A review of the empirical assessment of processes in ethnic–racial socialization: Examining methodological advances and future areas of development

• A review of 41 measures of ethnic and racial socialization was conducted.
• Advances in assessments of message content and verbal transmission of messages.
• Need for multimethod approaches and assessment of behavioral and affective domains.
• Areas for future methodological development are discussed using the PMERS framework.

A rapid increase in the empirical literature on ethnic–racial socialization has led to the development of numerous assessments that capture various aspects of the ethnic–racial socialization process. To examine the methodological advances, this paper uses the Process Model of Ethnic–Racial Socialization (PMERS) to systematically review the assessment of ethnic–racial socialization among ethnic minority families in order to review how existing measures assess differential processes of ethnic–racial socialization. Using PsycINFO, ERIC, IngentaConnect, and JSTOR databases, 41 measures were identified that report information on the ethnic–racial socialization process. Findings suggest that existing measures largely consist of explicit assessments of parental and/or youth beliefs and verbal behaviors as measures of the ethnic–racial socialization process. Few measures have captured the behavioral and affective domains of the ethnic–racial socialization process and the implicit and subtle transmission of messages regarding race and ethnicity. Further, methodological approaches in the assessment of ethnic–racial socialization have largely used self-report surveys, suggesting the need for integration of other methods. Areas for future development are discussed using the PMERS framework.