To be or not to be: An exploration of ethnic identity development in context (original) (raw)
Related papers
1992
The Puerto Rican language-culture nexus is seen as the natural field where young Puerto Ricans forge their ethnic identities. Ethnographic theory and methods were used to study this nexus from a naturalistic perspective. A focus group of 12 Puerto Rican 8th grade students (9 males and 3 females) attending a school within 1 Puerto Rican barrio in Cleveland (Ohio) was used. The students were from 13 to 17 years old. Although their parents were all bilingual-Spanish dominant or monolingual in Spanish, two students were monolingual in Spanish, two used English solely, and eight wrre basically bilingual. The study used an open-ended inquiry process that was characterized by a constant search for the actL:rs' interpretation of their own behavior, beliefs, values, and self-perception. Focus was on exploring whether and how ethnic identity structures educational outcomes by assessing students' personal and cultural history, family, community, and society. Theoretical and methodological questions and recommendations about acculturation processes and school achievement of young Puerto Rican students in mainland America are summarized. Analytical categorizations of different personality types are included. Each student was located an a particular point within the cultural/linguistic continuum. Students continually struggled to adapt and maintain their identities. Included are 11 references.
The Multidimensionality of Ethnic Identity Among Urban High School Youth
This study was designed to explore the associations of ethnic identity dimensions with collective self-esteem membership, school interest, student interest in learning, and community engagement among 406 ethnically diverse (Asian American, Black, Latino, Pacific Islander, and multiracial) high school students. Using the Ethnic Identity Scale, this article presents the relationships between school and community variables with students' perceptions of ethnic identity exploration, resolution, and affirmation. Correlational analyses and post hoc t tests using Steiger's modified z statistic show strong positive correlations between most school and community variables and students' ethnic identity exploration and resolution. They also reveal a strong negative correlation between students' school interest and ethnic identity affirmation. Results are discussed in terms of the emergent distinctions between student interest in learning and school interest as they relate to ethnic identity dimensions and collective self-esteem membership.
DISPARATE LESSONS racial Climates and Identity-formation Processes among Latino Students
This paper compares the identity-formation processes of Latino students in three different college contexts (a liberal arts college, a research university, and a regional public university). Drawing on ethnographic observations, in-depth interviews, and surveys of members of Latino student organizations, I chart the distinct ways in which Latino students interact with one another and arrive at particular ethnic identities on different campuses. By applying ethnoracialization theory to mesolevel settings, I examine how students respond to external ascription as they co-construct and negotiate their ethnic-racial understandings. I identify three different patterns by which students deploy panethnic boundaries, specifically, as they adopt and define identity labels: inclusive Latino identification signifying solidarity above all, qualified Latino identification mediated through specific organizational membership, and the rejection of panethnic identities. I consider how the organizational context of each campus provides a distinct racial climate that mediates student interactions and potentially shapes the disparate identity outcomes that result. The findings suggest that, beyond providing academic experiences, colleges also provide Latino students with disparate lessons regarding who they are and where they fit in the ethnoracial hierarchy.
STUDY GUIDE, 2012
New Perspectives on Racial Identity Development, second edition takes a critical look at how race and racial identity are experienced and understood given the changing demographics of the United States and the dynamic nature of the social, cultural, and political climate in which models of identity develop and evolve. Authors explore the impact of various approaches to human development, current social forces, and emerging frameworks from related disciplines and interrogate, critique, and revise their work. Readers are presented with updated models, tools, and pedagogical practices that enable them to understand and study racial identity within a cultural context where race and other identities are socially constructed, and carry signifi cant social, political, and group meaning. In addition, they are challenged to think of identity in a more holistic and global perspective given the signifi cant attention paid to intersectionality and other frameworks throughout the text. Chapter authors use multiple vehicles, including historical and theoretical analysis, research studies, and personal narratives to illustrate the connection between theory and the lived experience of individuals. Chapters in the fi rst section of the book highlight the history and evolution of theoretical frameworks related to race and identity across seven racial groups. Authors in the second section provide insight on the complex interconnection between race and other social identities, the enactment of identity across situations and contexts, and pedagogy and practice related to teaching about racial identity.
