Specificity of English and Spanish Vocabulary Acquisition in Mexican American Children: Unique Effects of Financial and Sociocultural Hardship

• In Event: Conditions of social vulnerability and language development

Abstract

Early oral language development lays an essential foundation for academic and socioemotional competencies but is vulnerable to the impact of family stress (Cycyk et al., 2015; Hoff, 2006). Mexican American children experience poverty at higher rates than others and are at increased risk for delays in English language acquisition (Garcia & Jensen, 2009). Despite evidence that poverty affects early oral language development in monolingual samples, little is known about whether the family stress processes impacting language acquisition are similar among dual language learners. Furthermore, although Mexican American families face stressors related to their ethnic minority and immigrant status, no research has tested whether exposure to culturally salient stressors may likewise have negative consequences for early language acquisition. This study examined whether early financial and culturally salient stressors were associated with maternal stress perception, parenting sensitivity, and preschool English and Spanish vocabulary outcomes.
Participants included 322 low-income Mexican American mothers and their children followed from pregnancy through child age 4.5 years (see Table 1). Results of a longitudinal path model indicated that the paths linking family stress to child vocabulary outcomes varied by language (English or Spanish) and stress type (financial or cultural; see Figure 1). Overall, Spanish acquisition was more closely related to the quality of mother-child interactions, whereas English acquisition was more susceptible to the effects of family stress. Specifically, higher income to need ratio (INR; indicative of less financial hardship) during pregnancy was significantly associated with higher maternal sensitivity during toddlerhood (B = 0.23, SE = 0.09, p = .009), and higher maternal sensitivity in turn was associated with greater child Spanish vocabulary knowledge at age 4.5 (B = 0.17, SE = 0.07, p = .017). As for English acquisition, less financial hardship was directly associated with greater vocabulary knowledge (B = 0.12, SE = 0.05, p = .026). Moreover, culturally salient stress was indirectly associated with less English vocabulary knowledge through higher maternal psychological stress (B = -0.04, SE = 0.02, p = .020). Certain covariates such as maternal education (B = 0.16, SE = 0.06, p = .013) and child preschool attendance (B = 0.23, SE = 0.06, p < .001) were significantly associated with higher English vocabulary.
Findings may inform future endeavors aiming to promote literacy among Mexican American children of predominantly immigrant, low-income households. Sociocultural hardship may play a unique role in shaping early dual language development, but Mexican American families may be more resilient to its impact than that of poverty. Therefore, initiatives to foster English acquisition as a second language should consider how low financial resources may be affecting children’s language exposure and education. Nevertheless, given the emerging evidence that both Spanish and English oral language skills may support Latinx American children’s literacy development (Hoff et al., 2014; Relyea & Amendum, 2019), it is recommended that such initiatives may also consider supporting children’s early Spanish acquisition. Enhancing parents’ ability to provide socioemotionally enriching interactions may be an important target of the programs aimed to improve children’s primary language development.

Authors

• Anna J Yeo, State University of New York at Albany (SUNY Albany)
  Presenting Author

• Amanda M. Flagg, State University of New York at Albany (SUNY Albany)
  Non-Presenting Author

• Betty Lin, State University of New York at Albany (SUNY Albany)
  Non-Presenting Author

• Keith A Crnic, Arizona State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Nancy A Gonzales, Arizona State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Linda J. Luecken, Arizona State University
  Non-Presenting Author