The Role of Parents in Interethnic Contact: Do Parental Integration Attitudes Influence the Ethnic Diversity of Their Adolescent Children’s Friendship Networks in Class?

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of parental integration attitudes on the ethnic diversity of their adolescent children’s friendship networks in class. Moreover, we are interested in whether this effect is mediated by ethnic classroom diversity. Data for this study were obtained from the Dutch part of the first wave of the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Survey in Four European Countries [CILS4EU] (Kalter et. al., 2013). The results suggest that for ethnic minority children, a negative relationship between parental adherence to assimilationism and ethnic diversity of friendship networks in class is found. Although no mediating role of ethnic classroom diversity is found, a positive relationship between ethnic classroom diversity and ethnic diversity of friendship networks seems to exist for Dutch respondents.