on Children's Peer Preferences in a New Desegregated School

In a newly desegregated school, sixth graders with varying degrees of previous interracial contact were asked to rate their classmates as preferred work or play partners. Results indicated that: (1) there were no differences in cross-race ratings made by students with a great deal of prior interracial contact and those with little prior interracial contact; (2) there were no increases in cross-race ratings between the beginning and the end of the desegregation year during which the study was made; and (3) similarity of sex was a more powerful determinant of peer prefeiences than similarity of 'race. The study suggested that desegregation has no effect on cross-race preferences. (MJL) CV Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document...* ****************************************i*****************************