Acculturation, Respect for Cultural Differences, and Biculturalism Among Three Generations of Mexican American and Euro American School Children

Abstract

In this study, we examined acculturation, respect for cultural differences, and biculturalism among first-, second-, and third-generation Mexican American and Euro American school children. Teachers' ratings of children's classroom behavior were used as measures of acculturation, respect for cultural differences, and biculturalism. Results showed first-generation children to be most integrated with the Mexican American culture and third-generation children to be the most integrated with Euro American culture. In addition, there were no differences in respect for cultural differences between the groups of Mexican American and Euro American children. Finally, first-generation children were the most bicultural group of Mexican Americans. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the development of children's bicultural identity.