Extensive theoretical and empirical research on the subject of racial/ethnic identity among multiracial (i.e. "mixed race") populations has yielded several models that either explain the development of racial/ethnic identity or present reference group typologies or patterns for multiracial people. Unfortunately, most models have been developed from small samples with particular blended combinations (e.g. Black/White, Japanese/White) and have not been tested on larger, more diverse samples. In other words, the efforts to develop mixed race identity models have not been matched with subsequent efforts to develop racial/ethnic identity scales. The creation and validation of a multiracial identity scale is an important contribution to critical mixed race studies to facilitate systematic findings on identity for multiracial individuals of various combinations.

This dissertation will focus on the initial development of the Multiracial Reference Group Orientation Scale (MRGOS). The MRGOS was originally designed to measure four reference group orientations found in empirical research among multiracial populations: single RGO (orientation toward one parent ethnic group), multigroup RGO (orientation toward multiple parent ethnic groups), mixed race RGO (orientation toward other mixed race people as a group), and postracial RGO (nonidentification with parent ethnic groups and rejection of racial categorization). The MRGOS has been developed using an online survey targeting mixed race undergraduates at several four-year colleges and universities in California. Exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis yielded a six-factor scale. Five of the factors conformed to the RGOs proposed in the model, including two postracial factors, though one non-RGO factor (Exploration) was also extracted from the original list of items. Adequate internal consistency was found for all of the RGO subscales except for the second postracial subscale. Partial support was found for the known groups validity of the mixed race, single, and one of the postracial subscales. Steps for the further development of the scale and the broader implications of the scale for research on race and ethnicity are discussed.