African American Parents’ Perspectives toward Bilingualism for Children in Elementary School

African American Parents’ Perspectives toward Bilingualism for Children in Elementary School
D. Batts

The body of scholarly research related to parents’ attitudes towards bilingualism have focused on English speaking and non-English-speaking parents’ perspectives about their children’s participation in bilingual programs aimed at teaching English to language minority students. This paper intends to explore the attitudes of African American parents relating to their children learning a second language in elementary school.

Two methodologies were employed to gather the perspectives of African American parents. First, three in-depth interviews were conducted with parents of children attending a foreign language immersion school. Secondly, a survey was distributed to a broader audience of approximately fifty African American parents with children enrolled in elementary school.

Research results from the interviews suggest that African American parents with children attending language immersion program have positive attitudes about second language learning in elementary schools. The parents cited two primary benefits for learning a second language. The first benefit is the creation of linguistic capital. The ability to speak a second language is perceived to provide future access to personal and professional opportunities that may not otherwise have been available. The second benefit from learning a second language is cultural sensitivity. The parents indicated that the ability to interact with other cultures was becoming increasingly important in a global environment. These parents viewed learning a second language as a core academic requirement.

The results from the survey also suggested that, in general, African American parents have positive attitudes towards second language learning in elementary schools. These parents also equated second language proficiency with access to future opportunities and development of cultural sensitivity. While these parents viewed learning a second language as important, over half of their children were not studying a second language. This could suggest that learning a second language is a desirable but not mandatory option.

The study can serve as a foundation for future research about the potential role of bilingual education as well as the effect of bilingualism within African Americans’ social structures.