Perceptions of Racial Fairness, Racial Identity, and School Engagement Among Black Adolescent Girls and Boys

• In Event: 45.080 - Measures of Black Learners: Success, Hope, Critical Consciousness, Racial Fairness, and Civic Achievement

Abstract

Theory suggests that school racial climate (SRC) may be important for shaping Black youths’ racial identity and engagement in school. The purpose of this investigation is to explore the potential mediating role of racial identity in associations between one dimension of SRC (racial fairness and equity) and school engagement, and to examine these associations separately for girls and boys, in a sample of 151 Black high schoolers. Indirect effects of racial fairness and equity on behavioral and cognitive engagement were found for boys whereas no evidence of indirect effects for girls was found. Overall, this investigation advances understanding of how SRC might inform Black girls’ and boys’ racial identity development and school engagement. Implications for educators are discussed.

Author

• Charity Brown Griffin, Winston-Salem State University