Models of minority ethnic identity and White identity development are
described along with examples of ways in which the models can be used
as heuristics for helping students to think about their own and others
' ethnicity. Ethnic or racial identity formation depends on a process
of exploration that includes questioning preexisting ethnic attitudes
and searching into the past and present experiences of one's group and
its relations with other groups. This process leads ideally to the de
velopment of a secure, positive sense of one's identity as a member of
an ethnic or racial group, together with an acceptance of other group
s. By exploring their own and others' ethnic identity, students can ga
in insight into the implications of ethnicity in a diverse society.