Children's Ethnic Attitudes Research Articles

Student-teacher relationships and ethnic outgroup attitudes among majority students

Children's ethnic outgroup attitudes are influenced by their teachers' beliefs and multicultural education. However, research has ignored the possible impact of interpersonal relationships with teachers on students' ethnic attitudes. Three studies, using comparable datasets gathered among native Dutch children (8–13years) attending grades 4 to 6 in elementary schools in the Netherlands, assess the importance of student-teacher relationships. In Study 1 (N=389), student-teacher relationships were found to be associated with more positive outgroup attitudes, independent of factors commonly used to explain children's outgroup attitudes. Study 2 (N=334) replicated these findings and showed that the impact of student-teacher relationships was not a reflection of the perceived teacher norm on multiculturalism. The results of Study 3 (N=308) show that the association between close student-teacher relationships and children's ethnic attitudes is indirectly associated through internal motivations for intercultural openness, but not through external motivations or intergroup anxiety.

In-group and out-group attitudes of ethnic majority and minority children

Research indicates that ethnic majority group children show a consistent preference for their ethnic in-group, whereas the ethnic preferences of minority groups are less conclusive. The present study assessed the ethnic attitudes of 5–12-year-old children from an ethnic majority group (59 Anglo-Australian) and a minority group (60 Pacific Islander). Participants rated members of Anglo-Australian, Pacific Islander, and Aboriginal (indigenous Australian) groups. Results revealed that the majority group participants rated the in-group more positively than the two out-groups, with the indigenous out-group being rated less positively. In contrast, the ethnic minority participants rated the in-group and the ethnic majority out-group equally positively, while the Aboriginal out-group was also rated least positively. A preference for in-group neighbours was also displayed by both the ethnic majority and ethnic minority participants, with the Aboriginal out-group again being least preferred as neighbours. The results also revealed that these effects varied with age for the ethnic majority, but not the ethnic minority group participants. The results are discussed in relation to findings on children's ethnic attitudes and intercultural relations.

Empathy, group norms and children's ethnic attitudes

Two minimal group studies ( Ns = 150, 123) examined the impact of emotional empathy on the ethnic attitudes of 5 to 12-year old white Anglo-Australian children. Study 1 evaluated the relationship between empathy and attitudes towards a same (Anglo-Australian) versus different ethnicity (Pacific Islander) outgroup. A significant empathy × outgroup ethnicity interaction revealed that empathy was unrelated to the children's liking for the same ethnicity outgroup, but that liking for the different ethnicity outgroup increased as empathy increased. Study 2 examined the influence of empathy on attitudes towards the different ethnicity outgroup when the ingroup had a norm of inclusion versus exclusion. A significant empathy × group norm interaction revealed that empathy was unrelated to liking when the ingroup had a norm of exclusion, but that liking for the different ethnicity outgroup increased when the ingroup had a norm of inclusion. Implications of the findings for promoting children's positive attitudes to ethnic minority groups are discussed.

Group status, outgroup ethnicity and children's ethnic attitudes

This study tested predictions drawn from social identity development theory (SIDT; [Nesdale, D. (1999a). Social identity and ethnic prejudice in children. In: P. Martin, & W. Noble (Eds.). Psychology and society (pp. 92–110). Brisbane: Australian Academic Press; Nesdale, D. (2004). Social identity processes and children's ethnic prejudice. In M. Bennett, & F. Sani (Eds.), The development of the social self. London: Psychology Press]) concerning the development of young children's ethnic attitudes. Children aged 5, 7, and 9 years ( N = 149) participated in a minimal group study in which they were randomly assigned to a team that had higher or lower drawing ability than a competitor team (social status). In addition, the competitor team was revealed to be comprised of children with the same (i.e., Anglo-Australian) or different (i.e., Pacific Islander) ethnicity as their own team (outgroup ethnicity). The children subsequently rated their liking for, and similarity to, the ingroup and the outgroup, and the extent to which they wished to change groups. The results indicated that children's liking for the ingroup was unaffected by age and outgroup ethnicity, whereas liking for the outgroup increased with age and was greater for same than for different ethnicity children. The children's attitudes toward changing groups were determined by status. The extent to which the findings provide support for SIDT is discussed.

Effects of in‐group and out‐group ethnicity on children's attitudes towards members of the in‐group and out‐group

This study tested predictions drawn from social identity development theory (SIDT) (Nesdale, 1999a) concerning the development of young children's ethnic attitudes. 5‐7‐ and 9‐year‐old children (N = 159) participated in a minimal group study in which they were assigned to a team which had higher drawing ability than a competitor team. The team members were revealed to be of the same (Anglo‐Australian) vs. different (Pacific Islander) ethnicity (in‐group ethnicity). The ethnicity of the competitor team was varied in the same way. The children subsequently rated their liking for, and similarity to, the in‐group and the out‐group, and the extent to which they wished to change groups. Children liked in‐group members more than out‐group members. Liking for in‐group members was unaffected by the ethnic composition of the groups, but liking for outgroup members was reduced when the ethnic composition of the out‐group differed from that of the in‐group. Children felt most similar to same‐group, same‐ethnicity members and least similar to different ethnicity out‐group members. The desire to change teams increased with age but there was no intention to align with same ethnicity individuals. The extent to which the findings provide support for SIDT is discussed.

