Racial and Ethnic Identity Formation of Midwestern Asian-American Children

Abstract

This 2-year qualitative study attempts to raise teacher awareness of the racial and ethnic identity formation of Asian-American children in the cultural contexts of their families and communities. It gives ‘voice’ to Asian-American parents, who share their perspectives on race and ethnicity, their experiences developing racial and ethnic identities of their own, and their descriptions of how they socialized their children to understand and deal with stereotyping, prejudice and racism. It examines how racial and ethnic identities develop in pre-school and elementary aged children and what expectations Asian-American parents have of teachers and schools regarding this development.