Multiracial Students Research Articles

"Not Half But Double": Exploring Critical Incidents in the Racial Identity of Multiracial College Students

This qualitative study explored how critical incidents shape multiracial students' understanding of race and identity at predominantly White institutions. Participants included 14 multiracial undergraduate students from two institutions in the Midwest. Four categories of critical incidents were identified from the data: (a) confronting race and racism, (b) responding to external definitions, (c) defending legitimacy, and (d) affirming racial identity. The incidents took many forms and occurred in many contexts. The majority of incidents involved interactions with other students, underscoring the influence of peers. The study also suggests implications for higher education practice and research.

‘Mutts like Me’: Multiracial Students’ Perceptions of Barack Obama

Existent sociological studies of multiracialism in the United States focus on identity construction, the cultural and legislative battle over multiracial categorization, and the implications of demographic shifts towards an increasingly “mixed race” population. This article engages literature from each of these areas, and uses data from in-depth interviews with self-identified multiracial students to document their perceptions of President Barack Obama and trace the symbolic boundaries of multiracial identity. Interviews are specifically directed towards the influence of race on Obama’s identity management and political career, the relationship between Obama and respondents’ multiracial identity, and Obama’s impact on America’s racial history. Respondents hold favorable opinions of the President despite his inconsistent affirmation of multiracial identity. They believe that emphasis on Obama’s blackness rather than multiracialism is the unfortunate result of both personal choices and political pressures. In addition, the cohort insists that racism remains is a major factor in Obama’s career and in America at large.

“I now harbor more pride in my race”: The Educational Benefits of Inter- and Intraracial Dialogues on the Experiences of Students of Color and Multiracial Students

How do students of color and multiracial students learn to make sense of and navigate race within historically white institutions (HWIs)? And, what pedagogies and inter-/intragroup dynamics facilitate increased understanding of issues of race, racial identity development, and racism in the U.S.? This project examines students’ of color (SOC) and multiracial students’ learning in the Intergroup People of Color–White People Dialogues and Intragroup Multiracial Identity Dialogues at a small private liberal arts college in the Northeast. Through qualitative, inductively-derived analyses of student papers, this study advances understanding of how SOC/multiracial students make sense of their own racial group membership and how they navigate raced interactions in college. It also continues and extends national efforts to conduct and disseminate research on both the substantive nature and process of the Inter-/Intragroup Dialogues and their impact on students.

‘Is that what you really want?’: a case study of intracultural ensemble-building within the paradoxes of ‘urbanicity’

Ensemble-building is a practice within drama education that is understood to be a powerful metaphor for democratic living. However, this ongoing work in classrooms also demands that teachers understand and enact a broad, interrelated range of knowledge, skills, and values that support participants’ encounters with conflict and representations of change. In this sense, ensemble-building is not simply about getting along, but embodies an ‘intracultural’ practice of ‘living together’ while learning and using creative strategies for ‘fighting together’. In this qualitative case study of ensemble-building as an intracultural practice we present the key forms of knowledge, skills and values that two teachers enacted to create conditions for trust and knowledge production with a group of African American students at a racially segregated urban secondary school and a collaboration between this group and multi-ethnic and multi-racial university students in a theatre arts programme. Their work, and the work of ensemble, we argue, is shaped by and within the intersections of ‘urbanicity’ where urban life is recognisable and lived beyond the boundaries of urban centres through the paradoxical conditions of rigidity and creativity, stability and mobility, and anonymity and visibility.

The effectiveness of teaching and learning history based on multicultural towards national integration in Malaysia

Abstract This study was conducted using a quasi experiment to determine the effects of teaching and learning history in regards to national integration in the multicultural society of Malaysia. The three multicultural perspectives used in the teaching and learning process contain culturally historical perspectives that are related to the aspect of cultural understanding, ethnic historical perspectives that are related to racial tolerance and national historical perspectives which include the Malaysian identity. The respondents for this study were multiracial students of the Malay, Chinese and Indian origin from two different schools in Selangor, Malaysia. 81 students were assigned to the treatment group while 80 students were at the control group. The experiment was conducted over 15 weeks. The pilot study showed that the items used in this study have a high level of reliability on the Cronbach alpha index, between 0.80 and 0.96. The findings showed a significant difference ( p 0.05 ) between treatment group and control group for every aspects that was studied including gender and race. For the treatment group, the finding showed the highest mean for racial tolerance (mean=4.32) compared to cultural understanding aspect (mean=4.28), Malaysia identity aspects (mean=4.27) and national integration aspects (mean=4.26). Moreover, MANOVA test showed a significant difference for all aspects based on gender and race. The cultural understandings, racial tolerance and Malaysian identity perspectives showed a high correlation with national integration. The regression analysis showed that the cultural understanding is 55%, the highest contribution compared to the other perspectives, such as Malaysian identity 11% and racial tolerance 2.5%. The implication of the study revealed that a multicultural based approach to History in schools was positively accepted by multiracial students. Thus, it could be adopted as a teaching model to promote unity among this multiracial society and in the long run to achieve the “One Malaysia” vision.

