Social Networks and Ethnic Identifications of Young Immigrants

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The mechanisms underlying the formation and change of ethnic identifications and social networks of young immigrants have not sufficiently been studied. As this is mainly because of a lack of data, the main aim of the project was to collect adequate data. For this purpose, we first developed and tested a multi-dimensional measure of ethnic identifications. We then built up a panel survey of 26 complete grade-level networks in nine schools exhibiting information about nearly 2,100 fifth, sixth and seventh grade students. Until now, two waves of data have been collected; a third wave will be realized within the ongoing project.This proposal applies for further funding of three more waves of data. This extension of the existing panel will not only strengthen the data for the planned analyses, but also allow to address important yet untouched research questions. Extended with three more waves of data, it will be possible for the first time in Germany to trace the development of youths' ethnic identifications over the whole period of lower secondary education. Moreover, it will enable to test theoretical yet so far untested propositions claiming that the reciprocal causal relationship between social networks and ethnic identifications varies during different stages of adolescence.