A Latent Class Analysis of Racial Identity and Racial Attitudes: Associations With Racial Climate and Well-Being

• In Event: Roundtable Session 124
  In Roundtable Session: The Continuing Significance of Race in Black Education

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to explore how racial attitudes in African Americans are associated with their perceptions of their school context and their psychological well-being. The racial identity beliefs and ideologies of African American college students were clustered along with racial attitudes. Four clusters emerged: nationalists, positive integrationists, low central integrationists, and alienated. The clusters were compared on perceptions of racial climate and psychological well-being. The integrationist clusters had more positive perceptions of the college campuses, but low central integrationists reported lower well-being than positive integrationists or nationalists. The meaning and significance of race does play a role in how African Americans perceive their college context, so colleges should adjust to tailor messages about diversity to all students.

Author

• Christy M. Byrd, North Carolina State University