Child, parent, and situational correlates of familial ethnic/race socialization

This study examines child, parent, and situational correlates of familial ethnic/race socialization using nationally representative data gathered as part of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 (ECLS-K). The ECLS-K sample (N = 18,950) includes White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, American Indian, and multiracial kindergarteners, with survey data available at the child, parent/guardian, teacher, and school level. We find that child correlates such as race and gender, parent correlates such as education and warmth of parent-child relationship, and situational correlates such as percent of minorities at the child's school and cultural event participation influence how often family members discuss children's ethnic/racial heritage with them. We advocate for continued research of contextualized family dynamics.