FAMILY, ETHNIC IDENTITY AND EDUCATION IN RELATION TO GENERATIONAL ...

FAMILY, ETHNIC IDENTITY AND EDUCATION IN RELATION TO
GENERATIONAL HERITAGE LANGUAGE MAINTENANCE
AND SHIFT AMONG CHICANOS OF THE SOUTH PLAINS
by
ANA TORRES, M.A.
A DISSERTATION
IN
CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION
Submitted to the Graduate Faculty
of Texas Tech University in
Partial Fulfillment of
the Requirements for
the Degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Approved
Alfredo Benavides
Chairperson of the Committee
Eva Midobuche
Sylvia Mendez-Morse
Accepted
John Borrelli
Dean of the Graduate School
December, 2006

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By Ana Berta Torres
© 2006

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This work is dedicated to my father, Santiago Torres, and to the memory of my mother,
María Cristina Torres—who never allowed me to forget my language and my roots, and
who gave me the strength and the courage to keep moving forward—and to the memory
of my brother, Jorge Abel Torres, who taught me the value of playing to win, and to
never, ever give up.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Dr. Alfredo Benavides, my
committee chair, and to Dr. Eva Midobuche and Dr. Sylvia Méndez-Morse, my
dissertation committee, for their invaluable guidance and assistance on this research, and
for their mentoring over the last several years. It has truly been a privilege to work under
such a knowledgeable and caring committee of professionals who are sincerely dedicated
to the success of their students. I could not have asked for a better group of people to
help me through this project. I would also like to thank Dr. Jerry Morse for his
encouragement in the initial phases of this learning experience, and Dr. Heriberto Godina
for his helpful advice at the end of this project.
I also wish to thank the thirteen families who allowed me into their homes to
share in their stories and take a glimpse into their lives. It is because of them and their
priceless contribution to this project that we can move forward in understanding the
Chicano people, our experiences and our language.
Many thanks to my own family--my father Santiago, and my siblings, Diana,
Teco, Gil, Neo, Marta, Ricky, Juan, Julian, Silvia, and especially Mari-- for their
seemingly endless supply of paper, ink, food, financial assistance and moral support, for
believing that I could do this even when it seemed impossible, and for never letting me
forget who I am and where I came from.
Finally, a million heartfelt thanks to Edward, my dearest lifelong friend, for
helping me through the final months of this project, for unselfishly giving his time, his
patience, a shoulder to cry on, or a desperately needed laugh at all the right moments, for
his unshakeable optimism, and especially for continuing to be my friend at the end.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..................................................................................... i
LIST OF TABLES
...................................................................................... vii
LIST OF FIGURES
....................................................................................... ix
CHAPTER
I. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................1
Statement of the Problem.................................................................2
Background of the Study ...............................................................14
Importance of the Study.................................................................21
Research Questions........................................................................22
Definitions......................................................................................22
Conclusion .....................................................................................26
II. LITERATURE REVIEW......................................................................27
Heritage Language and the Family ................................................27
Family Language Use .............................................................27
The Role of Family Structure .................................................30
Heritage Language and Ethnic Identity .........................................33
Heritage Language and Education .................................................39
School Context........................................................................39
Language Policy .....................................................................41
Formal Language Instruction..................................................43
Conclusion .....................................................................................48
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III. METHODOLOGY ..............................................................................49
Methodology in Previous Research ...............................................49
Qualitative Studies..................................................................49
Quantitative Studies................................................................52
Mixed Methodologies.............................................................54
Methodology of the Current Study ................................................56
Participants .............................................................................57
Procedure ................................................................................59
Assessments, Questionnaire and Interview ............................61
The Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure......................61
Language Assessment Scales........................................62
Questionnaire ................................................................62
Interview .......................................................................63
Pilot Study ..............................................................................64
The Aguilar Family .......................................................64
Heritage Language and Family............................65
Heritage Language and Ethnic Identity ...............65
Heritage Language and Education .......................66
The Balderas Family .....................................................66
Heritage Language and Family............................67
Heritage Language and Ethnic Identity ...............67
Heritage Language and Education .......................67
Conclusion .............................................................................68
