CLASSROOM RACIAL PROPORTIONS AND CHILDRENS PEER RELATIONS - RACE AND GENDER EFFECTS

Peer preferences (determined by both positive and negative sociometric choices) and perceptions of African-American and White children atten ding either majority White or majority African-American classrooms wer e examined. Results indicate that classroom racial minority status (i. e., being in a classroom in which most classmates are of a different r ace) is associated with peer rejection of girls but not of boys. Corre lates of peer preferences differed for children in majority White vers us African American classes, providing support for the subjective cult ure hypothesis. Implications of these findings for girls' peer relatio ns and for educational practices regarding classroom racial proportion s are discussed.