The development and present status of "Chicano Calo," a mixture of Spanish and English spoken in Mexico and the Southwestern United States, is surveyed. Originally a Romany (Gypsy) language, it is preeminently oral and has become fashionable in most sociocultural strata, but particularly among younger males to reflect mild rebellion.…

The conditions that result in bicultural social development among Latino children and adolescents represent the central focus of this article. The literature surrounding bicultural development is reviewed from four perspectives: (a) immigrant children and adolescents, (b) second generation Latinos or the offspring of immigrants, (c) later…

A study of the cultural orientation of 203 Mexican American adolescents who were first-, second-, or third-generation Americans found that Hispanic cultural orientation decreased and American cultural orientation increased in linear trends across the three generations. However, Hispanic culture did not disappear completely, and most adolescents…

Health locus of control was investigated across culture of origin (Mexicanism), mainstream culture (Americanism), and bicultural linguistic-acculturation domains among 424 Mexican-American adolescents. Belief in powerful others' external control was the strongest explanation of locus of control in the culture-of-origin domain; internal control was…

This study examines the relationship between language brokering, parent-child bonding, perceived autonomy, biculturalism, and depression for Mexican American adolescents. It was hypothesized that adolescent language brokers who reported a strong parent-child bond and high levels of psychological autonomy, privilege, and responsibility would also…

Examined the dream content of 90 female college students in San Antonio (Texas) and Mexico City. Reflecting their bicultural development, Mexican-American women were in between Anglo-American and Mexican women with respect to the frequencies of five of seven dream elements (characters, emotions, achievement, environmental press, aggression,…

This project analyzed multimodel student archival data to address the relationship between academic achievement, acculturative stress, and coping factors. Participants were 126 children between 8 and 11 years of age (59 White and 67 Latino). Measurements included demographics, SAFE-C, A-COPE, Self-Perception Profile for Children, and Harter…

A sample of 116 suicidal adolescent Hispanic females (70% of whom were Dominicans) were assessed on diagnostic, acculturative, and risk behavior instruments. Biculturalism and substance use were uniquely associated with sexual activity. High acculturation and psychopathology as a block were associated with substance use (cigarettes, alcohol, and…

Administered an acculturation rating scale for Mexican Americans to 844 subjects from 3 different student populations in Texas, to measure the extent to which subjects vary in Mexican versus Anglo orientation and the extent to which they are comfortable with their cultural identity. Internal consistency and validity were found satisfactory. (KS)

Traditional theories of personality development are critically examined, emphasizing their applications to Mexican Americans. A preliminary framework for an interactional model of multiculturalism and personality development which can synthesize and integrate the effects of Chicano culture on the development of personality is proposed and…

A study of 138 Hispanic undergraduate students in a Florida university found that 66% considered themselves bicultural and that the degree of loneliness and alienation reported was inversely related to biculturalism and directly related to perceived differences from family in value orientation. However, biculturalism did not buffer the stress of…

Use of the Orthogonal Cultural Identification Scale with 2,048 Mexican American and American Indian adolescents found that, as predicted, identification with one culture was independent of identification with another; cultural identification was strongly rooted in the family; and the scale was factor invariant across gender, grade level, and…

By reducing culture conflict and acculturative stress, the Bicultural Effectiveness Training (BET) enhances adjustment in Cuban American families and reduces conduct disorders in adolescents. BET teaches family members that skills for effective functioning in different value contexts (cultural or otherwise) can be viewed as complementary and…

Examines prominent theoretical models and assumptions about contextual factors that drive acculturation measures, which are used widely in educational research with Hispanics and other minorities. Uses Hispanic acculturation measures, particularly the Bidimensional Acculturation Scale for Hispanics and the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican…

In-depth interviews with Mexican-American and Euro-American bilingual teaching candidates examined differences in reference group orientation, affiliative identity, and rationale for becoming a bilingual teacher. Mexican Americans had a strong Mexican affiliative identity and seemed personally compelled to maintain the language and culture.…