The Impact of Two-Way Dual-Immersion Programs on Initially English-Dominant Latino Students' Attitudes

Abstract

Forty initially English-dominant Latino students in four 90:10 Spanish two-way dual-immersion programs and 62 of their peers in mainstream English programs were studied to find out if their attitudes toward Spanish and Spanish-dominant individuals differ. Significant differences were found on many variables, with two-way dual-immersion students presenting higher means in each case of statistical significance, especially on variables measuring pleasure with Spanish reading and comfort speaking Spanish in public. Differences, again with higher means for dual-immersion students, were also noted for variables measuring general biculturalism. Attitudinal change is considered in light of relations between Latino generational subgroups.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank Kathryn Lindholm-Leary for her mentoring at key points in the research for and preparation of this manuscript.