What’s Race Got to Do With It? Racial Identity and Academic Achievement

• In Event: Creating an Environment for High-Achieving African American Students

Abstract

This study seeks to understand differences in racial identity components of centrality, private regard, and public regard of students in different school populations. Academic achievement and motivation are the outcome variables. Perceived teacher support is a dependent variable that is used with the racial identity components. Using a correlational design to create multiple linear models main effects and interactions were explored among the variables to for 11th and 12th grade African American students. Significant differences were found for both within and between groups. Some of the differences were found for students with varying levels of racial centrality and private regard. Other between group differences were found in the levels of public regard and their relationships with perceptions of teacher support.

Author

• Antonia Szymanski, Indiana University - Northwest