Study shows that allowing Spanish in schools helps Hispanic students

According to a study by the University of Missouri, Mexican-Americans who use their native language of Spanish more often have higher grades than those who use English only at school.

David Aguayo, a doctoral student in the Department of Educational, School and Counseling Psychology in the College of Education, explained:

“A real educational disparity exists because Mexican-Americans, along with other Latinos, are now the largest minority; yet, they still have the lowest high school and college graduation rates... I understand the reasons behind English-only efforts, but the research shows that if we don’t accept the cultural identity of these students in our schools, such as tolerating their native language, Mexican-Americans may not succeed.”

The study surveyed 408 different Mexican-American students by comparing those who were U.S. or Mexican born, their average grade point averages and college task performing abilities.  Accorirding to Aruayo, those students who embraced their Latin culture and used their native Spanish language more often, performed better in school than those who are subjected to English only environments.

Aguayo further explained:

“It’s a simple correlation, but living and learning within your cultural heritage is a benefit. It could be speaking the language in school, eating certain foods, or interacting with other people who share your heritage. The stress level of being in a new culture will decrease if these students have a support system in school, while they are adjusting to other cultures.”

The doctoral student hopes to further his studies next year to focus on Mexican born students who are in the U.S. school system.  According to statistics, they tend to do better in school than those who have lived int he U.S. their whole lives. He hopes to discover the different motivations between the stark difference in success rates.

Aguayo went on to encourage educators to be more involved with Hispanic students because, according to him, immigrant parents put more trust in the education system and tend to be less involved in the students' studies. He further urges educators to elarn about Hispanic culture in order to have a positive impact on their future.

“Culture Predicts Mexican-Americans’ College Self-Efficacy and College Performance" was published in the journal of Culture and College Outcomes.  Other contributers to the article include:  Keith C. Herman and Lisa Y. Flores from the University of Missouri and Lizette Ojeda from Texas A&M University.