THE RELATIONSHIP OF ENGLISH ORAL LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY, COGNITIVE TEMPO, LOCUS OF CONTROL, AND SPECIFIC LANGUAGE ACQUISITION FACTORS OF MEXICAN AMERICAN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN.

摘要

Most studies with Mexican American children have ignored the relationship which English language proficiency has with cognitive tempo, locus of control, and familial factors associated with language development. This study was designed to assess the relationship of English language proficiency with cognitive tempo, locus of control, the child's communication style, the parent's communication style, the child's second language acquisition type, the parents' education, the child's age, and the child's gender.;The data was analyzed using the Contingency coefficient for nominal data, Spearman's r for ordinal data, and Pearson's r for interval data. A test for significance at the .05 level was used for each correlation. A stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was employed to find the fewest and most efficient predictors of language proficiency.;The findings revealed that English language proficiency and an internal locus of control have a significant negative correlation to the child's accuracy in cognitive tempo. A second finding maintained that the parent's education has a significant positive correlation to the child's English language proficiency and a significant negative correlation to the child's accuracy in cognitive tempo. A third result stated that there is a significant positive correlation between the child's preferred mode of communication and English language proficiency. Finally, the results indicated that the most efficient predictors of English language proficiency are the child's preferred mode of communication, the mother's education, and the child's locus of control.;The findings suggested some areas for future research. One area that needs to be investigated is the relationship between English language proficiency and locus of control. A second area that merits further research is the development of training modules which improve English language proficiency and accuracy in a child's cognitive tempo.;Twenty-five Mexican American preschoolers from two Head Start centers were administered the Pre-language Assessment Scales (i.e., oral English language proficiency test), the Kansas Reflection-Impulsivity Scale for Preschoolers (i.e., cognitive tempo test), and the Stephen-Delys Contingency Reinforcement Interview (i.e., locus of control test). The parents of the children were administered a questionnaire designed by the researcher.