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SociolinguisticsAssignment 3

Critical Review

“Immigrant Parents vs. ImmigrantChildren: Attitude towards Language Learning in the United States”

Prepared by;

Zatusy Syamam Binti Naim (815344)

Master in Applied Linguistics

Prepared for:

Encik Noor Allam bin Wan Chek

INTRODUCTION

The article entitled “Immigrant Parents vs. Immigrant

Children: Attitude toward language learning in the US” written by

Ismail Hakki Mirici, Rebecca Galleano and Kelly Torres (2013),

discussed how speakers from various cultural backgrounds need to

find a common ground or a shared language in order for them to

communicate effectively with each other. In the case of

immigrants the language might be the native language of one and

the second language of the other. However, the main focus of the

study was to find out the differences in attitudes between

immigrant parents and immigrant children towards language

learning in the United States.

It is argued in the article that immigrant parents’ view it

as crucial for their children to develop proficiency in English.

This is so that they will be able to fully take part in the

academic context as well as socially. In contrast, they feel

there is no need for them, themselves to be well-versed in the

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English language. For them, it is sufficient that they are able

to ‘get by’ with whatever English language ability that they

currently have. They put emphasis on their children English

language proficiency instead so that the children will be able to

succeed in the future.

Also mentioned in the article, immigrant children more often

than not will face some kind of hindrance in a form of limited

prior educational experiences, limited parental involvement and

psychological adjustment to a new culture. According to Wells

(2010) as mentioned in the article, these barriers may impact the

children’s attitude as well as their educational attainment.

However, the writers argued that provided with sufficient amount

of constructive educational experience which incorporated

suitable second language acquisition accommodation and strategies

these immigrant children may show more positive attitude towards

the English language.

The research was conducted by distributing questionnaires

about attitudes towards language learning which was developed by

Henry and Apelgren (2008). The items however were modified to

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suit the purpose of this research. They were used to assess

parents’ own thoughts or views toward the second language

learning process and also their child’s view on learning English.

Immigrant families with elementary aged children were contacted

via email and 23 of those families responded and agreed to take

part in the study. Participants came from different ethnic

backgrounds such as Turkish, Chinese, Korean, Indian, Japanese

and Arabic. Participants were provided with two formats of the

survey, online and paper copies.

The result of the survey conveyed that parents’ attitude

toward English language learning is distinctively different from

the children’s. The immigrant parents’ attitudes toward English

language learning is significantly higher that their children’s.

This is probably due to the amount of exposure of how important

the language is that they get from around them. In fact,

immigrant children who showed positive attitude in learning

English most probably also have parents who have positive views

of the language and know the importance of being proficient in

it. Therefore they strongly encourage their children to do so.

With such positive influences children may feel even more4

motivated to learn said language, not just English but any

language for that matter. As Bartman (2006) argued as mentioned

by the writers in their article, parents’ positive opinion

towards language learning plays a prominent role in helping their

children to become fluent in a second language.

DISCUSSION

Language Attitude

Attitude towards a language or language attitude is basically

defined as expression towards a language, be it positive or

negative (Richards, Platt & Platt, 1992, p. 199). In addition,

Gardner & Lambert (1972) suggested two types of language

attitudes which are known as language orientations. These

language orientations are referred to as instrumentals and

integrative. Based on that personally, I agree with the notion put

forth by the writers that there is a significant different in

attitudes toward the learning of English between the immigrant

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parents and their children. This is probably because of the

different views of the language that they have. In general, how

they view the learning of the English language is influenced by

the outcomes that would come out of it. These outcomes in return

will motivate the immigrant families to master the language.

Looking back at the two language orientations mentioned

earlier, instrumentals is defined as achievement-oriented and has

utilitarian goals (Mirici, Galleano & Torres, 2013). What is

meant by this is that learning English is based on their desire

to succeed personally, to gain a sense of security and to achieve

a certain status in the society. The second type which is the

integrative language attitude basically focuses on the social and

interpersonal aspects. It is mostly driven by the desire to be

identified as part of the language group and to be accepted in

the cultural activities.

I support the idea suggested by the writers of this article

that language attitude is without a doubt important. It plays a

major role in influencing and motivating L2 learners in this case

the immigrant children as well as their parents to learn the

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language of the new country. Ellis (1994) asserted that language

attitude is influenced by social factors which at the same time

determine the learner outcome. Positive attitude is also believed

to enhance the children’s learning process and also make them

feel more interested to communicate with the English native

speakers.

