title: Racially diverse classrooms: effects of classroom racial composition on interracial peer relationships.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the interactive effects that a child's race and the racial composition of a classroom have on a variety of sociometric measures. Sociometric nominations were collected from 872 fifth-grade students (48% male, 48% Black) who were in classrooms that ranged from nearly all Black to nearly all White students. Hierarchical Linear Modeling analyses indicated that the race of the child, the race of the rater, and the classroom race composition each impacted sociometric nominations. Results suggest that schools that are more balanced in the distribution of Black and White students might promote more positive interracial peer relationships. However, opportunities to be highly liked and to be perceived as a leader might be greatest in a school in which the child is in the clear racial majority.
authors.affiliation: The University of Alabama, Box 870216, Tuscaloosa, AL 34587-0216, USA. jbarth@bama.ua.edu
authors.forename: Joan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Barth
authors.forename: Kristina L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Lochman
authors.forename: Carolyn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Boxmeyer
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.forename: Casey
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dillon
authors.forename: Meghann
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sallee
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D044469:Racial Groups; D012574:Schools; D012919:Social Behavior; D012931:Social Environment; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: aggressive behavior; children; classroom demographics; classroom racial composition; fifth-grade students; in-group bias; interracial peer relationships; opportunity hypothesis; out-group bias; person-environment congruency; similarity-attraction; social majority; social minority; threat effect