Sociocultural differences in the use of Spanish: repercussions in immigrant student’s comprehension in the Spanish educational system

Abstract

Our study aims to analyze the similarities and differences in reading comprehension, due to the influence of sociolinguistic and sociocultural components among immigrant students that study in the Spanish educational system, as compared to their peers in compulsory secondary education. To test this, a sample of 402 students from Salamanca (Spain), of which 196 students were immigrants, was selected. An ad hoc reading comprehension measure developed for the current study was used for the assessment. The results obtained show significant
differences in understanding; immigrant students have more difficulties that can be attributed, in part, to the culture of the spoken and written language and not because they don`t speak the language.