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learning. The English-speaking community appeared to be generally
unaware of the social and economic influence of the Cuban-American
population living in the area. Some English speakers appeared to be
resentful and suspicious of the Spanish speakers. A few welcomed
the Cubans and Cuban-Americans. Most Cuban-American adults living
in the research area had a positive attitude toward the 1980 Cubans.
They expressed a desire to help them adapt economically and edu
cationally. The influence of the English-speaking community on the
Cubans1 acquisition of English would depend on the people whom the
students and their parents encountered. Some students expressed fear
of the English speakers. It was not known whether this fear originated
from actual experiences or from ideas which students acquired in Cuba.
The interactions which the students and their parents had with the
English-speaking community appeared to be limited because of the lack
of English skills as Rivero (1981) described. The positive influence
of the Cuban-American community may be outweighed by some factions of
the English-speaking community as the students and their parents
acquire additional English fluency. Schumann's (1978) Acculturation
Model appears to be relevant to the language acquisition of these
Cubans. If they find that they are rejected by the community whose
language they are learning, further English acquisition may be retarded.
The school system's influence on the acquisition of English was
difficult to determine. A number of conflicting influences were
present. The most obvious influence was the behavior of the students
themselves. Girls sat more quietly in small groups while boys sat
in larger groups talking and joking loudly. Most frequently the girls
sat on the side of the tables nearest the walls; the boys sat with