 01. Health and Educational Outcomes

Abstract

This study examines whether speaking English “well” or “not well” matters to Asian Americans in their educational attainment and whether speaking another language other than English at home can influence educational attainment. However, the focus is on college completion or more among Asian American population and the effect of English proficiency and other Asian languages spoken at home. IPUMS 2011 data was utilized to examine language and educational attainment in the Asian population due to their population growth. Results have supported the second hypothesis, for example, Asian Americans who speak Chinese are about 33 percent more likely to complete a bachelor’s degree or a higher degree than Asian Americans who only speaks English at home. Conversely, the first hypothesis was not supported by the results, yet the overall English proficiency are all statically significant at the .001 level that Asians who speaks English only, “very-well, “well”, and “not well” are still more likely to obtain a college degree and a higher degree than Asians who do not speak English at all. Future implications will examine ethnic behavior (integration, assimilation, marginality, deviance) within language (English proficiency or speaking another language at home) and the possibility for decrease or increase in migration patterns on educational attainment.

Author

• Maggie Bohm, Mississippi State University