Spanish–English Code-Mixing in U.S. Higher Education: Testing the Use of “Spanglish” in University Materials at a Hispanic-Serving Institution

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This experiment examined how university students at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) responded to the use of “Spanglish,” or English-Spanish code-mixing, in written materials promoting university services. Consistent with predictions, the use of Spanglish reduced students’ processing fluency; contrary to predictions, the use of Spanglish did not prompt higher perceptions of inclusiveness or feeling welcome (relative to English-only texts) for students, although both outcomes were higher for Spanglish with glosses (i.e., English translations) compared to Spanglish without glosses.