The Development of Educational Aspirations and Expectations from Adolescence to Young Adulthood: A Longitudinal Study of Mexican-Origin Youth

Mexican-origin youth are at increased risk for school dropout and low educational attainment. High educational aspirations and expectations provide a potential source of resilience, given that they predict positive educational outcomes. Using data from a large sample of Mexican-origin youth (N=674), we examined the development of educational aspirations (how far would you like to go in school?) and expectations (how far do you actually expect to go?) from seventh grade (Mage=12.8) to two years post-high school (Mage=19.8). Results indicate that Mexican-origin youth enter adolescence with very high aspirations and expectations, and maintain them even after transitioning into young adulthood. Several demographic and cultural factors, including parental education, family income, the cultural value of familism, ethnic identity, and Spanish language use, were associated with higher aspirations and expectations.

The Complexities of Culturally Responsive Organized Activities: Latino Parents’ and Adolescents’ Perspectives

Grounded in bioecological theories, this mixed-method article examines aspects of culturally responsive organized activities. Study 1 used path analysis to quantitatively test relations between ethnic cultural features of activities (ways of integrating ethnic culture) and concurrent experiences ( N = 150 Latino adolescents). Findings were mixed, such that some features (e.g., teaching ethnic culture) predicted positive (e.g., increased autonomy) and negative (e.g., emotional) experiences. Study 2 disentangled the nuances of ethnic culture by qualitatively exploring perspectives on three features ( N = 34 Mexican-origin adolescent-parent dyads): ethnic cultural content, same-ethnic leaders/peers, and Spanish language use. Thematic analysis revealed the complexities of ethnic culture. Some parents and adolescents wanted activities that represented mainstream American culture; others wanted Latino ethnic culture, but were unhappy with the ways it was integrated into activities. Parents and adolescents thought their ethnic culture was misrepresented (e.g., Cinco de Mayo was celebrated as Mexican Independence Day) or represented narrowly (e.g., La Bamba was the school band’s only Mexican song). Findings suggest that integrating ethnic cultural features is not an “all or nothing” decision, and how it is done matters considerably. Families’ perspectives and voice would help ensure ethnic culture is integrated in authentic, preferred ways.

Language Vitality of Spanish in Equatorial Guinea: Language Use and Attitudes

This study investigates the use of and attitudes towards, Spanish in the multilingual Republic of Equatorial Guinea, the only African country with Spanish as an official language. The Spanish dialect of Equatorial Guinea is an understudied area, although descriptive research on the Spanish language spoken there began in the 1950s. Very few research studies have been carried out on the sociolinguistic dynamic of this multilingual country. Four scales of language vitality were utilized and it was demonstrated that Spanish in Equatorial Guinea is not endangered and continues to thrive. An online survey was also performed to assess Spanish language use and attitudes towards the Equatoguinean variety of Spanish. Respondents were highly educated, middle-class and spoke at least two languages. It was observed that Spanish was the functional language in almost all the sociocultural contexts or domains. Equatorial Guineans share that Spanish is important to their identity as the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa.

Identity Crisis: Effect of Immigrant Replenishment on Spanish Language Use Among US-born Mexican Descendants

Immigrant replenishment may affect assimilation patterns of US-born descendants by maintaining the use and relevance of the language of origin. This study asks, how does Mexican immigrant replenishment affect Spanish language use among adult US-born Mexican descendants? Descendants include members of the second or later generations. I propose that greater exposure to Mexican immigrants will encourage adult US-born Mexican descendants to maintain their ethnic origins, especially language of origin. Therefore, the higher the rate of immigrant replenishment, the more likely respondents will speak Spanish at home. I analyze a five-year cumulative data file of the US American Community Survey (ACS) from 2011 to 2015, which represents 5 percent of the US population. The ACS uses stratified cluster sampling to collect data from 15,637,457 respondents. The sample is limited to US-born Mexican descendants, who were 25 years of age, married, and heads of households or spouses thereof. This limited the analysis to 187,212 respondents. I found that college attendance and higher family income decrease the odds of speaking Spanish at home. I also found that as immigrant replenishment increases, the odds of respondents speaking Spanish at home increases and decreases. As immigrant replenishment increases, respondents with Hispanic spouses are more likely to speak Spanish at home. However, respondents with non-Hispanic spouses are less likely to speak Spanish at home, which may be a result of sharpened intragroup boundaries created by new immigrants. The results confirm that Mexican immigrant replenishment significantly affects speaking Spanish at home for adult US-born Mexican descendants.

Y yo soy cubano, and I’m impatient

This article examines Cuban-American rapper Pitbull’s use of Spanish in his seven English albums, drawing from the literature on lyrical code-switching and Sarkar and Winer’s (2006) socio-pragmatic framework for the analysis of multilingual code-switching in Quebec rap. It was found that Pitbull’s highest rates of Spanish language use appear in songs with hegemonic masculinity as main topic, and that Spanish switches are used mostly for emphasis/translation, and for enacting a hypersexual, hypermasculine identity consistent with rap and reggaeton expectations of masculinity. Pitbull’s use of Spanish legitimizes Latinos’ code-switching practices and allows him to articulate a bilingual/bicultural Latino rapper identity, but also perpetuates stereotypes that link Spanish and Spanish-speaking men to sex and sexuality.

Spanish Language and Education in the Midwest

This chapter explores Spanish language use, maintenance, and education in the Midwest. It surveys various studies of intergenerational language loss, Spanish language dialects, and inter-Latino language influences among Latinas/os. By comparing Spanish language use in the Midwest to other regions, the chapter illustrates common trends and highlights distinct regional differences that make the Midwest a critical region for studying language maintenance and Latina/o identity. Most significantly are the region’s numerous dual-language schools, the long period of contact between Mexicans and Puerto Ricans, and the site of the nation’s largest school district in Chicago.