From the research we can see that language attitude and

motivation goes hand in hand. One will undeniably affect the

other and that is why both are equally important. The more

general definition of motivation is one’s desire to learn.

According to Mangal (2008), motivation can be referred to as

something that encourages, drive and energizes an individual to

act or behave in a certain manner. In the case of learning a

second language among the immigrant families, in the United

States, motivation is what encourages them to learn English

language.

Immigrant Parents’ attitude

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The article argues that immigrant parents have higher

attitude toward learning the English language in comparison to

their children. Their positive view on the importance of English

proficiency leads them to put major emphasis for their children

to be proficient in the language. This is so that they will be

able to perform well academically thus, become successful in the

future (Carhill, Orozco & Perez, 2008). It is in the nature of

parents for wanting a better life for their children than the one

they have right now. This is why they encourage them to learn

English and to master it so that they could perform in schools

and then get better jobs in the future. They always want what is

best for their children (Ghazi, Ali, Shahzad, & Khan, 2010)

As previously mentioned in this paper, their attitude of

learning English for their own personal mastery is viewed as not

that important. As long as the existing ability that they have

can get them by in their daily life they do not see the need for

them to be proficient in the language themselves. According to

Jamssen, Bakker, Bosman, Rosenberg & Leseman (2012), some

immigrant parents thought of the task of teaching their children

the English language is designed for the educators to carry out8

while their job at home is to instill morals and values. I think

this is why they feel like it is not necessary for them to be

fluent in said language. This is because they know that their

children could gain better knowledge of the English language from

their teachers rather than from them. No matter how these parents

view the learning of English, one thing is true, parents’

attitude in return affect their children’s attitude of learning

English.

Bartman (2006) stated in his study that parents’ attitude

towards different languages affect which language their children

view as important. He also suggested that immigrant children who

have positive perception toward learning English more often than

not also have parents who have set and communicated a utilitarian

goal for language learning. This means that the immigrant parents

who participated in this study want and encourage their children

to improve themselves and be successful by being able to master

the English language. They know that living in the United States

where English is the first language, to be fluent in it is of the

utmost importance. It will essentially help them in schools,

interact with their peers and surrounding community, participate9

in any cultural activities and eventually get better job

opportunities.

Immigrant Children’s attitude

For immigrant families it is a challenge for them to be in a

new place where their native language is not their first language

anymore. This means that in order for them to survive and to

interact effectively with the people around them be it for work

purposes or merely socializing, they have to be able to speak the

other language in this case English. Children of these families

might feel it even more difficult to perform academically as well

as to fit in socially unless they are able to speak English

fluently. Abedi & Lord (2001) asserted that the lack of English

proficiency in academic context leads to poor performance in

standardized test and in academic achievement in general. These

poor academic performances in the end will have an impact on

their opportunity to gain better performance professionally.

As explained as well in the research, these immigrant

children have no or very limited prior knowledge of the language.

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This prior knowledge of the said language will help them to

assimilate and have more positive educational experiences

(Rumbaut, 1997). On top of that, they also have to learn how to

adjust to the new culture around them. These are among the things

that could form a barrier for them to perform at school and also

to interact with their English speaking peers. Additionally,

these factors also have an impact on how these children’s view

the learning of English language thus, shape their attitude

towards it. In my opinion, I think that this is probably why the

result of the study showed that children’s attitude toward

learning English is lower than their parents’. They feel

extremely anxious because of their lack of proficiency. They feel

like they are unable to fit in with the English speaking

schoolmates and feel as if they are being left out. In some

cases, some of the immigrant children may feel negatively towards

learning English because of the negative perception that some of

their peers have toward immigrants. During this phase of adapting

to the new culture they may face social prejudice and

discrimination (Rumbaut, 1997). This makes them feel isolated and

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cause them to separate themselves from the other English speaking

peers.

However, not all immigrant children have negative opinion

towards language learning provided that they have ample support

and exposure that shows them how important it is to learn the

language. The study claimed that children’s language attitude is

prominently influenced by their parents’. I agree with this

notion because for many years, researchers have carried out

studies on the impact of parental involvement in children’s

motivation to learn and the results indicate that parents do play

a major role in the children’s motivation and academic

performance (Gottfried, Flenning & Gottfried, 1994). In my

opinion, even if these parents are not able to help their

children language learning due to their own lack of proficiency,

they still can assist them in so many different ways such as

encouraging the children’s feeling of competence and developing

positive attitude towards learning. As pointed out in the review

of the research literature on families and school motivation by

Grolnick, Friendly and Bellas (2009), parental involvement

strongly influence many types of school outcomes. This includes12

developing and maintaining positive motivation. This is why it

does not matter whether or not the parents are proficient in

English, they still can help their children to master the

language and have positive attitude and motivation to learn it

and also improve their academic attainment. Researches have shown

that parents who are actively involved in their children’s

education and provide a constructive and stimulating environment

at home can increase their children’s curiosity, competence and

positive attitudes.

