Internal-External Ethnic Identity Measure

Kwan, K. L. K., & Sodowsky, G. R. (1997). Internal and external ethnic identity and their correlates: A study of Chinese American Immigrants. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 25(1), 51-67.

Explored the relationship between internal and external ethnic identity of US Chinese immigrants and their experience of salience of ethnicity, fear of loss of face, and cultural stress. 224 Chinese immigrants or their children, all of whom were adults, completed the Internal-External Ethnic Identity measure, the Acculturative Distress subscale of the Cultural Adjustment Difficulties Checklist, the Salience of Ethnicity Index, and the Loss of Face Measure. Results revealed that Chinese American immigrants could be differentiated into the different identity groups, Internal, External, and Internal-External Undifferentiated. Additionally, internal ethnic identity significantly predicted salience of ethnicity and loss of face. Income, ethnicity salience, external ethnic identity, and loss of face were significant predictors of acculturative stress. The Internal-External Ethnic Identity measure indicated high levels of internal consistency reliability. Q-sorts performed by experts indicated high inter-rater reliability, as calculated by the nonparametric phi coefficient.

Kwan, K. L. K. (in press). The Internal-External Ethnic Identity Measure: Factor-analytic structures based on a sample of Chinese Americans. Educational and Psychological Measurement.

The factor-analytic structure of the Internal-External Ethnic Identity (Int-Ext ID) measure was examined using a sample of Chinese Americans. Items in the Int-Ext ID measure reflect the common internal and external aspects of ethnic identity as conceptualized from the social psychological perspective, as well as the Asian values of family orientation and collectivism. Four factors—Ethnic Friendship and Affiliation, Ethno-Communal Expression, Ethnic Food Orientation, and Family-Collectivism—were identified.