Full Citation
Title: Bilingual Boriquén: A Quantitative Analysis of English Acquisition in Puerto Rico
Citation Type: Dissertation/Thesis
Publication Year: 2023
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Abstract: The relationship between English and Puerto Rico has been tumultuous since 1898. Despite years of educational and political initiatives to create a bilingual island, the majority of island- born Puerto Ricans do not describe themselves as fluent in English. This quantitative research sought to understand the factors influencing English proficiency in Puerto Rico. Utilizing a curated dataset from the IPUMS database (N = 11,456) with information from the 2019 Puerto Rican Community Survey, this study investigated if there were differences or relationships among English proficiency levels and generational schooling period, gender, socioeconomic status, particularly income, education, and occupational industry, and region of inhabitance. Kruskal-Wallis statistical tests demonstrated that there were statistically significant differences in English proficiency level among generations, H(4) = 490.13, p < .001, E’r = .04, between genders, H(1) = 16.68,p < .001, E’r= .001, occupational industries, H(14) = 512.99,p < .001, E’r = .04, and region of inhabitance, H(1) = 71.96,p < .001, E’x = .006. Spearman’s correlations showed that there were statistically significant relationships between English proficiency levels and income, 7(11,454) = .105, p <.001, as well as between English proficiency and educational attainment, 7(11,454) = .348, p < .001. Effect sizes across all variables were very small. The results demonstrate that Puerto Ricans with higher socioeconomic status, in terms of educational attainment and occupational industry, are more likely to have higher levels of English proficiency, while Puerto Ricans with lower socioeconomic status are more likely to have lower English proficiency. Further, certain industries, such as the military,media-oriented fields, professional services, or education and health care are more likely to have higher English proficiency levels as compared to industries such as farming and construction. Additionally, the results indicated that Puerto Ricans living in central cities, such as the capital, on average have higher English proficiency levels compared to their suburban or rural counterparts. The analysis also concluded that specific generations, particularly those born between 1994-2004, have higher levels of English proficiency as compared to other generations. However, the impact of gender and income on English proficiency requires future analysis.
Url: https://www.proquest.com/docview/2864513655?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true
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Authors: Chase, Carrie M.
Institution: Indiana State University
Department: Department of Teaching and Learning
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Pages: 1-156
Data Collections: IPUMS USA
Topics: Education, Population Data Science, Race and Ethnicity
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