Abstract

Language use patterns and parent-child relationship quality in immigrant families are both subject to change over time, and past research on the impact of immigrant children's heritage language use on various measures of well-being yields mixed results. Extending scholarship on heritage language use and immigrant family dynamics, I examine the association between different language patterns in U.S. immigrant families and mother's reports of parent-child closeness. I analyze data from 1,142 mothers when their children are in kindergarten, third grade, and fifth grade using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study "“ Kindergarten Cohort of 2010-2011. I find little variation in perceived maternal closeness across early childhood regardless of language pattern. Results show no significant difference between mother-child dyads who frequently speak the heritage language to one another and those who use only English; however, at fifth grade, infrequently speaking the heritage language was associated with a 0.11 unit higher score on the perceived maternal closeness scale compared to monolingual English use. These results suggest heritage language use has the potential to positively impact mother-child relationship quality. Thus, it is necessary to support both English and heritage language development in U.S. immigrant families, as opening pathways for proficiency in both can strengthen parent-child relationships.

Degree

MS

College and Department

Family, Home, and Social Sciences; Sociology

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2023-08-10

Document Type

Thesis

Handle

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd12953

Keywords

heritage language, maternal closeness, immigration, family

Language

english

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