Adolescents' Ethnic-Racial Centrality Moderates Effect of School-Based Intervention on Ethnic-Racial Identity Exploration

• In Event: Explorations of the Linguistic and Cultural Knowledge of Adolescents in Schools

Abstract

Research suggests that adolescents exploring and developing clarity about their ethnic-racial identity (ERI) is an important developmental competency. Additionally, the extent to which adolescents view their ERI as central to their overall self-concept (i.e., ERI centrality) likely informs the degree to which they explore their ERI. Utilizing data from a randomized controlled trial of a school-based intervention targeting adolescents’ ERI exploration, the current study tested whether adolescents’ baseline ERI centrality moderated the intervention’s effects. Findings indicated that the intervention produced significant increases in T2 ERI exploration (relative to attention control group) for adolescents with average and higher (+1 SD) levels of ERI centrality at baseline, but not for those with lower levels of ERI centrality at baseline (-1 SD).

Authors

• Kristia Wantchekon, Harvard University

• Adriana Umaña-Taylor, Harvard Graduate School of Education

• Michael R Sladek, Harvard Graduate School of Education

• Elana McDermott, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

• Kimberly Updegraff, Arizona State University