Running head: PSYCH WEEK 2 DQ 2 1
Psych Week 2 Dq 2
Student’s Name
Department, Institutional Affiliation
Course Title
Tutor’s Name
Date
PSYCH WEEK 2 DQ 2 2
The potential challenges the student might face
The case scenario is about a child growing up in a family not native to English but raised
in a nation whose native language is English. As she joins the school, it could be a confusing
time for the child since she must learn both languages (Chen & Bond, 2010). At six years old,
she has a high chance of catching on to the differences between the two languages and being able
to separate them so that she understands them.
Several challenges are faced by children considered bilingual, especially when they are in
an environment or culture that is not their own. The first challenge is personality and
expressions. The movement from one culture to the other comes with changes in personality and
behavioral expressions. These changes are associated with the social roles and the developmental
phases to be acquired in the second language (Chen & Bond, 2010). Individuals are therefore
forced to adapt their personalities and expression to the new culture since what they consider
harmless can and offensive to other people.
The other challenge is social justice, which is the expectations based on the norms of the
host culture. This means that the immigrant is forced to rate themselves based on the host culture
and the native language, hence deciding to subscribe to the new culture (Chen & Bond, 2010).
Such changes affect individual esteem since it is sometimes challenging to fit into the new
culture.
The advantages the student's linguistic background might offer
There are several advantages of a child being a linguistic student. One of the advantages
is that the child can easily understand and interpret the language they are involved in other than
their language. For example, the common language in public school is English, while at home,
they use the native language. This offers a vital resource or tools to help the child learn English
PSYCH WEEK 2 DQ 2 3
that can later assist the parents (Chen & Bond, 2010). It provides an opportunity for the parents
to learn about English and help the bilingual child further her education.
PSYCH WEEK 2 DQ 2 4
References
Chen, S. X., & Bond, M. H. (2010). Two languages, two personalities? Examining language
effects on the expression of personality in a bilingual context. Personality and Social
Psychology Bulletin, 36, 1514–1528.