Is the Design for Our Cultural Programs Ethical?

The designs for cultural programs on most campuses seem to imply that students possess mono-cultural identities. However, with the increase in bi-racial and multi-racial students on campus, it is time for student affairs leaders to question the design for these programs.

Two researchers reflect on navigating multiracial identities in the research situation

Despite the increasing interest in the experiences of multiracial individuals, as evidenced by the emergent body of literature and research related to multiracial experiences, we lack an understanding of methodological concerns related to research with multiracial individuals. Here, we seek to (1) investigate the applicability of theories of insider/outsider status to research conducted by and with multiracial individuals, (2) interrogate our own research experiences as multiracial scholars conducting research with multiracial students, and (3) identify implications from our analysis for other researchers. We conclude that understandings of methodological terms related to monoracial populations are limited in their applicability to research with multiracial individuals. Additionally, we conclude that navigating multiracial identities in research situations is a particularly complicated process aided less by a shared sense of identity or community between researcher and participants and more by experiences that stem from a similar need to engage in micronegotiations of racial and ethnic identities.

A New Multicultural Population

Multiracial families make up the fastest growing demographic in the United States. Approximately 9% of the U.S. population is multiracial, and it is estimated that the numbers will climb to 21% by 2050. With this increasing population, educators have a new responsibility to meet the needs of these families. Education must begin to form partnerships with families to increase the social and academic achievement of children from multiracial backgrounds. The purpose of this article is to (a) identify the uniqueness of multiracial students and families, (b) provide recommendations regarding improving multiracial family partnerships, and (c) offer best practices and strategies for working effectively with multiracial children and youth in schools.

Unique and Joint Effects of Sexual and Racial Harassment on College Students' Well-Being

This study examined the sexual harassment (SH) and racial harassment (RH) experiences of Asian, Black, multiracial, and White male and female college students (N = 2,009). Research questions were (a) Do sex and race influence the frequency of SH and RH; (b) Do SH and RH have unique, additive, and/or interactive effects on psychological outcomes; and (c) Do sex and race moderate the relationship between SH/RH and psychological well-being? Analyses indicated that SH/RH frequency varied as a result of one's combined sex–race identity, SH/RH had individual, additive, and interactive effects on psychological well-being, and both sex and race moderate the relationships between harassment and well-being. Further, three-way interactions of sex, race, and harassment type were found for the prediction of well-being indicators.

Black–White Biracial Students in American Schools: A Review of the Literature

With increasing numbers of students who identify as Black and White multi-racial and with the persistence of the Black–White test score gap, the necessity for research regarding these students’ educational experiences cannot be understated. To date, research in this area has been scarce. The purpose of this review is to synthesize the available literature related to the experiences of multiracial—Black–White biracial in particular—students in American schools and to identify areas in need of further research. This review offers a synthesis of the historical, social, and political context of biracial people, as well as a synthesis of issues relevant to biracial students, namely, psychological adjustment, home and parental influence, and school factors. Recommendations and implications for further research related to multiracial students and their schooling are offered.

The Black-White-Other Achievement Gap: Testing Theories of Academic Performance Among Multiracial and Monoracial Adolescents

The study presented here tested three theories of racial differences in academic performance among monoracial and multiracial high school students. These theories (status attainment, oppositional culture, and educational attitudes) were developed to explain differences in achievement among monoracial groups, but the study tested how the theories apply to a multiracial sample. The results show that ethnic identity and experiences of ethnic discrimination are not strong factors in explaining academic performance among multiracial or monoracial students. Instead, the grades of multiracial students are related to their concrete beliefs about the consequences of school failure, the educational values of their peers, and the racial composition of their neighborhoods and schools. Additional descriptive statistics found that multiracial students who self-identify as black or Hispanic achieve lower grades than do those who self-identify as white or Asian. The author suggests a transracial theory of academic performance that considers the effects of contexts.

It matters how and when you ask: Self-reported race/ethnicity of incoming law students.

