Do Hapa children tend to have a harder time when developing their identity?

Do HAPA children tend to have a harder time when developing their identity

Abstract

The present describes the results extracted from qualitative naturalistic ethnographic observation that was conducted among the sample of college students , both multi- ( Hapa ) and monoracial , to investigate their childhood experiences in regard to racial identity The research immersed the concepts of race ' as a new social construct and of multiracial identity against the three coping strategies : a race-conscious , a race-neutral , and a class-conscious one . To reflect the multiplicity and worthiness of individual responses , the method of

br in-depth interview was chosen . Results showed that there is strong correlation between racial identity in comfortable /uncomfortable self-positioning and the socio-economic status of the family psychological climate within a family , the presence /absence of role-models , and the degree of racial awareness in the broader (school context . More research is needed to assess the type of correlation between multiracial identity in regard to Hapa ' children and educational level of their parents , the period of naturalization in the current locality , and gender of Hapa ' subjects , as well as the effect of coping strategies on multiracial identity

Introduction

The word race refers to a class of people who are perceived as physically unique on the basis of certain traits , such as skin color hair texture , and facial features . These unique features allow people to distinguish others ' origins based on their appearance . However , when interracial marriage became more popular , the population of mixed-raced children increased dramatically , and people can no longer identify others ' race based on their appearance

Interracial relationships became a trend and part of American culture The U .S . earlier census established six categories for race : American Indian or Alaska Native , Asian , Black or African American , Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander , White , and Hispanic or Latino However , in the 2000 Census there were already sixty-three categories for race (there were eleven subcategories under Hispanic ethnicity alone . Interracial marriages include unions among these 63 groups

Regardless of what types of ethnic groups are involved in the relationships , one important outcome of these relationships is children An identity crisis has become the most debated issue about mixed-raced children . The research will focus on the identity development of one distinct mixed-raced group , the Hapa . Hapa ' is a Hawaiian word used to describe half-Hawaiian mixed-raced children . Nowadays , the word Hapa ' has become a popular term to describe half Asian and half White children . The research will compare the differences in developing identity between Hapa children (a mixed-raced group ) and children of a single race

It is argued here that Hapa children tend to have a harder time when developing their identity in comparison to children of a single race Cross ' model of Black racial identity development (Cross , 1971 found in Tatum , 2004 ,

. 117 ) was adopted to assess individual perceptions and experiences in regard to race and identity within a sample of college students . Modern discourse on the issues of race and multiraciality was analyzed to identify four possible sets of factors (socio-economic status...