Racial Identity of Children in Integrated, Predominantly White, and Black Schools

Abstract

Fourth-grade children in three school settings (integrated, Black, and White) were assessed by 3 methods: the Draw-A-Person test, the spontaneous self-concept test, and the picture test. The effect of school's population on a child's racial identity was studied. The children in the integrated school setting mentioned race and ethnicity significantly more often than did children in either of the other two settings. The children from both the integrated and the predominantly White schools also chose more friends from the outgroup than did the children in the predominantly Black school. The children in the non-integrated schools disliked other races more. All groups chose their own race when asked to indicate which child looked most like them. Contrary to the research hypothesis, the children in the predominantly White school produced drawings that depicted their race more obviously than did children from either of the other schools.