Perceived stereotypes, social context and second language acquisition: A study of Mexican immigrants learning English as a second language in the United States

Second language acquisition often occurs in a social context involving the relationship between two groups: the target language speakers and language learners. The exact elements of this intergroup relationship that are important to second language acquisition have been widely debated.;This study proposed that the relationship between the target language speakers and language learners is also influenced by what they think of each other. An instrument was developed to measure the stereotype that target language speakers have of language learners, as perceived by those learners. This concept was labeled perceived stereotype and was predicted to correlate with second language acquisition because it was related to interaction between target language speakers and language learners.;Participants were 195 adults who immigrated from Mexico to the Chicago area and were studying English as a second language (ESL). They lived in two different communities: one primarily consisting of Mexican immigrants and the other a mixture of Eastern European immigrants and Mexican immigrants. The study utilized questionnaire data and a written language test in a cross-sectional correlational design.;Results revealed that there was a significant correlation between perceiving that Anglo Americans have negative stereotypes of Mexican immigrants and higher English proficiency, as well as self-reported increased use of English outside of ESL classes. This relationship was larger in one community than the other.;In addition, it was revealed that learners perceived that Anglo Americans have a doubly negative stereotype of Mexican immigrants. Learners perceived that Anglo Americans believe that Mexican immigrants possess undesirable traits and that it is positive that they do. It was concluded that theories of second language acquisition and models of teaching ESL need to include the stereotype that learners perceive that target language speakers have of them.