A Phenomenological Study of Biracial Identity Development
2010
A “biracial baby boom” has taken place in America (Root, 1992). More than six million people chose to check more than one box on the 2000 census and according to Herman (2004), children and youth constituted forty-two percent of the American multiracial population. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of biracial college students in order to understand the specific issues related to their racial identity development. Nine biracial individuals participated in this phenomenological qualitative study. A variety of factors emerged (parental influence, social networks and appearance) as determinants to how these biracial individuals self-identified. Participants also reported the specific challenges and benefits to being biracial. These findings present implications for the formation of a biracial identity development theory. These findings also have implications for Student Development programming targeted toward biracial college students.
Bridging Identities among Ethnic Minority Youth in Schools.
This digest examines the nature of multiple identities among ethnic minority youth and how youth bridge conflicting messages about cultural ways of being. It discusses how the school environment contributes to student internalization of various identities. Culturally diverse students often face contrasting notions of self because they must function in schools organized around the values and goals of the dominant culture. Minority children have difficulty internalizing certain aspects of the dominant culture, showing poorer school achievement and higher dropout rates due in part to the incongruent expectations, motives, social behaviors, language, and cognitive patterns of teachers and majority students. Student attitudes toward achievement differ by culture. How discrepancies in sense of self are understood by minority students and what is seen as normal by the dominant culture may differ significantly. As a consequence of this narrow view, minority students are often dismissed or pathologized in comparison to white students. School counselors must understand cultural differences in order to effectively help diverse students adjust and succeed. A comprehensive multicultural curriculum can provide students with broad-based knowledge of subjects covered, foster their understanding and appreciation of diversity, and promote positive inter-ethnic relations.
Cultural diversity & ethnic minority psychology, 2010
This mixed-method study used a grounded theory approach to explore the meanings underlying the importance that adolescents attach to their racial-ethnic identities. The sample consisted of 923 9th- to 12th-grade students from Black, Latino, Asian, and multiracial backgrounds. Thematic findings identified a broad range of explanations for adolescents' racial-ethnic centrality, ranging from pride and cultural connection to ambivalence and colorblind attitudes. While racial-ethnic groups differed in reported levels of racial-ethnic centrality, few group differences were identified in participants' thematic explanations, with the exception of racial-ethnic and gender differences for Positive Regard and Disengagement. These findings highlight the diversity of meanings that adolescents attribute to their racial-ethnic centrality as well as the many commonalities among adolescents across gender and racial-ethnic groups.
American Educational Research Journal, 2009
In this article, the authors explore variation in the meanings of racial identity for African American students in a predominantly African American urban high school. They view racial identity as both related to membership in a racial group and as fluid and reconstructed in the local school setting. They draw on both survey data and observational data to examine the nature of racial identity meanings for African American students, their relation to academic engagement and achievement, and how they were fostered by the school context. Findings show that students embraced (and were offered differential access to) different meanings of African American racial identity and that these meanings were differentially related to achievement and engagement.
Research and Intervention Issues in the Examination of Ethnic Identity in African-American Youth
1994
In recent years researchers have developed strategies to understand or promote ethnic identity in African-American youth. This paper discusses six studies or interventions which explored ethnic identity among African-American youth. These intervention were designed to produce positive changes in areas such as ethnic identity, academic achievement, life skills and social competencies, cultural awareness, career exploration and social bonding. Participants ranged in age from 9 to 16 years of age, and came from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds and educational levels. The information on the interventions was based on self reports, archival data, participant observations, ethnographic techniques, and focus groups and are presented under five major headings: (1) operationalizing ethnic identity; (2) community representativeness; (3) difficult to reach; (4) engaging youth participants; and (5) researcher/community collaboration. While the efforts examined in this report provide valuable information, most interventions do not furnish the information needed to determine whether and how programs are producing the desired developmental changes. Likewise, while researchers know which activities promote ethnic identity development, scant intervention data exists to verify this belief. To answer these questions, researchers must undertake longitudinal and experimental research that examines a variety of psychosocial constructs. (RJM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Ethnic Identity Interlention Issues Research and Intervention Issues in the Examination of Ethnic Identity in African-American Youth'