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IV. FINDINGS
.............................................................................70
Introduction
.............................................................................70
Part 1: Family Narratives ..............................................................73
The Alvarado Family..............................................................73
The Barrera Family.................................................................78
The Canales Family ................................................................82
The DeLeón Family................................................................85
The Esquivel Family...............................................................88
The Fuentes Family ................................................................91
The Gonzales Family..............................................................94
The Herrera Family.................................................................97
The Iglesias Family...............................................................100
The Jaramillo Family............................................................104
The Luna Family...................................................................107
The Mora Family ..................................................................110
The Navarro Family..............................................................113
Part 2: Respondent Data..............................................................116
Part 3: Family, Ethnic Identity and Education............................125
Common Characteristics Among Families of Spanish Speaking
Adolescents...........................................................................126
Common Characteristics Among Families of Non-Spanish
Speaking Adolescents...........................................................134
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Part 4: Other Themes ..................................................................140
Ethnic Labels ........................................................................141
Spanish as a Secret Language, Spanish for Purposes of Scolding
...........................................................................142
Connections Between Ethnicity and Language ....................143
Spanish Language Classes....................................................145
Language Policy in Schools..................................................147
Spanish in the Workplace .....................................................149
Conclusion
...........................................................................151
V.
DISCUSSION ...........................................................................152
Hope in High School Spanish ......................................................152
Racism and its Role in Heritage Language Shift .........................154
Limitations of the Study...............................................................156
Self-Identification as a Spanish Speaker ..............................156
The Validity of the LAS and the MEIM...............................157
Recommendations........................................................................158
Recommendations for Families ............................................158
Recommendations for Communities ....................................159
Recommendations for Schools .............................................160
Language Teaching .....................................................160
School Language Policies ...........................................162
Recommendations for Research ...........................................164
Recommendations for Chicanos on the South Plains ...........164
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Conclusion
...........................................................................166
REFERENCES ...........................................................................169
Appendices
...........................................................................179
A
The Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure....................179
B
Questionnaire ..............................................................181
C
Interview Questions ....................................................188
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LIST OF TABLES
1. Population in Texas by Race/Ethnicity in 2000 and Projections to 2040
Assuming Alternative Projection Scenarios ................................................4
2. Percent Change in Projected Population in Texas by Race/Ethnicity Assuming
Alternative Projection Scenarios..................................................................5
3. Percent of Population in Texas by Race/Ethnicity in 2000 and Projection to
2040 Assuming Alternative Projection Scenarios .......................................6
4. Census Information Regarding Population, Ethnicity, and Spanish Language
Use in Counties of the South Plains...........................................................18
5. Hispanic Enrollment in Schools: State of Texas, Region 17, and Counties of
Region 17
.............................................................................19
6. Complete Data for All Respondents, Divided by Family ...................118
7. Adolescent Respondent Data ..............................................................120
8. Parent Respondent Data......................................................................121
9. Grandparent Respondent Data ............................................................122
10. Spanish Speaking Adolescents .........................................................122
11. Parents of Spanish Speaking Adolescents ........................................123
12. Grandparents of Spanish Speaking Adolescents...............................123
13. Non-Spanish Speaking Adolescents .................................................124
14. Parents of Non-Spanish Speaking Adolescents ................................124
15. Grandparents of Non-Spanish Speaking Adolescents ......................124
16. Themes Related to Family, Ethnic Identity and Education ..............126
17. Common Characteristics Related to Family Among Families of Spanish
Speaking Adolescents ...........................................................................127
18. Common Characteristics Related to Ethnic Identity Among Families of
Spanish Speaking Adolescents ................................................................130
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