Familial Ethnic Socialization (FES)

Abstract

The Familial Ethnic Socialization (FES) scale is a 12-item self-report instrument designed to measure the degree to which adolescents perceive their families engaging in activities and discussions related to their shared ethnic or cultural background. Developed by Umaña-Taylor and Fine in 2004, the FES scale is foundational for understanding how parental and familial efforts contribute to the development of ethnic identity among youth, particularly those from minority or immigrant backgrounds. The scale differentiates between two primary dimensions of socialization: overt and covert.

This instrument utilizes a five-point Likert response format and has been widely applied in studies focusing on psychosocial adjustment, intergenerational relationships, and cultural maintenance among diverse populations, often focusing on adolescents of Mexican origin living in the United States.

Keywords

Familial Ethnic Socialization, Ethnic Identity, Cultural Transmission, Parenting, Socialization, Adolescence, Mexican-origin youth, Cultural maintenance.

Authors

Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Fine, M. A.

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the Familial Ethnic Socialization (FES) scale is to quantify the frequency and intensity of specific behaviors and communications employed by parents and families aimed at transmitting ethnic culture, values, and knowledge to their children. This measurement is crucial for researchers studying the mechanisms through which families influence cultural development and adaptation in youth, particularly in contexts where the dominant culture differs from the family’s heritage.

By assessing perceptions of cultural transmission, the scale helps identify protective factors inherent in strong familial ethnic engagement that may buffer youth against negative outcomes associated with discrimination or acculturative stress. The instrument allows researchers to distinguish between explicit teaching (Overt FES) and environmental exposure (Covert FES).

Construct

The FES scale measures the psychological construct of ethnic socialization as it occurs within the family unit. This construct refers to the processes by which parents and guardians convey information, attitudes, and behaviors related to their ethnic group membership. The FES scale operationalizes this construct into two distinct factors:

• Overt FES: This dimension captures explicit, direct communication about the ethnic group, including teaching history, discussing values, and emphasizing the importance of ethnic knowledge (e.g., Items 1, 2, 6, 7, 9).
• Covert FES: This dimension captures implicit, indirect exposure to the ethnic culture through environmental factors, behavioral practices, and social engagement, such as decorating the home, attending cultural events, or socializing primarily with co-ethnics (e.g., Items 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 12).

Validity

The initial development of the FES scale, as detailed in the authors’ 2004 publications, suggests strong structural validity derived from factor analytic procedures confirming the two-factor model (Overt and Covert FES). Content validity was established by ensuring items comprehensively covered the domains of cultural teaching, practice, and environment identified in existing literature on ethnic identity formation and socialization processes.

Further studies have demonstrated the criterion validity of the FES by showing significant associations between high scores on the FES subscales and positive outcomes in related constructs, such as higher levels of ethnic identity achievement, greater self-esteem, and lower rates of internalizing problems among adolescents. The scale has proven particularly robust when applied to its target population of adolescents of Mexican origin.

Reliability

Based on the foundational research, the FES scale exhibits high internal consistency reliability. Although specific Cronbach’s alpha values are not provided in the source excerpt, academic usage of the FES scale consistently reports acceptable to high reliability coefficients (typically ranging from 0.75 to 0.90) for both the overall scale and its two subscales (Overt and Covert FES), indicating that the items within each factor measure a unified underlying dimension of familial socialization.

Factor Analysis

The structure of the Familial Ethnic Socialization scale was established through factor analysis (likely Exploratory Factor Analysis followed by Confirmatory Factor Analysis in subsequent studies). This analysis revealed a clear two-factor solution, supporting the theoretical distinction between active, verbal transmission (Overt) and passive, environmental exposure (Covert).

The specific item loadings define the two factors as follows:

• Overt FES Items: 1, 2, 6, 7, 9. These items reflect direct teaching and communication.
• Covert FES Items: 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 12. These items reflect behavioral participation and the cultural environment of the home and social network.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological inventory.

Format: 12 items utilizing a five-point Likert scale.

Language Available: English (Original development context suggests usage in Spanish-speaking populations, but primary published version is English).

Population Group: Adolescents and youth.

Age Group: Typically utilized with middle school and high school aged youth (early to late adolescence).

Population Details: Originally validated and primarily used with Mexican-origin adolescents living in the United States.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate the extent to which each statement applies to their family, using only the endpoints labeled:

• 1 = Not at all
• 5 = Very much

Keywords

FES scale, Umaña-Taylor, Cultural practices, Family dynamics, Youth development, Acculturation, Psychometric tool, Assessment instrument.

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source content.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source content.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The FES scale was developed and published in 2004. As a research measure published in peer-reviewed journals, it is generally available for non-commercial academic research purposes, though researchers should always cite the original sources and contact the authors regarding extensive use or modification.

The instrument is available in several published compendiums of assessment tools. The original PDF of the compendium containing the FES scale can be downloaded here: http://www.codajic.org/sites/www.codajic.org/files/Binder-orpinas%20meassurement.pdf. The scale specifically appears on pages 147-148 of “Latino Families and Youth: A Compendium of Assessment Tools.”

Reference’s

The primary references for the development and validation of the Familial Ethnic Socialization (FES) scale are:

• Umaña-Taylor‚ A. J. & Fine‚ M. A. (2004). Examining ethnic identity among Mexican-origin adolescents living in the United States. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences‚ 26‚ 36-59.
• Umaña-Taylor‚ A. J.‚ Yazedjian‚ A. & Bámaca-Gómez‚ M. Y. (2004). Developing the Ethnic Identity Scale using Eriksonian and social identity perspectives. Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research‚ 4‚ 9-38.
• The instrument can also be found in: Latino Families and Youth: A Compendium of Assessment Tools. Available online at: http://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=23171&Itemid.

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Items of the Familial Ethnic Socialization (FES)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. My family teaches me about my ethnic/cultural background.
2. My family encourages me to respect the cultural values and beliefs of our ethnic/cultural background.
3. My family participates in activities that are specific to my ethnic group.
4. Our home is decorated with things that reflect my ethnic/cultural background.
5. The people who my family hangs out with the most are people who share the same ethnic background as my family.
6. My family teaches me about the values and beliefs of our ethnic/cultural background.
7. My family talks about how important it is to know about my ethnic/cultural background.
8. My family celebrates holidays that are specific to my ethnic/cultural background.
9. My family teaches me about the history of my ethnic/cultural background.
10. My family listens to music sung or played by artists from my ethnic/cultural background.
11. My family attends things such as concerts‚ plays‚ festivals‚ or other events that represent my ethnic/cultural background.
12. My family feels a strong attachment to our ethnic/cultural background.