Poster #171 - Language environment, parental attitudes and acculturation among dual language learners in Head Start

• In Event: 3-159 - Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: PS 12 Section - Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Context

Integrative Statement

Dual language learners (DLLs) make up 32% of young children (age 0 to 8) in the U.S. (Park, O’Toole, & Katsiaficas, 2017). Spanish and Chinese are the top two home languages spoken in DLLs' families (Park, O’Toole, & Katsiaficas, 2017). Despite the growing number of DLLs, research on sociocultural factors such as acculturation, parental attitudes, and cross-culture comparisons has not received much attention in the literature (Jia, Gottardo, & Ferreira, 2017).
The current study has two aims: (1) to describe the parents’ attitudes, acculturation and the language environment in the home and in Head Start among dual language learners in Head Start programs; and (2) to examine whether there are differences in these aspects between Mexican American and Chinese American children.
The sample consisted of 90 children (M = 54.37 months, SD = 7.11, 59% girls) and their parents (98% mothers) recruited from Head Start programs in Northern California. The children were from Spanish-speaking Mexican American families (N = 46) or Chinese-speaking Chinese American families (N =44). On average, the parents received 10.9 years of education. They filled out a questionnaire regarding their child’s language use and their attitudes. They also completed the cultural and social acculturation scale (CSAS; Chen & Lee, 1996). Children’s vocabulary scores in English and heritage language were also collected.
Both Mexican American and Chinese American children performed similarly on English and heritage language vocabulary assessments. Additionally, at home, both groups of children heard and used more heritage language than English with their parents and other adults. However, both groups used more English with their siblings. Interestingly, adults from Chinese families used more heritage language than those from Mexican families among themselves, F(1, 88)=4.80, p=0.03.
In Head Start, both groups of children heard and used more English with their assistant teachers. However, children from Mexican American families used more heritage language with their main teachers compared with their Chinese American peers, F(1, 86)=12.13, p=.001.
All parents thought it is very important to speak, read and write in English. Interestingly, Mexican American parents rated the children’s speaking, F(1, 88)=8.82, p=.004, reading and writing, F(1, 88)=9.83, p<.001, in the heritage language to be more important than Chinese-American parents did. In terms of acculturation, both groups had a similar heritage orientation. However, Mexican-American parents showed a higher Western orientation compared to Chinese-American parents.
There appear to be more similarities than differences between low-income Mexican-American and Chinese-American immigrant families in their home language environments and in their children’s vocabulary skills. However, Mexican American parents considered their heritage language to be more important for their children than the Chinese-American parents did, despite having a higher Western orientation in terms of acculturation.

Authors

• Lu Yang, University of California, Davis
  Presenting Author

• Aya Inamori Williams, University of California, Berkeley
  Non-Presenting Author

• Qing Zhou, University of California Berkeley
  Non-Presenting Author

• Yuuko Uchikoshi, University of California, Davis
  Non-Presenting Author