The Home-School Mesosystem can Facilitate Korean American Adolescents’ Valuing of Diversity Character and Social Competence

• In Event: A dynamic understanding of socialization for Asian American youth development

Abstract

Within the microsystem setting (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006), parents’ racial-ethnic socialization (RES) messages about valuing diversity (i.e., cultural pluralism) have been found to promote Asian American adolescents’ social competence (Tran & Lee, 2010). Adolescents’ valuing of diversity character may underlie this positive association as parents’ cultural pluralism RES can encourage adolescents to respect diversity and interact with individuals from different ethno-racial backgrounds (Phalke et al., 2020). Thus, adolescents with this character quality may be more likely to be socially competent due to better perspective-taking and problem-solving skills with peers in multicultural contexts (Hunter & Elias, 2000; Scales et al., 2000). Another key socialization agent in the microsystem is the school; schools that acknowledge and value ethno-racially minoritized adolescents’ experiences (i.e., culturally relevant school climate; CRSC) can promote adolescents’ positive social outcomes (Schachner, 2019). However, how the home-school connection (i.e., mesosystem) can contribute to minoritized adolescents’ valuing of diversity character and subsequent social competence is not well understood. CRSC may strengthen the positive effect of parents’ cultural pluralism RES by providing culturally safe and affirmative space to respect diversity and develop positive intergroup relationships (Byrd, 2016).
Thus, we examined: (1) the association between Korean American parents’ cultural pluralism RES and their adolescents’ social competence; (2) the mediating role of adolescents’ valuing of diversity character in this association; and (3) whether CRSC moderated the association between parents’ cultural pluralism RES and adolescents’ valuing of diversity character, and in turn, their social competence.

Korean American adolescents (N = 119, Mage = 14.9 years, SD = 1.7, 53% girls) reported their parents’ cultural pluralism RES practices (Juang et al., 2016), CRSC (Marx & Byrnes, 2012), valuing diversity character (Benson et al., 1998), and social competence (planning and decision making, interpersonal skills, peaceful conflict resolution; Benson et al., 1998) (see Table 1).

Controlling for adolescents’ age, gender, and their parents’ education level, moderated mediation analysis revealed that Korean American parents’ cultural pluralism RES were positively associated with adolescents’ valuing of diversity character, which in turn was related to higher levels of social competence (Figure 1). CRSC moderated this mediation, such that the positive effect of parents’ socialization practices on adolescents’ valuing of diversity character and social competence were strengthened at higher levels of CRSC.

Korean American adolescents’ valuing of diversity character is an asset and a mechanism for how parents’ RES practices can facilitate adolescents’ social competence with peers. Parents’ socialization messages supporting multiculturalism helped adolescents value different cultures and be more competent in resolving conflicts that may arise in peer contexts (Hunter & Elias, 2000). The positive effect of parents’ cultural pluralism messages was further strengthened when schools validated adolescents’ diverse experiences and values. Korean American adolescents may feel safe and efficacious practicing their parents’ socialization messages around respecting and interacting with peers from different racial-ethnic backgrounds, within a culturally-relevant school environment which affirms their racial-ethnic identities and values. These findings indicate the significance of a consistent home-school mesosystem (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006) in facilitating positive psychological and social assets among Korean American adolescents.

Authors

• Hyun Su Cho, University of Maryland - Baltimore County
  Presenting Author

• Yeram Cheong, University of Maryland, College Park

• Charissa S. L. Cheah, University of Maryland - Baltimore County