Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Role of Parental Language Acculturation in the Formation of Social Capital: Differential Effects on High-risk Children

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Child Psychiatry & Human Development Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This person-centered study examines the extent to which parents’ language dominance influences the effects of an after school, multi-family group intervention, FAST, on low-income children’s emotional and behavioral outcomes via parents’ relations with other parents and with school staff. Social capital resides in relationships of trust and shared expectations, which are highly dependent on whether parents share the language of other parents and teachers. This study is based on a community epidemiologically-defined sample of Latino families (N = 3,091) in San Antonio, Texas and Phoenix, Arizona. Latent profile analyses revealed three language profiles of parents across the two cities: English-dominant, Spanish-dominant, and bilingual. Path models revealed that FAST did not have a direct or indirect effect on children’s emotional and behavior functioning, although FAST increased parent–parent and parent-school social capital among Spanish-dominant parents in Arizona and these parent–parent relations were associated with better child outcomes. Implications for interventions are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Bourdieu P (1986) The forms of capital. In: Richardson J (ed) Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education. Greenwood Press, New York, pp 241–258

    Google Scholar 

  2. Coleman JS (1988) Social capital in the creation of human capital. AJS 94(Suppl):S95–S120. doi:10.1086/228943

    Google Scholar 

  3. McNeal RB (1999) Parental involvement as social capital: differential effectiveness on science achievement, truancy, and dropping out. Soc Forces 78:117–144. doi:10.1093/sf/78.1.117

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Mendez JL (2010) How can parents get involved in preschool? Barriers and engagement in education by ethnic minority parents of children attending head start. Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol 16:26–36. doi:10.1037/a0016258

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Catalano RF, Berglund ML, Ryan JAM, Lonczak HS, Hawkins JD (2004) Positive youth development in the United States: research findings on evaluations of positive development programs. Ann Am Acad Pol Soc Sci 591:98–124. doi:10.1177/0002716203260102

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. McDonald L, FitzRoy S, Huchs I, Fooken I, Klasen H (2012) Strategies for high retention rates of low-income families in FAST (families and schools together): an evidence-based parenting programme in the USA, UK, Holland and Germany. Eur J Dev Psychol 9:75–88. doi:10.1080/17405629.2011.632134

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Kratochwill TR, McDonald L, Levin JR, Young Bear-Tibbetts H, Demaray MK (2004) Families and schools together: an experimental analysis of a parent-mediated multi-family group intervention program for American Indian children. J Sch Psychol 42:359–383. doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2004.08.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. McDonald L, Moberg DP, Brown R, Rodriguez-Espiricueta I, Flores NI, Burke MP et al (2006) After-school multifamily groups: a randomized controlled trial involving low-income, urban, Latino children. Child Sch 28:25–34. doi:10.1093/cs/28.1.25

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Gutierrez MA, Franco LM, Powerll KG, Peterson NA, Reid RJ (2009) Psychometric properties of the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans II: exploring dimensions of marginality among a diverse Latino population. Hispanic J Behav Sci 31:340–356. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.1997.tb01545.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Ryder AG, Alden LE, Paulhus DL (2000) Is acculturation unidimensional or bidimensional? A head-to-head comparison in the prediction of personality, self identity, and adjustment. J Pers Soc Psychol 79:49–65. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.79.1.49

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Lara M, Gamboa C, Kahramanian MI, Morales LS, Bautista DEH (2005) Acculturation and Latino health in the United States: a review of the literature and its sociopolitical context. Annu Rev Public Health 26:367–397. doi:10.1146/annurev.publhealth.26.021304.144615

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Kao G (2004) Social capital and its relevance to minority and immigrant populations. Soc Educ 77:172–175. doi:10.1177/003804070407700204

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Golash-Boza T (2005) Assessing the advantages of bilingualism for the children of immigrants. Int Migration Rev 39:721–753. doi:10.1111/j.1747-7379.2005.tb00286.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Doucet F (2008) How African American parents understand their and teachers’ roles in children’s schooling and what this means for preparing preservice teachers. J Early Child Teach Educ 29:108–139. doi:10.1080/10901020802059441

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Berry JW (2006) Design of acculturation studies. In: Sam DL, Berry JW (eds) Cambridge handbook of acculturation psychology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 129–141

