Applying Anthropology Paper - Essay Example

This is an English Second Language (ESL) program designed to increase the English proficiency of Mexican immigrant children so that by the time they reached high school age they could be successful in a unilingual English instructional setting. The other articles (Smith-Hefner) in 1988 and 1989 describes efforts in the Boston area for Khmer children from Cambodia to be provided instruction in their native language as well as English for 3 or 4 years again until they were deemed sufficiently proficient in English to benefit from mainstream unilingual English instruction.

The data from the studies showed that language use preferences of both immigrant groups were strongly linked to aspirations of success in mainstream American society. Although they showed some degree of pride in their respective cultural heritages, there was also the realization even among children (implicitly if not consciously) that a high degree of proficiency in English As well as at least some acceptance of American social norms was essential to thriving in their new homeland especially in attaining higher socioeconomic occupations.

In the Fuller study the parents of the 4 Mexican heritage children had mixed views of the importance of education, but the children expressed uniformly strong evaluations of it at least on a lip service level. .The 2 girls as time progressed tended to use more English in conversations with adult teachers and with each other as best friends. The 2 boys tended to use more Spanish especially to each other even though they were at least as proficient in English as the girls. This reflects that although they recognized the importance of English fluency in their future endeavors as breadwinners, they were more conscious of maintaining their Mexican heritage in their social relations than the girls.

The Smith-Hefner study states that most Khmer parents placed a high value on both the acquisition of English fluency and