Sociocultural Factors and School Engagement Among African American Youth: The Roles of Racial Discrimination, Racial Socialization and Ethnic Identity

Overview

Journal Appl Dev Sci

Date 2016 May 3

PMID 27134516

Citations 29

Authors

Aryn M Dotterer

Susan M McHale

Ann C Crouter

Affiliations

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Abstract

This study investigated the links between racial discrimination and school engagement and the roles of racial socialization and ethnic identity as protective factors in those linkages in a sample of 148, 6 through 12 grade African American adolescents from working and middle class two-parent families. In home interviews youth described their ethnic identity, discrimination experiences at school, and school engagement (school bonding, school grades, school self-esteem), and parents rated their racial socialization practices. Analyses revealed that discrimination was negatively related to school self-esteem and school bonding. Racial socialization had additive effects on school self-esteem and school bonding, but did not moderate the discrimination -- school engagement association. For boys, ethnic identity had additive effects on school bonding, but for girls, ethnic identity moderated the relation between discrimination and school bonding: When girls experienced more discrimination and had lower ethnic identity, they reported lower school bonding. Discrimination, racial socialization, and ethnic identity were not related to school grades.

Citing Articles

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