Examining acculturation at the daily level: Adding nuance to acculturation scholarship

Abstract

The present article reviews the growing literature on micro-level (daily or situation-specific) acculturation processes and provides new empirical evidence regarding the link between macro-level (general) and micro-level acculturation indices. The review covers the evolution of acculturation theory and research to focus on separate heritage and destination cultural dimensions and on specific domains (e.g., practices, values, identifications), to include longitudinal research designs, and to incorporate daily diary methodologies. The empirical study includes 824 Hispanic college students in Miami (76.1 % female) who participated in a 12-day diary study. General (macro-level) acculturation measures were administered on Days 1 and 12, and daily (micro-level) acculturation measures were administered on Days 2–11. Each of six acculturation components (dimension-domain pairings) – U.S. practices, Hispanic practices, individualist values, collectivist values, U.S. identity, and ethnic identity – was assessed using full scales on Days 1 and 12 and using single items on Days 2–11. Daily means and daily fluctuations, computed as the standard deviation of Day 2–11 scores, were included during the daily portion of the study. Analyses examined the extent to which earlier macro-level acculturation scores would predict daily means and fluctuations, as well as the extent to which these daily means and fluctuations would predict later macro-level acculturation scores. For each acculturation component, daily means were related to Day 1 and Day 12 scores, though the strengths of these associations varied across components. Daily fluctuations were negatively associated with Day 1 and 12 scores for U.S. and Hispanic practices, but these associations were less consistent for the values and identifications components. These results are discussed in terms of the overlap between micro and macro level acculturation processes, and in terms of the future of acculturation research.