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Conclusions Regarding Hypothesis and Research Questions One
The analysis of the data reveal that as a group the students who
were judged to be more proficient in Spanish were found to make
significantly more progress in learning English than students who were
determined to be less proficient in Spanish. There is a relationship
between first language fluency and second language acquisition. Greater
ability in first language appears to facilitate acquisition of the
second. Analysis of the statistical data reveals that for the group,
this relationship does exist. In this study, the relationship between
first language proficiency and second language acquisition is stronger
for males than for females. The variable of sex or the cultural ex
pectations for sexual roles appears to be a mediating factor in the
relationship between language proficiency and language acquisition.
Hypothesis and Research Question Two
Students whose parents, family members, relatives, and other
significant community members are reinforcing learning by their
behavior will make more progress toward acquiring English skills as
measured by ethnographic means than students whose parents, family
members, relatives, and significant community members do not. The
research question: What is happening at home and in the community
and the school environment that is inhibiting or facilitating the
acquisition of English?
To test this hypothesis and answer the research question a variety
of measures and methods were used. The first section of data to be