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Latino Parent-Child English Language Fluency: Implications for Maternal School Involvement
Machele Anderson1, Ronald B Cox1, Zachary Giano2
1Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, USA.
Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences
|December 3, 2021
Summary
Language barriers can impact Latino parents' school involvement. When students are more fluent in English than their mothers, maternal involvement significantly decreases, highlighting the need for targeted school outreach.
Area of Science:
- Sociology of Education
- Latino Studies
- Family-School Partnerships
Background:
- Latino parents report lower school involvement than other ethnic groups.
- This disparity is often anecdotally linked to English language proficiency, but lacks empirical testing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between English language proficiency and maternal school involvement among Latino families.
- To determine if language dissonance between mothers and their children affects parental engagement in education.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a population-based sample of 637 seventh-grade Latino students in an urban school district.
- Assessed maternal school involvement based on English fluency levels of both mothers and students.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in maternal involvement was found when mothers and students shared similar English fluency (both fluent or both non-fluent).
- Maternal school involvement was significantly lower when students demonstrated higher English proficiency than their mothers.
Conclusions:
- Language proficiency differences between Latino parents and their children negatively impact maternal school involvement.
- Schools should implement strategies to bridge language gaps and enhance parental engagement for families experiencing language dissonance.
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