Department of Human and Community Development, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-8523, USA.
Dev Psychol. 2010 Nov;46(6):1389-401. doi: 10.1037/a0020728.
The present study examined consistency and inconsistency in adolescents' ethnic identification (i.e., self-reported ethnicity) across the 6 middle-school semesters. The sample (N = 1,589, of whom 46% were boys and 54% were girls) included African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Caucasian/White, Latino/Latina, Mexican/Mexican American, and multiethnic students. Latent class analyses yielded 3 key patterns in ethnic identification across the middle-school years: consistent, late consistent, and inconsistent. Ethnic identification remained consistent across fall and spring of 6th, 7th, and 8th grades for only about 60% of the students. Asian/Pacific Islander students were more consistent, and multiethnic students were less consistent than students from other ethnic groups. School ethnic composition was associated with systematic shifts in ethnic identification from the beginning to the end of middle school for those students who initially identified as Latino/Latina, African American, or multiethnic but not for Mexican-origin students. In combination, the results provide insight into the consistency of ethnic identification, the role of context in adolescents' self-representation, and considerations for longitudinal studies that examine ethnic differences.
本研究考察了青少年在六个初中学期中种族认同（即自我报告的种族）的一致性和不一致性。样本（N=1589 人，其中 46%为男生，54%为女生）包括非裔美国人、亚裔/太平洋岛民、白种人/白人、拉丁裔/拉丁裔、墨西哥裔/墨西哥裔美国人和多种族学生。潜在类别分析得出了初中阶段种族认同的 3 种主要模式：一致、后期一致和不一致。只有大约 60%的学生在六年级、七年级和八年级的秋季和春季保持种族认同一致。亚裔/太平洋岛民学生比其他族裔群体的学生更一致，而多种族学生则不太一致。对于最初自认为是拉丁裔/拉丁裔、非裔美国人和多种族的学生，学校的种族构成与从初中开始到结束时种族认同的系统转变有关，但对于墨西哥裔学生则没有这种关系。总的来说，这些结果提供了对种族认同一致性的深入了解，以及环境在青少年自我表现中的作用，以及对考察种族差异的纵向研究的考虑。
