Understanding the Impact of Heritage Language on Ethnic Identity Formation and Literacy for u.s. Latino Children

Studies show positive associations between ethnic identity, socio-emotional health and academic success. However, most work is carried out with adolescents and few have examined how young children develop an ethnic identity, particularly u.s. Latino children. The present study represents a first-pas...

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Détails bibliographiques
Auteurs: Arredondo, Maria M. (Auteur) ; Rosado, Melanie (Auteur) ; Satterfield, Teresa (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
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Publié: Brill 2016
Dans: Journal of cognition and culture
Année: 2016, Volume: 16, Numéro: 3/4, Pages: 245-266
Sujets non-standardisés:B Affect ethnic identity heritage language literacy social development
Accès en ligne: Volltext (Verlag)
Description
Résumé:Studies show positive associations between ethnic identity, socio-emotional health and academic success. However, most work is carried out with adolescents and few have examined how young children develop an ethnic identity, particularly u.s. Latino children. The present study represents a first-pass investigation of children’s ethnic identity mechanisms and their relation to academic success. We carried out semi-structured interviews in Spanish with 25 Latino children (ages 5–12). Open-ended questions addressed items on the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure and Ethnic Identity Scale, incorporating a mixed qualitative (i.e., themes) and quantitative (i.e., scoring) analysis. Results revealed that children provide great detail when discussing their ethnic background. Additionally, Latino children’s bilingualism and Spanish-language proficiency were significant markers of ethnic identity formation, which in turn were positively associated with affect and Spanish literacy. These findings shed light on the complexities of ethnic identity construction during children’s early years, and establish a path for further investigation of Latino children’s socio-emotional health and academic achievement.
ISSN:1568-5373
Contient:In: Journal of cognition and culture
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/15685373-12342179