Psychosocial Benefits of Ethnic Diversity in Urban Middle Schools

描述（由申请人提供）：本研究的目的是测试一组有关城市中学种族/民族多样性的社会心理利益的相关假设。本研究假设多元化对学生心理健康、群体间态度和学校适应的促进作用主要通过以下三种中介机制：(1)感知脆弱性的降低；（二）跨民族友谊的形成和维护；(3)复杂社会身份的发展。Aims 1-3研究了这些调节机制。目标4探讨了学生个体特征和学校结构特征（如学业跟踪）的调节作用，这些特征可能限制学生的混合机会。在一项为期3年的纵向研究中，将对大约7200名六年级学生进行检验，这些学生将进入南加州或北加州24所城市中学中的一所。大样本将是种族多样化的，包括拉丁裔，非裔美国人，亚洲人，太平洋岛民，白人和多民族学生。这些学生就读的24所中学将根据种族/民族构成和多样性程度进行精心挑选。在六年级的秋季和春季以及七年级和八年级的春季收集学生的感知脆弱性、跨种族友谊、社会认同以及心理健康、群体间态度和学校适应结果的数据，共四波数据。结构方程模型和多层模型将用于跟踪这些相关变量随时间的增长和变化。通过研究成功适应的途径，本研究的首要目标是研究在何种条件下，更大的学校种族多样性可以缓冲青少年早期的许多规范挑战。该项目的研究结果将为学校种族多样性作为一种社会心理保护因素的作用以及种族多样性作为一个多面和动态结构的意义提供新的见解。从社会政策的角度来看，研究结果也有助于讨论在我国城市公立学校实现更大的种族/民族多样性的法律选择。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The purpose of this research is to test a set of interrelated hypotheses about the psychosocial benefits of racial/ethnic diversity in urban middle schools. It is hypothesized that greater diversity can benefit students' mental health, intergroup attitudes, and school adaptation via three mediating mechanisms: (1) decreases in perceived vulnerability; (2) the formation and maintenance of cross-ethnic friendships; and (3) the development of complex social identities. These mediating mechanisms are examined in Aims 1-3. Aim 4 explores the moderating influences of individual student characteristics and school structural characteristics such as academic tracking that may limit the mixing opportunities of students. The hypotheses outlined in the four aims will be examined in a 3-year longitudinal study of approximately 7200 6th grade students as they enter one of 24 urban middle schools in southern or northern California. The large sample will be ethnically diverse, comprised of Latino, African American, Asian, Pacific Islander, White, and multi-ethnic students. The 24 middle schools that these students attend will be carefully selected to vary in racial/ethnic composition and level of diversity. Data on students' perceived vulnerability, cross-ethnic friendships, and social identities as well as the outcomes of mental health, intergroup attitudes, and school adaptation will be gathered in Fall and Spring of 6th grade and in Spring of 7th and 8th grade, for a total of four waves of data. Structural equation modeling and multilevel modeling will be used to track growth and change in these interrelated variables over time. By studying pathways to successful adaptation, the overarching goal of the research is to examine the conditions under which greater school ethnic diversity can buffer many of the normative challenges of early adolescence. Findings from the project will provide new insights into the role of school ethnic diversity as a psychosocial protective factor and into the meaning of ethnic diversity as a multi-faceted and dynamic construct. From a social policy perspective, the results can also contribute to the discourse on legal options for achieving greater racial/ethnic diversity in our nation's urban public schools. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The purpose of this research is to examine the conditions under which greater racial/ethnic diversity in middle school can buffer many of the normative challenges of early adolescence. The focus will be on the ways in which ethnic diversity can contribute to improved mental health, more positives attitudes about peers from other racial/ethnic groups, and better school outcomes for all students. Findings will offer new insights into the role of school ethnic diversity as a psychosocial protective factor and into the meaning of racial/ethnic diversity as a multi-faceted and dynamic construct.