Beliefs, concerns, and methods of parents raising children bilingually: A study of Hispanic Iowa mothers attempting to maintain heritage language in their children

The purpose of my thesis was to discover more about parents who are raising their children to be English-Spanish bilingual, particularly their beliefs, concerns, and methods regarding this issue. I focused specifically on mothers in Iowa whose native language was Spanish and who had at least one child in the household between the ages of four and sixteen. A point of interest I focused on were the beliefs, concerns, and methods these mothers have and use to maintain their children‟s heritage language (Spanish) as the community language (English) becomes more prominent in their children‟s lives. This information is important for speech-language pathologists because the Hispanic population is constantly rising and in turn, the number of Hispanic clients is rising as well. Speech-language pathologists‟ (SLP) understanding of Hispanic parent views regarding their children‟s bilingualism is necessary for SLPs to be able to effectively assist, guide, and communicate with these parents in a manner that is culturally sensitive and aware of their specific concerns