Preadolescents’ ethnic identification placed in context: The role of classroom norms and ethnic class composition

Research on ethnic identity has focused mainly on individual characteristics. Much less empirical attention has been paid to contextual determinants. The present study, conducted in 51 Dutch school classes, examined two dimensions of ethnic identification among grade 4-6 students (aged 9-13 years) in relation to the classroom context. We focused on the role of multicultural education and classmates’ evaluation of the ethnic in-group (peer group norms), while also taking into account the ethnic class composition. It was found that ethnic group introjection – as a specific und understudied dimension of ethnic group identification - is more dependent on the classroom context than ethnic self-esteem. Multicultural education affected minority group preadolescents’ ethnic self-esteem positively, but only when the share of their ethnic group in class was low. Positive peer group norms of in-group classmates strengthened both majority and minority group children’s ethnic group introjection, especially when the relative size of the ethnic in-group in the class was larger. The positive evaluation of one’s ethnic group by out-group classmates lessened ethnic group introjection of majority group students, but not that of minority group students, in particular when the share of ethnic out-group peers in the class was high. Implications for future research as well as some practical implications are discussed