The high-stakes nature of law school testing and admissions puts a premium on the student data presented to admissions committees, such as essays, academic and work history, and student background characteristics including race/ethnicity. 4,472 law school-bound students self-identified their race/ethnicity using (a) a mutually exclusive "choose one" format during registration for the law school admissions test, and (b) an elaborated "check-all-that-apply" format as part of a national survey administered during the first weeks at their chosen law school. Student multiraciality that was masked by the first assessment was associated with self-reported ethnic identity, discrimination experience, intergroup contact, race-related attitudes, academic performance, and trait ratings, as compared to monoracial majority students. A different profile of findings was observed across these constructs when multiracial students were compared to monoracial majority students, to monoracial minority students, and within group. These correlates also predicted the likelihood of changing identification across the two assessment contexts. These findings support the continued study of specific combinations of multiracial groups, fluidity of multiracial identities, and context effects that influence race/ethnicity self-categorizations.

Being multiracial in a wired society: Using the internet to define identity and community on campus

AbstractThis chapter presents an overview of current technology trends and how multiracial students' use of these tools may differ from that of their monoracial peers. Implications for student affairs practice and limitations of technology are presented.

Multiracial student services come of age: The state of multiracial student services in higher education in the United States

AbstractThis chapter summarizes the context for the provision of services and programs for multiracial students and provides three case studies of current practice.

Student affairs and higher education policy issues related to multiracial students

AbstractThis chapter describes how the emerging multiracial student population is influencing policy, procedures, and programs within higher education in the United States.

Looking north: Exploring multiracial experiences in a Canadian context

AbstractThe perspectives of Canadians who share stories in this chapter about their mixed‐race lives provide a broader context for understanding multiracial students in the United States and considering how colleges and universities in differing national and cultural contexts might best serve this growing population.

The effects of multiracial identification on students’ perceptions of racism

This paper compares the differing perceptions of racism reported by White ( n = 222), Black ( n = 99), and White–Black multiracial ( n = 45) students at an urban campus of a Southern university. Using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), we examine the differences between the racial groups in three campus contexts—campus in general, with instructors, and with other students. Items chosen for analysis included behaviors or actions experienced by at least 4% of the respondents. In nearly all areas, the multiracial student group reported the most experience with prejudice. We employ standpoint theory to discuss these findings.

Asian American college students as model minorities: An examination of their overall competence.

Educational success among Asian Americans has led to their being labeled the "model minority." At the University of California, Berkeley (UCB), Asian American students have higher grade point averages (GPAs) than Hispanic and African American but not White students, supporting the notion that Asian Americans are more successful compared with other racial minorities. However, success in the classroom does not implicate effective functioning in life, and nonacademic criteria ought to be considered in assessing the validity of the model minority image. Given the increasing diversification of the United States, cross-racial engagement may be an additional contributor to overall competence. This was empirically tested in a group of 642 undergraduates at UCB, including 291 Asian, 197 White, 20 African American, 67 Hispanic, and 56 multiracial students. Overall competence was operationalized by sense of coherence, that is, the extent to which the world is experienced as comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful (A. Antonovsky, 1979, 1987). As predicted, Asian Americans had significantly fewer numbers of cross-racial groups represented in their friendship network than did students of all other races. Lower cross-racial engagement and being Asian (as compared with White) were related to a lower sense of coherence, whereas lower GPA was not. Within the Asian American subsample, cross-racial engagement was again significantly associated with greater coherence, whereas GPA again was not. Thus, extending the definition of success to overall competence, these findings raise questions about the applicability of the model minority label to Asian Americans, despite their academic achievement. Future studies need to assess the reasons for their limited cross-racial engagement and lower sense of coherence and to examine means to assist the development of these strengths.

Multiracial and Multiethnic Students: How They Must Belong

The number of multiracial and multiethnic children in our nation's schools continues to increase. This population is challenging our schools-and our schools' multicultural efforts-to be truly inclusive. This requires schools to examine what historically has been a single-race approach to diversity: curriculum materials, curriculum content, celebrations and holidays, student organizations, and teacher training. Schools, multicultural programs within schools, and teacher preparation courses must find ways to support and celebrate multiracial and multiethnic children, their families, and their histories.

Patterns of Situational Identity Among Biracial and Multiracial College Students

Using qualitative grounded theory framed by postmodern racial identity theory, the author explored the experience of 24 bi- and multiracial students at three postsecondary institutions. Five patterns of racial identification emerged, with peer culture and campus demographics as the major determinants of students' identity. These findings, with insights into multiracial students's experiences, can model how to explore other areas of socially constructed identity. It also introduces a conditional model for how students create new identity-based space on campus.