Will My Children Grow up to Be Bicultural Bilinguals? Applying an Identity Negotiation Lens to Binational Family Dynamics

Abstract

This study investigates the dynamics of bicultural German-U.S. families, specifically how parents promote their cultures with their children, maintain their children’s interest in belonging to both cultures, and what they expect their bicultural children’s academic achievements to be. Results showed that most values, norms, and traditions largely align across the German and American cultures. However, cultural differences also surface in the level of parental control, concerns over the environment, and the need to compromise in celebrating traditions. For parents, bilingualism represents the main access to the minority culture (i.e. German). While the level of children’s proficiency in minority language varies across families, parents’ commitment to raise bilingual children is consistently high. This study summarizes successful and unsuccessful techniques parents employ to promote biculturalism and bilingualism in their children.

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