Language Brokering and Self-Concept: An Exploratory Study of Latino Students' Experiences in Middle and High School

SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://sagepub.com

Y

20

Self Concept; Academic Ability; Peer Acceptance; Interpersonal Attraction; Well Being; Mental Health; Immigrants; Student Attitudes; Correlation; Individual Characteristics; Predictor Variables; Hispanic American Students; Regression (Statistics); Middle School Students; High School Students; Questionnaires; Translation; Spanish; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning

10.1177/0739986314524166

0739-9863

This exploratory study examined the relationships among individual characteristics, language brokering experiences and attitudes, and multiple dimensions of self-concept among a sample of Latino adolescents. The sample was comprised of 66 Latino students in 6th through 11th grades who were proficient in both Spanish and English. Results from regression analyses and correlational analyses showed that language brokering frequency was negatively associated with academic self-concept and perceived popularity at school, language brokering difficulty was a positive predictor of academic self-concept, and language brokering attitudes were positively related to academic self-concept, perceived popularity with peers, and confidence in one's physical appearance. Students who were first-generation immigrants not only reported brokering more frequently, brokering in more difficult situations, and feeling more positive about language brokering, but also reported lower emotional well-being as compared to students born in the United States. Implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed.

As Provided

32

2014

EJ1041930