Methodological Issues in Ethnic and Racial Identity Research With Ethnic Minority Populations: Theoretical Precision, Measurement Issues, and Research Designs

• Published in: Child development Vol. 85; no. 1; pp. 58 - 76
• Main Authors: Schwartz, Seth J., Syed, Moin, Yip, Tiffany, Knight, George P., Umaña-Taylor, Adriana J., Rivas-Drake, Deborah, Lee, Richard M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.01.2014; Wiley for the Society for Research in Child Development
• Subjects: Adolescence; Adolescents; Conceptualization; Continental Population Groups - ethnology; Cultural identity; Developmental psychology; Ethnic communities; Ethnic groups; Ethnic Groups - ethnology; Ethnic identity; Ethnic minorities; Ethnicity; Group identity; Hispanics; Humans; Identity; Identity theory; Measurement; Minority & ethnic groups; Minority Groups - psychology; Race; Racial identity; Research Design - standards; Research methods; Social Identification; SPECIAL SECTION: Ethnic and Racial Identity in Child Development
• ISSN: 0009-3920; 1467-8624
• DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12201

This article takes stock of research methods employed in the study of racial and ethnic identity with ethnic minority populations. The article is presented in three parts. The first section reviews theories, conceptualizations, and measurement of ethnic and racial identity (ERI) development. The second section reviews theories, conceptualizations, and measurement of ERI content. The final section reviews key methodological and analytic principles that are important to consider for both ERI development and content. The article concludes with suggestions for future research addressing key methodological limitations when studying ERI.