Young children's perceptions and attitudes about race and ethnicity

The primary purpose of this investigation was to enter the life-world of twelve kindergarten children in two school environments (one predominantly European-American and the other African-American) in order to develop a deeper insight into kindergarten children's racial and ethnic perceptions and attitudes. Children's responses on two quantitative measures, the Preschool Racial Attitudes Measure II (PRAM II), Series A, and Color Meaning Test II (CMT II), Series A, were compared to children's linguistic responses and behavior during an ethnographic, qualitative field experience. A secondary purpose of the study was to assess the racial identity and attitude development of the children's parents and teachers via a Racial Identity and Attitude Scale (RIAS) and interview responses. I also wanted to explore parents' and teachers' views on the inclusion of race and ethnicity in the kindergarten curriculum.;The results of the study indicated that the PRAM II and CMT II are valid measures for assessing one dimension of the informants' attitudes about race and ethnicity. The results also revealed, consistent with existing research, that the participants' socialization experiences were primary determinants of racial and ethnic perception and emergent stereotypical notions. Further, this investigation revealed that African-American participants' racial preferences were more related to racial and ethnic stimuli than to previous research suggestions of self-rejection, self-hatred and race dissonance. Contrary to developmental theory, participants in this study possessed a sophisticated knowledge of procreation. Finally, it was revealed that most parents scored at the highest level of racial identity and attitude development as measured by Helm's (1995) Racial Identity and Attitude Scale; however, several parents who objected to the inclusion of race and ethnicity in the kindergarten curriculum were parents of children who expressed the strongest racial and ethnic biases in this study. The kindergarten teachers expressed the need for inclusion of race and ethnicity in the kindergarten curriculum, but felt bound by the county's sanctioned curriculum guidelines, and the lack of peer support.;The significance of this study is in its finding that young children express specific perceptions and attitudes about race and ethnicity than are measured by quantitative measures. These emergent perceptions and attitudes have implications for pedagogical practices and future research endeavors.