Academic Performance of Immigrant and U.S.-Born Mexican Heritage Students: Effects of Schooling in Mexico and Bilingual/English Language Instruction

Abstract

This study examined generation differences in achievement among 2,167 high school students who identified themselves as Mexican or Mexican American, reported whether they were born in the U.S. or outside of the U.S., and reported being in the general or academic track. Based on student self-reported grade point average (GPA), immigrant students in general-track courses and college preparatory courses reported higher grades than third-generation students. However, regardless of place of birth, general-track and college-track students who received some schooling in Mexico reported higher grades than students with no schooling in Mexico. Finally, regardless of immigrant status, college-track students who received some ESL/bilingual education reported higher grades than students who had not received any second language instruction. These findings support the paradoxical findings on generation differences that show that immigrants perform better academically than U.S.-born Mexican heritage students. However, our findings demonstrate that immigrant status alone does not lead to higher grades; rather, prior school history in Mexico, academic track, and bilingual/ESL assistance are all important in understanding the generation difference effect.