Ethnic Majority/Minority Status: Children's Interactions and Affective Responses to Music

Abstract

This study is an examination of the effect of classroom ethnic majority/minority status on third-, fifth-, and seventh-grade children's (N = 118) interactions and affective responses while these children listened to and discussed a Latin salsa artist, an African-American rhythm and blues artist, and a European-American folk artist. Classroom ethnic-group proportions determined African-American and European-American children's classroom status. The study also examined the children's preference ratings for each artist. The researcher recorded the children's interactions on a laptop computer while they listened to and discussed the performers. The findings suggested that classroom status affected girls' interactions more than boys'. The study reports statistically significant differences among the children's music preferences.