Bridging the Ethnic Divide: Student and School Characteristics in African American, Asian‐Descent, Latino, and White Adolescents' Cross‐Ethnic Friend Nominations

TLDR

The study examined correlates of cross‑ethnic friend nomination among 580 African American, 948 Asian‑descent, 860 Latino, and 3,986 White adolescents. The analysis was guided by the revised social contact theory. Cross‑ethnic friend nomination varied by ethnicity: socioeconomic and academic disparities influenced nominations across schools (except African Americans), students preferring same‑ethnic friends nominated less across all groups, academic orientation correlated positively with nominations for African Americans and Latinos but negatively for Whites, and longer U.S.

Abstract

Based on the revised social contact theory, correlates of cross‐ethnic friend nomination among 580 African American, 948 Asian‐descent, 860 Latino, and 3986 White adolescents were examined. Socioeconomic and academic disparities between ethnic groups differentiated cross‐ethnic friend nomination between schools for all groups but African Americans. For all groups, cross‐ethnic friend nomination was less likely among students who preferred same‐ethnic friends. Academic orientations were associated with cross‐ethnic friend nomination positively for African American and Latino, but negatively for White participants. Longer family residence in the U.S. and English language facility was associated positively with cross‐ethnic friend nomination for Asian‐descent and Latino participants. Results point to the need to differentiate hypotheses by ethnic group, and to consider individual‐in‐context models in cross‐ethnic friend nomination.