Spanish-Speaking Parents' Perceptions and Experiences Before and After English-only and Spanish-only Interactions with Their Children

Authors

Maria Morales, Florida International UniversityFollow

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

Master of Science (MS)

Major/Program

Speech-Language Pathology

First Advisor's Name

Alliete Alfano

First Advisor's Committee Title

Committee chair

Second Advisor's Name

Eliane Ramos

Second Advisor's Committee Title

Committee member

Third Advisor's Name

Angela Medina

Third Advisor's Committee Title

Committee member

Keywords

bilingual, spanish-speakers, perceptions, code-switching, adult second language

Date of Defense

6-24-2020

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions and experiences of Spanish-speaking parents who are learning English, before and after English-only and Spanish-only interactions with their children to find what their interactions would look like if they followed the advice of speaking English only with their children, as opposed to speaking in their native language. Eleven primarily Spanish speaking parents of typically developing children 12-46 months of age were interviewed prior to completing play samples with their children and again afterwards. The interviews were transcribed, translated, and analyzed using thematic analysis procedures to identify salient themes. Four major themes were found based on their perceptions and one on their experiences. Overall, participants expressed feeling limited and uncomfortable during their English-only interactions, including those that perceived feeling comfortable with English beforehand. Both English and Spanish was also found to be an extremely important part of their everyday lives.

Identifier

FIDC009030

Recommended Citation

Morales, Maria, "Spanish-Speaking Parents' Perceptions and Experiences Before and After English-only and Spanish-only Interactions with Their Children" (2020). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 4490.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/4490