Ethnic Attitudes Among Elementary School Students in a Multiethnic School Community

Very little is known about children's ethnic attitudes in multicultural contexts. The current two studies examined the ethnic attitudes of students in a multiethnic elementary school in Hawai'i. In Study 1, children were interviewed and surveyed about their attitudes toward the different ethnic groups present at their school. Previous research on the children's ethnic attitudes suggests an interaction between developing abilities to process information and direct experiences with different groups of people. Consistent with this perspective, the results from Study 1 indicated age-related differences in the way children described different ethnic groups. In Study 2, participants were asked to nominate children in their school to fulfill certain roles that connoted positive and negative judgments of the nominees. Results of Study 2 indicated some differences from that of research in homogenous communities. In general, children's nominations were influenced more by sex in-group preferences than ethnic in-group preferences.

Developmental Patterns in the Flexibility of Children's Ethnic Attitudes

Developmental patterns in ethnic attitudes were assessed in 232 children aged 5 to 12 years in relation to cognitive development and social desirability responding. English-speaking children assigned 10 positive attributes, 10 negative attributes, and 4 neutral attributes to either an English-speaking child, a French-speaking child, or both an English- and a French-speaking child, depicted by line drawings. Positive attributions to their own ethnic group and negative attributions to the other ethnic group were less frequent in older children. Flexibility of ethnic attitudes, that is, attributions to both groups, increased with age and were inversely related to positive own-group attributions and negative other-group attributions. High flexibility followed the attainment of concrete operational thinking, as measured by conservation but not by ethnic constancy. Flexibility was inversely related to Crandall social desirability responding and unrelated to children's conformity to the experimenter's attitude. These results indicate the importance of cognitive rather than social desirability factors in the development of children's ethnic attitudes.

The Relationships Between Ethnic Attitude and Egocentrism Measures

Abstract Important methodological problems exist in the measurement of children's ethnic attitudes. Specifically, little information has been generated regarding both the convergent and discriminant validity of the ethnic attitude measures used in this area of research. The present study explores these aspects of validity by examining: (a) the relationships among three measures of ethnic attitude (the Doll Choice, the Preschool Racial Attitude Measure II, and the Katz-Zalk Projective Prejudice Test), and (b) the relationships between these measures and two measures of a second construct, egocentrism (the Role-Taking Task and the Perspective-Taking Task). Results indicated that only one of the three ethnic attitude measures revealed a pattern of correlations suggestive of both convergent and discriminant validity. The findings are interpreted as indicating the possibility that various ethnic attitude measures may be tapping different aspects of the same construct. In addition, the possibility is raised tha...

The Role of Parents in the Development of Children's Ethnic Attitudes

The Role of Parents in the Development of Children's Ethnic Attitudes

Children's Ethnic Attitudes: II. Relationship to Parental Beliefs concerning Child Training

A number of studies3 have shown a positive and appreciable correlation between attitudes of children and of their parents in various attitude areas. Correlations range from about +.20 to about +.8o, with characteristic values in the range +.40 to +.55. Many of these studies imply that the attitudes maintained by parents provide learning situations wherein children develop attitudes-of their own which resemble the points of view expressed by the parents. It might be argued that the personality patterns of parents produce a kind of pervasive family atmosphere, within which children develop similar personality structures, including particular attitudes, biases, and beliefs. Attitude patterns of adults have been shown to be congruent with certain broad personality characteristics which are more extensive than the particular attitudes in question. There is now accumulating evidence that attitudes in children likewise tend to be associated with broader personality characteristics. The work of Frenkel-Brunswik (1, 2) and a previous paper by the present writers (3) illustrate this point. Since the prejudiced personality, at least in the anti-Semitic and antiNegro areas, seems to be rather rigid and authoritarian, it occurred to the present writers that these aspects of personality might likewise appear in the attitudes toward children expressed by adults and even in the childrearing practices preferred by them. The present study was aimed to explore, at least in a preliminary fashion, such possible relationships. In another paper (3) the writers have described the development of an eighteen-item attitude scale toward Negroes for young children. They have shown how the attitude identified by this scale appears to relate to certain personality characteristics of children in the intermediate grades. The present study is predicated on the assumption usually made in research on children that patterns of family experience can be identified in

Children's Ethnic Attitudes: I. Relationship to Certain Personality Factors

Children's Ethnic Attitudes: I. Relationship to Certain Personality Factors