Chung Sara, Zhou Qing, Anicama Catherine, Rivera Carol, Uchikoshi Yuuko
Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley.
School of Education, University of California, Davis.
J Cross Cult Psychol. 2019 Aug;50(7):896-914. doi: 10.1177/0022022119867394. Epub 2019 Aug 6.
Dual language learners (DLLs) make up 32% of all children in the U.S. Past research showed that proficiency in a heritage language (HL) was associated with better psychological adjustment in school-aged children and adolescents, but the associations of HL and English (EL) proficiency to preschool-aged DLLs' socioemotional adjustment remain understudied. This study included a sample of low-income Mexican and Chinese immigrant families with preschool-aged DLLs ( = 90). Children's HL and EL proficiencies were assessed using language tests. Parents rated their own cultural orientations, parenting styles, and children's socioemotional adjustment. Children's expressed anger/frustration and sadness were observed from an emotion-evoking task. Path analyses were conducted to test: 1) the unique relations of children's HL and EL proficiency and parents' American and heritage cultural orientations to parenting styles, and 2) the relations of parenting styles to children's adjustment. Results showed that children's expressive HL proficiency and parents' American and heritage cultural orientations were positively associated with authoritative parenting, which in turn, was associated with children's lower externalizing problems and higher prosocial behaviors. Children's expressive EL was negatively associated with parents' use of authoritarian parenting, and both expressive and receptive HL were negatively associated with children's expressed sadness. These results indicate that children's HL development and parents' host and heritage cultural orientations are associated with socioemotional benefits for young DLLs growing up in low-income immigrant families.
双语学习者（DLLs）占美国所有儿童的32%。过去的研究表明，母语（HL）熟练程度与学龄儿童和青少年更好的心理调适相关，但母语和英语（EL）熟练程度对学龄前双语学习者社会情感调适的影响仍未得到充分研究。本研究纳入了90个有学龄前双语学习者的低收入墨西哥和中国移民家庭样本。通过语言测试评估儿童的母语和英语熟练程度。父母对自己的文化取向、育儿方式以及儿童的社会情感调适进行评分。从一个引发情绪的任务中观察儿童表达的愤怒/沮丧和悲伤情绪。进行路径分析以检验：1）儿童的母语和英语熟练程度以及父母的美国文化和母语文化取向与育儿方式的独特关系，以及2）育儿方式与儿童调适的关系。结果表明，儿童的母语表达熟练程度以及父母的美国文化和母语文化取向与权威型育儿呈正相关，而权威型育儿又与儿童较少的外化问题和较高的亲社会行为相关。儿童的英语表达能力与父母采用专制型育儿方式呈负相关，母语的表达和接受能力都与儿童表达的悲伤情绪呈负相关。这些结果表明，在低收入移民家庭中成长的学龄前双语学习者，其母语发展以及父母的主流文化和母语文化取向与社会情感益处相关。
