Date of Completion
2024
Document Type
Honors College Thesis
Department
School of Nursing
Thesis Type
Honors College
First Advisor
Sue Kasser
Second Advisor
Erika Lala
Third Advisor
Celestin Miller
Keywords
interracial adoptee, adoption, identity, racial identity development, ethnic identity development
Abstract
Being able to define your racial/ethnic identity is an important aspect in defining who you are. For Asian transracial/transnational adoptees, racial/ethnic identity formation can be difficult due to a variety of factors. Adoptees undergo many experiences that impact the way they view their own comfortability with their ethnicity and race. Racial/ethnic identity development is also heavily influenced by the college experience. This research studied the potential influence racial/ethnic college identity groups have on the racial/ethnic identity formation of Asian transracial/transnational adoptees. Data was collected through the University of Vermont’s REDCap platform and was sent out through a survey to the racial affinity clubs on campus. This survey included data collection on demographics, racial identity formation before college, and racial identity formation since attending college, and took about 15 minutes to complete. The survey had a total of 20 participants who all identified as a transracial adoptee. Many participants in the study referenced the importance of having a space to discuss their racial/ethnic identity through being a part of racial affinity groups on campus. This study was able to highlight participants’ views on the impact racial identity spaces had on their own ability to discuss their racial, ethnic, and adoptee identity. Participants in this study also discussed the importance of diversity on their ability to discuss their racial, ethnic, and adoptee identity.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Stampalia, Sophia Y., "Discussing the influence of racial/ethnic college identity groups on Asian transracial, transnational adoptee racial/ethnic identity development" (2024). UVM Patrick Leahy Honors College Senior Theses. 665.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/hcoltheses/665