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or above local and national norms. Spanish retention is related to
socioeconomic status also, with the highest and lowest status groups
retaining Spanish most frequently (Sole, 1980).
Life in Cuba
The evolution of the Cuban sociopolitical and educational systems
over the past 24 years since the Cuban Revolution has caused Cuba to
become a very different place from that which the first emigrants left
at the inception of the Revolution. In order to understand the 1980
Cuban immigration and the students on whom this study focuses, it is
necessary to understand the factors which caused the exodus and some
of the elements of the environment in which the students lived before
entering the U.S.
Difficulties in Data Collection
It is to be expected that the majority of the Cubans who have
chosen to live in exile rather than in their homeland would be
negatively biased regarding the Revolution and the current government
of Cuba. This research is based on the writings of both the Cubans
living in exile, as well as those still living in Cuba, because reports
from both groups reveal information on events which have influenced
the students who participated in the research.
Montaner (1981) points out that while the objectivity of the
Cuban exile is frequently questioned, "the first voices which should
be taken into account for an analysis of any historical event are