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International Journal of Behavioral Development, Vol. 31, No. 5, 445-453 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0165025407081469

Friendship and identity in a language-integrated school

Frances E. Aboud

McGill University, Canada, frances.aboud{at}mcgill.ca

Janani Sankar

McGill University, Canada

A cross-sectional design was used to inquire about peer relations of 85 second and fifth grade students in two integrated Anglophone and Francophone schools in Montreal, Canada. Data on same- and cross-ethnic identification, interactive companions and mutual best friends were collected for each student. Overall findings were that students had more companions from their own than the other ethno-linguistic group, but equivalent numbers of mutual best friends. Same- and cross-ethnic mutual friends were rated similarly in terms of friendship quality (as assessed by the McGill Friendship Questionnaire). Exploratory in-depth interviews with 16 students indicated that cross-ethnic relationships ran into two barriers. One was that they were limited to only a few activities and locations and so did not become personalized. The second was that in-group and out-group friends did not always mix well.

Key Words: children • cross-ethnic friendship • identity • language of instruction

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 International Journal of Behavioral DevelopmentHome page
A. Rutland, D. Abrams, and S. Levy
Introduction: Extending the conversation: Transdisciplinary approaches to social identity and intergroup attitudes in children and adolescents
International Journal of Behavioral Development, September 1, 2007; 31(5): 417 - 418.
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