How Mexican-Origin Parents and children co-watching and discussing ‘Coco’ provides a Ethnic Identity Development

• In Event: Poster Session 04
  In Poster Session: PS 04 Topic - Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Context

Abstract

Mexican-origin parents’ socialization of their children’s ethnic identity and cultural traditions is an important cultural and developmental task. Media, an important socializing context in children’s lives, can aid parents’ socialization. Children learn about racial and ethnic groups, including their own, from the media they watch (Bussey & Bandura, 1999). Research has demonstrated the use of telenovelas in Mexican and Latinx households to share cultural talk and socialize children toward their ethnic identity (Mayer, 2003, Oh, 2013). In the current study, we studied whether and how Mexican-heritage parents used the Disney film Coco as a springboard to talk with their children about an important cultural tradition, Día de los Muertos, and other cultural values and practices. We examined how parents and children experienced Coco because this film was well-researched by Disney, culturally relevant, and well-received by Mexican-heritage communities (Attig, 2019; Ceron, 2017, Ruiz, 2017).
Twenty-three parent-child dyads were recruited through community groups. One target parent and one target child participated from each family. Children were in kindergarten through 5th grade. Parents and children completed quantitative surveys on ethnic identity and cultural practices independently. After completing these questionnaires, they watched the movie Coco together, either in their homes or at a community movie night. After watching the film, a parent and the target child were interviewed individually about their experiences with and conversations about the film. Using a grounded theory approach, we identified themes (e.g., cultural representation, geographical variations in traditions and practices, intergenerational loss, etc.) in the interviews. Lastly, we conducted correlations to examine how participants ethnic identity and cultural practices, as measured by the quantitative scales, were related to the themes that emerged during their semi-structured interviews. Results showed that nearly all of the participants enjoyed the film and thought it represented their culture well, but they also presented criticisms around representation and the flattening of differences in the expression and significance of cultural values and practices. Participants’ responses on these ethnic identity and socialization scales were related to the ways they experienced and made meaning around their identity through their interaction with the film. The correlational analyses showed that ethnic identity, ethnic socialization, and orientation toward Mexican or American media were associated with the different themes that emerged in parent-child conversations and experiences with Coco. For example, families with strong ethnic identities were more likely to make meaning out of Coco in terms of their culture and ethnic identity. Taken together, our findings provide evidence that Coco can be a strong socializing agent for children, that parents can use in coordination with their other ethnic and cultural socialization practices. In sum, our study contributes to the growing literature on how parents incorporate media into their ethnic socialization practices and children integrate their Mexican heritage with their American experience.

Authors

• Abigail Walsh, University of California - Santa Cruz
  Presenting Author

• Margarita Azmitia, University of California - Santa Cruz
  Non-Presenting Author