Ethnic Cognition and Affect of British-Born Chinese Children

Virginia L Lam,Diane H Tran

doi:10.5539/jedp.v7n1p135

Virginia L Lam, Diane H Tran

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5539/jedp.v7n1p135

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Abstract

Little research has explored the ethnic cognition and affect of ethnic Chinese children from Britain and Europe, contrasting the established literature from North America. The present paper reports research which tested these developmental aspects among British-born ethnic Chinese children aged 5 to 10 years from London attending a Chinese supplementary language school. Children were given measures on categorisation skills, self- and other identifications, target matching (by gender and ethnicity), own preference and rejection, inferred preference and rejection of mothers, and trait attributions. Results showed that age was associated with categorisation skills and target matching, but not self- or other ethnic identifications on which children exhibited high performance. The majority of children preferred Chinese peers and rejected non-Chinese peers and inferred their mothers to do the same, and own and inferred mothers’ rejection choices were related to each other. These findings are discussed in relation to previous research findings from other ethnic minority children including British Chinese children and ethnic Chinese children from elsewhere, and the theoretical and contextual factors that may impact British Chinese children’s ethnic identity and attitudes.

Highlights

Britain is widely seen as an ethnic diverse country and sociological and social policy literature has documented numerous challenges facing children that grow up with such diversity on these isles and its potential impact on identities and intergroup relations (Barron, 2007; Connolly, 1999, 2001; Connolly & Hosken, 2006)
The present paper reports a study that systematically investigated aspects of ethnic cognition and affect among British-born Chinese children aged 5 to 10 years
An analysis comparing boys’ and girls’ responses on each measure was first run to check for gender differences, and no differences were shown in either ethnic cognition or affect tasks

Summary

Introduction

Britain is widely seen as an ethnic diverse country and sociological and social policy literature has documented numerous challenges facing children that grow up with such diversity on these isles and its potential impact on identities and intergroup relations (Barron, 2007; Connolly, 1999, 2001; Connolly & Hosken, 2006). Little systematic quantitative research has investigated British children’s ethnic cognition, with notable exceptions (Dai, McGregor, & Williams, 2014; Davey, 1983; Lam, Guerrero, Damree, & Enesco, 2011; Leman & Lam, 2008; Milner, 1983; Norburn, 1983; Rutland, Cameron, Bennett, & Ferrell, 2005). The present paper reports a study that systematically investigated aspects of ethnic cognition and affect among British-born Chinese children aged 5 to 10 years. There has been only one published quantitative study of British Chinese (Scottish Chinese; Dai et al, 2014) children’s identities and attitudes. The relative lack of psychological research on British Chinese children’s ethnic perception means that much of this review will draw on the literature of ethnic majority and minority children from Britain as well as elsewhere and sources about the British Chinese other than psychological literature

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