Ethnic Identity among Monoracial and Multiracial Early AdolescentsPosted in Articles, Media Archive on 2010-02-18 17:02Z by Steven |
Ethnic Identity among Monoracial and Multiracial Early Adolescents
The Journal of Early Adolescence
Vol. 20, No. 4 (2000)
pages 365-387
DOI: 10.1177/0272431600020004001
Michael S. Spencer, Associate Dean for Educational Programs and Associate Professor of Social Work
University of Michigan
Larry D. Icard, Professor of Social Work
Temple University
Tracy W. Harachi, Associate Professor of Social Work
University of Washington
Richard F. Catalano, Bartley Dobb Professor for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Director, Social Development Research Group
University of Washington
Monica Oxford, Research Associate Professor of Social Work
University of Washington
A measure of ethnic identity, the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM), was examined in this study with a sample of 2,184 early adolescents who self-identified with a single race or ethnicity (monoracial, n = 1,812) or with two or more racial or ethnic groups (multiracial, n = 372). Principal components and multigroup confirmatory factor analysis were used to explore and confirm the factor structure of the MEIM items. Two factors were identified: (a) identification and (b) exploration. Identification was represented by items that reflect a sense of belonging and pride in an individual’s ethnic group. Exploration was represented by items that characterize a search for ethnic group identity and participation in ethnic practices. Reliabilities were adequate for the two subscales (= .84, identification; = .76, exploration). Also, the results indicated that most individuals from monoracial minority groups and multiracial subgroups scored similarly on overall ethnic identity.
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