Undermatched? School-Based Linguistic Status, College Going, and the Immigrant Advantage

• Published in: American educational research journal Vol. 53; no. 2; pp. 263 - 295
• Main Authors: Callahan, Rebecca M., Humphries, Melissa H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.04.2016; American Educational Research Association
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Advantaged; College Bound Students; College Choice; College students; Colleges; Course Selection (Students); English (Second Language); English as a second language; English Language Learners; Generational Differences; High School Graduates; High schools; Human capital; Immigrant students; Immigrants; Immigration; Indigenous Populations; Language Minorities; Linguistics; Longitudinal Studies; Mathematics Education; Migrant Education; Multivariate Analysis; Native Speakers; Noncitizens; Predictor Variables; Social Influences; Sociolinguistics; Two year colleges; United States (Midwest); United States (Northeast); United States (South); United States (West); high school; course taking; immigrant; college going; English learner
• ISSN: 0002-8312; 1935-1011
• DOI: 10.3102/0002831215627857

Considerable research investigates the immigrant advantage—the academic benefit first- and second-generation students experience relative to native-born peers. However, little work examines how school-based linguistic status may influence this advantage. Contradictory patterns exist: Research identifies both an immigrant advantage and a language minority disadvantage in college going. Although not all immigrant youth are language minorities, many do speak other languages. U.S. educators group immigrant students into three discrete linguistic categories: native English speakers, language minorities not in English as a second language (ESL), and English learner (EL) students. We employ multivariate methods to investigate immigrant college going by linguistic status using the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002. Results suggest an immigrant advantage only among immigrant groups not in ESL and evidence of undermatching—wherein students choose postsecondary options for which they are over-prepared—among high-achieving EL students. Disentangling the immigrant advantage might improve EL students' college going, stemming this loss of human capital.