The Influence of English Language Proficiency and Social Capital on Hmong Children’s Academic Performance
This longitudinal study aims to increase the understanding of the influence of English language proficiency and social capital on Hmong children’s academic performance. The sample in this three-year study consisted of 201 elementary school-aged students from three different Hmong-focused charter schools located in Minnesota. Previous research has shown a strong relationship of how English language proficiency and different forms of social capital, such as the nuclear family and extended family, can help predict academic achievement. The present study describes which variables or a combination of variables account for academic performance longitudinally. Findings show that when all of the social capital variables were added to the regression model, only academic performance in year 1 was statistically significant. Thus, given the measurement quality in the current study, the analysis suggests social capital does not have a longitudinal association with academic performance for Hmong elementary students. Therefore, there needs to be further research conducted to find out more regarding these variables and measurement