Moreover, in the article, although the immigrant children

were found to have lower attitude toward English learning but

most of them have positive perception towards it. This is because

according to the writers, the immigrant children who participated

in the study have experienced extensive exposure of the English

language since they were enrolled in English speaking schools.

This provides them with a constructive learning environment which

in a way encourages them to learn English and also the

opportunities to practice using the language with their peers. I

think that this factor alongside with the encouragement and

support that they get from their parents will lead to positive13

result. The immigrant children will eventually be even more

motivated to learn the language and also be good at it.

Other factors

From what have been discussed above we can basically say

that parents play a huge role in stimulating their children

attitude which then will spikes up the motivation towards

language learning which in the end will make them fluent English

speakers. Although, as previously mentioned I agree with the

notion put forward by the writers in their study. I also believe

that there are some other social factors other than parental

involvement that could help the immigrant children in learning

the English language. In my opinion, educators or the teachers

along with the peers also play a major role in helping and

motivating these children to learn the language and also perform

in school.

According to the research by Ming Te Wang and Jaquelynne S.

Eccles (2012), parents, teachers and peers play their own role in

encouraging learners to learn. The study explained that parent’s

role in at the top of the list. However, teachers also contribute

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in slowing down the decrease of compliance, school identification

and value of learning. Next on the list is peer support. Peer can

provide positive influence towards language learning. With the

help of their peers, children will be more interested and willing

in joining extracurricular activities, increase positive attitude

towards learning specifically when it comes to language and also

make them feel like one of them. In addition, English speaking

peers provide the channel to practice using their English

language knowledge and therefore improve their language skills.

In the end these immigrant children will be fluent English

speakers and also do well in school and socially.

CONCLUSION

To sum up this paper we could say that immigrant families

face so many challenges in the new country, one of them being

learning the language. This is because they need to be able to

communicate with the locals or the native speakers in order for

them to do well in both work and social contexts. Immigrants who

live in the United States therefore need to learn the English

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language because that is the common ground that will help them to

communicate effectively with other peoples around them both the

locals and also other immigrants who came from various countries.

Essentially, language can function as a link between people from

various backgrounds.

When it comes to learning a second language there are many

questions that will arise. The article chosen focused on the

different attitudes that the immigrant parents and their children

have towards language learning in this case, English. From the

study, the writers believed that there is a difference in views

or perception between these two groups. Although, both

participating groups showed positive attitude, the parents

portrayed higher attitude towards language learning than the

children. However, instead of mastering the language themselves,

the parents focus on their children’s learning instead. They want

their children to be fluent English speakers so that they could

perform at school, communicate effectively with other people,

participate in the community and cultural activities as well as

reach higher status and get better job opportunities. As

mentioned previously in the discussion, parents always want what16

is best for their children. They want their children to have a

better life than what they have right now and if by learning the

English language could in fact open many doors that lead to

success than that if what they will lead their children to.

Furthermore, we can also conclude that children’s language

attitude is strongly influenced by their parents. How they feel

about a language is derived from what their parents expose them

to. If the parents communicate positive perception towards

learning English and show the positive outcome that could come

out of it, the children will be more likely to have positive

attitudes towards language learning. Many researches have proved

that parental involvement in children learning process lead to

better school and social performance. With that being said, it is

not necessary for these immigrant parents to be fluent in the

language in order for them to be able actively contribute to

their children learning. They can contribute in other ways such

as stated above by providing ample positive support and exposing

them to the benefits of being proficient in English.

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Last but not least, I strongly believe that other social

factors such as the teachers and peers also play a major role in

increasing motivation and instilling positive attitude. In short,

we can say that language attitude and motivation goes together,

one will influence the other. Both will help the immigrant

children to be more interested and willing to learn English. They

will want to participate more actively in school and also outside

in the real world. In the end they will be proficient in the

English language and will be able to fit in and be part of the

community regardless of any other barriers that they previously

faced. However, it is best to bear in mind that language is not

only influenced by social factors as mentioned in this paper. It

is also influenced by other factors such as family backgrounds,

language input and many others.

REFERENCES

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