Toward the Development of an Ethnic Identity Measure for African American Youth

Abstract

This article describes the preliminary researchfindings on the Multi-Construct African American Identity Questionnaire, an instrument designed to measure several proposed components of racial/ethnic identity in African American adolescents. Data are presented on African American youth, ranging from 11 to 18 years of age, at two urban sites in the midwestern and southeastern United States. The psychometric properties of the instrument are examined, and information is included on the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and validity of the instrument. The findings are also examined in the context of current theoretical models of ethnic identity and its relationship to self-construct and personal identity. The implications of thefindingsfor the healthy development of African American youth are discussed.