ERIC Number: EJ1445773
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 32
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2162-3104
EISSN: EISSN-2166-3750
Available Date: N/A
Examining the Role of Parental Acculturation Strategies and Language Attitudes in Shaping Heritage Language Proficiency in Children of Turkish Descent in the United States
Seyma Inan; Yvette R. Harris; George Woodbury
Journal of International Students, v14 n4 p939-970 2024
This study investigates the relationship between acculturation and language attitudes among Turkish immigrant parents and their children's heritage language proficiency, using Vygotsky's sociocultural theory (Vygotsky, 1978) and Berry's acculturation theory (Berry, 1997). Fifty-two Turkish parents (M age = 38.15, SD age = 4.84) completed questionnaires on acculturation and language attitudes, while their children (M age = 8.23, SD age = 2.18) completed vocabulary tests. Results reveal a positive correlation between parents' separation attitudes and supportive language practices, emphasizing Turkish use at home. Younger children showed higher heritage language proficiency, highlighting the importance of early language acquisition. Active Turkish usage among siblings also positively impacted proficiency, while passive exposure through media did not. These findings suggest that immigrant parents' cultural integration attitudes shape their language management strategies, influencing their children's heritage language retention. The study advocates for modifying immigrant parents' acculturation attitudes to enhance heritage language maintenance, proposing targeted bilingual interventions to promote effective language management in immigrant families (Halsted, 2015), with implications for improving bilingual education strategies for immigrant students.
Descriptors: Acculturation, Language Attitudes, Native Language, Language Proficiency, Children, Parent Role, Immigrants, Correlation, Turkish, Parent Child Relationship, Parent Influence, Multilingualism, Demography, Individual Characteristics, Social Bias
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
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