Language and Intergroup Contact: Investigating the Impact of Bilingual Instruction on Children’s Intergroup Attitudes

Abstract: This study examined the impact of bilingual versus English-only instruction on the intergroup attitudes of White, English-speaking children in kindergarten through second grade. Replicating prior research, White children generally showed a clear preference toward the ingroup in terms of positive evaluations, friendship preference, and perceived similarity to the self. However, all three effects were significantly smaller among children who were in classrooms with a significant amount of Spanish instruction (i.e. bilingual classes). The smaller preference for the ingroup over the outgroup found in bilingual classes resulted from higher evaluations of, greater selection of friends among, and greater perceived similarity to Latino targets, and not from changes in preference for White ingroup targets. Furthermore, comparisons with English-only classes that had substantial Latino representation shows that the positive impact of bilingual instruction can be only partially explained by th

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch
• Notes: Postprint ; begutachtet (peer reviewed) ; In: Group Processes & Intergroup Relations ; 8 (2005) 3 ; 309-328

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (where): Mannheim
• (when): 2005
• Creator: Wright, Stephen C. ; Tropp, Linda R.

Further information

• DOI: 10.1177/1368430205053945
• URN: urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-227858
• Rights: Open Access unbekannt; Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 14.08.2025, 10:44 AM CEST