This dissertation investigates narratives of transculturally placed foster youth about their ethnic identity and how their ethnic identity fluctuates over time. For this purpose, we also study ethnic socialization messages as indicated by foster parents and how these messages are received by their foster youth (youth’s narratives). Ultimately, we hope that these insights will help foster care agencies, foster parents, and birth parents guide the ethnic identity development of transculturally placed foster youth. This dissertation addresses the following research questions:
1. How is ethnic identity constructed in transculturally placed minority foster youth’s narratives, and how does it fluctuate over time?
2. What ethnic socialization do foster parents provide and what ethnic socialization do transculturally placed foster youth receive by their foster parents, and how do both perspectives interact?