Academic Identity: A Longitudinal Investigation of African American Adolescents' Cademic Persistence

Overview

Journal J Black Psychol

Date 2023 Nov 27

PMID 38009097

Authors

Sheretta T Butler-Barnes

Fatima Varner

Amber Williams

Robert Sellers

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Adolescence is a vulnerable period for the development of academic identification and academic persistence, particularly among African American adolescents. The present study investigated how cultural assets (i.e., private regard and racial centrality) and academic assets (i.e., academic curiosity and academic self-esteem) influence African American adolescent boys' ( = 109) and girls' ( = 153) academic persistence over time. Additionally, we explored whether oppositional academic identity mediated the relationships between academic and cultural assets and academic persistence. Data were drawn from a cross-sectional longitudinal study. Results indicated significant direct effects of academic assets on academic persistence at Times 1 and 2 for boys and at Times 1, 2, and 3 for girls. Furthermore, oppositional academic identity mediated the relationship between boys', but not girls', cultural assets and academic persistence at Time 1. These findings have implications for understanding the role of assets in the lives of African American youth.

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