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Abstract
This mixed-methods study explored early adolescents’ national American identification, and meanings attached to being American. Participants (N = 102; 51% female; ages 10-12, = 11.45, SD = .70) were racially and ethnically diverse from primarily middle- to upper-middle class families (median household income = US$150,000-US$199,999; 75% had a college degree or higher). Youth attended a private, secular elementary school with practices designed to celebrate diversity. Participants associated Americans with positive trait stereotypes, symbols (e.g., American flag), nativity status, and particular racial-ethnic groups (e.g., White). Youth who self-identified as American (n = 51) frequently asserted that being American, defined by their birthplace and residence in the United States, was important. Results suggest that early adolescence is an optimal developmental period to examine the emergence of an American identity, and validate the benefits of using mixed methods in the study of youths’ national and racial-ethnic identification and the accompanying meaning-making process.
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Author Biographies
Victoria C. Rodriguez, MA, is a doctoral student in education (Human Development & Psychology Division) at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research interests center on youths’ social identity development, specifically as it relates to race, ethnicity, nationality, and social class. She is also interested in understanding the relationship between youths’ social identity and educational outcomes, particularly among ethnic minority youth.
Cari Gillen-O’Neel, PhD, is assistant professor of psychology at Macalester College. Her research focuses on how children develop their social identities and how they come to understand the stereotypes or stigmas that may be associated with these identities. She is also interested in the role that social identities play in academic achievement and the factors that contribute to the academic success of children from academically stigmatized groups.
Rashmita S. Mistry, PhD, is associate professor of education (Human Development & Psychology Division) at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her researches focuses on understanding the consequences of family socioeconomic resources and disadvantage (i.e., poverty) on children’s development, children’s reasoning about socioeconomic stratification, and assessing the implications of school-level socioeconomic diversity on teaching, learning, and children’s social development.
Christia Spears Brown, PhD, is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky in the Children at Risk Research Cluster. Her research examines how children’s perceptions of discrimination and social identities influence their academic outcomes and social development. Her work also examines children’s stereotype development and their perceptions of social inequality and immigration.
Kirby A. Chow, PhD, is a Society for Research in Child Development/American Association for the Advancement of Science (SRCD/AAAS) Policy fellow. She received her doctorate in Education (Human Development & Psychology Division) at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research interests are in the areas of family homelessness and children’s educational outcomes, youth homelessness, children’s reasoning about socioeconomic stratification, and human services policy.
Elizabeth S. White, PhD, is an assistant professor of child development in the College of Education, School of Teaching and Learning, at Illinois State University. Her research interests include children’s civic engagement and sense of social responsibility, teacher practices in diverse classroom contexts, and children’s understanding and experience of poverty and inequality.
