Parenting in a new land: the influence of English language proficiency on immigrant parents’ experiences with intergenerational challenges

Abstract

The purpose of this survey study was to explore how the English language proficiency of Asian and Latin American immigrant parents influenced their levels of intergenerational challenges as reflected in their experiences with diminished parental authority, role reversal, acculturation gap, value discrepancy, family conflict, and emotional distance. The 86 participants were Asian and Latin American immigrant parents from eight classes at three adult ESL programs in Southern California. They reported lower levels of intergenerational challenges than was expected based on the extant literature, and their experiences were quite similar regardless of their adult ESL class levels. Overall, the parents from different ethnic backgrounds shared more commonalities than differences as language and cultural learners raising children in a new land. This study sheds light on the experience of immigrant parents raising children in ethnic enclaves and pushes against common discourses about immigrants’ acculturation. The findings suggest that preserving their linguistic and cultural heritage has become increasingly important to many immigrant communities and may play a crucial role in how they navigate their roles as parents.