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  16. Schwartz SJ, Zamboanga BL (2008) Testing Berry’s model of acculturation: a confirmatory latent class approach. Cultur Divers Eth Minor Psychol 14:275–285. doi:10.1037/a0012818

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Rudmin FW (2009) Constructs, measurements and models of acculturation and acculturative stress. Intl J Intercultur Relations 33:106–123. doi:10.1016/j.ijintrel.2008.12.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Coatsworth JD, Maldonado-Molina M, Pantin H, Szapocznik J (2005) A person-centered and ecological investigation of acculturation strategies in Hispanic immigrant youth. J Community Psychol 33:157–174. doi:10.1002/jcop.20046

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Valenzuela A, Dornbusch S (1994) Familism and social capital in the academic achievement of Mexican origin and Anglo students. Soc Sci Q 75:18–36

    Google Scholar 

  20. McDonald L, Moberg DP (2002) Social relationships questionnaire. FAST National Training and Evaluation Center, Madison

    Google Scholar 

  21. Goodman R (1997) The Strengths and difficulties questionnaire: a Research note. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 38:581–586. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.1997.tb01545.x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Lazarfeld PF (1968) Latent structure analysis. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston

    Google Scholar 

  23. Linzer DA, Lewis J (2011) poLCA: Polytomous variable latent class analysis. R package version 1.3.1. http://userwww.service.emory.edu/~dlinzer/poLCA

  24. Nylund KL, Asparouhov T, Muthén B (2007) Deciding on the number of classes in latent class analysis and growth mixture modeling. A Monte Carlo simulation study. Struct Equ Model 14:535–569. doi:10.1080/10705510701575396

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Muthén B, Muthén L (2000) Integrating person-centered and variable-centered analyses: growth mixture modeling with latent trajectory classes. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 24:882–891. doi:10.1111/j.1530-0277.2000.tb02070.x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Hopwood CJ (2007) Moderation and mediation in structural equation modeling: applications for early intervention research. J Early Interv 29:262–272

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Baron RM, Kenny DA (1986) The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. J Pers Soc Psychol 51:1173–1182. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.51.6.1173

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Rosseel Y (2011) Lavaan: Latent variable analysis. R package version 1.3.1. http://lavaan.ugent.be/?q=node/2

  29. Hu L, Bentler PM (1999) Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Struct Equ Model 6:1–55. doi:10.1080/10705519909540118

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Browne MW, Cudeck R (1993) Alternative ways of assessing model fit. In: Bollen KA, Long JS (eds) Testing structural equation models. Sage, Newbury Park, pp 136–162

    Google Scholar 

  31. Kaplan D (1990) Evaluating and modifying covariance structure models: a review and recommendation. Multivariate Beh Res 25:137–155. doi:10.1207/s15327906mbr2502_1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Kaplan D (2009) Structural equation modeling: foundations and extensions, 2nd edn. Sage, Newbury Park

    Google Scholar 

  33. Valdez CR, Padilla B, Valentine JL (2012) Consequences of immigration policy on social capital among Latino families: perceived gains and losses. Manuscript submitted for publication

  34. Altschul I (2011) Parental involvement and the academic achievement of Mexican American youths: what kinds of involvement in youths’ education matter most? Soc Work Res 35:159–170. doi:10.1093/swr/35.3.159

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank Lynn McDonald and Adam Gamoran for reading earlier drafts of this paper. We would also like to express our appreciation to the families who participated in the Families and Schools Project. Research funded by R01HD051762-01A2 (Adam Gamoran) from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Counseling Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 301 Education Building, 1000 Bascom Mall, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Carmen R. Valdez & Amanda J. Bohlig

  2. Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Ohio State University, 101d Pressey Hall, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Monique T. Mills

  3. Educational Psychology Department, University of Wisconsin, 1061 Educational Sciences, 1025 W Johnson St., Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    David Kaplan

Authors
  1. Carmen R. Valdez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Monique T. Mills
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Amanda J. Bohlig
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. David Kaplan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Carmen R. Valdez.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Valdez, C.R., Mills, M.T., Bohlig, A.J. et al. The Role of Parental Language Acculturation in the Formation of Social Capital: Differential Effects on High-risk Children. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 44, 334–350 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-012-0328-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-012-0328-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation