The complexities of identifying cultural characteristics. Race, culture, language, economic and social status, and religious beliefs often are intermingled without explicit consideration of their distinctions or relative importance. Authors who describe cultural differences generally note that, within each broad category, groups and individuals do vary in terms of nationality, language, religion, and other characteristics.
Some reports address other considerations as well, as the following sections describe.
Immigrant vs. indigenous groups. Similar problems apply in considering American Indians and their relationships to mainstream U.S. culture, and some Hispanics as well, since many Mexican Americans have deeper roots in U.S. soil than most white Americans. A recent study of immigrant children includes findings that reinforce Ogbu's work. Researchers found that study participants who began to identify themselves by ethnic categories such as Chicano or Latino had lower grades and higher dropout rates than other participants. Racial identity development.