Examining relations between Ethnic Identity, U.S. Identity, and Academic Functioning among Asian American, African American, and Latinx Emerging Adults

• In Event: Ethnic Racial Identity

Abstract

Ethnic/racial minority college students often face institutional and structural barriers (e.g., social exclusion, racial discrimination, financial difficulty) that can undermine their academic functioning (Rivas-Drake, 2008). As such, it is important to examine cultural assets that may serve a protective role for their academic outcomes (Neblett, Rivas-Drake, & Umaña-Taylor, 2012). Prior research indicates a generally positive association between ethnic identity (EI) and academic functioning (Rivas-Drake et al., 2014). However, this relation has been found to vary across ethnic/racial groups, and the mechanisms underlying this effect are not well understood. In addition, a sense of belonging with one’s national group has been conceptualized to play an important role in psychosocial functioning (Erikson, 1968; Huddy, 2015). However, less work has examined how ethnic/racial minority youths’ connection with a broader U.S. identity (USI) may contribute to academic functioning (see Meca, 2020). In this way, it is critical to examine the role this aspect of identity may serve in promoting academic outcomes.
Thus, to advance existing literature on identity and academic functioning in diverse youth, this presentation will explore (1) relations between EI, USI, and indicators of academic functioning (i.e., motivation and self-regulation); (2) mean differences in EI and USI based on ethnicity and race; and (3) the role of EI and USI in protecting academic functioning from perceived college stress. Participants included 453 ethnically diverse emerging adults (41%, Asian American, 27% Black/African American, and 32% Hispanic/Latinx) recruited from two large universities located in the mid-Atlantic and Southern California; ages ranged from 18 to 26 (69% female). Participants completed a one-hour online survey on measures of ethnic identity affirmation (i.e., positive feelings about one’s group) and resolution (i.e., clear understanding of group membership) (Umaña-Taylor et al., 2004), a novel measure of U.S. identity affirmation and resolution (Meca et al., 2020), academic motivation (Vallerand et al., 1993), academic self-regulation (Geldhof, Little, & Hawley, 2012), and perceived college stress (Feldt, 2008).
Preliminary analyses indicated that EI affirmation and USI affirmation and resolution related positively, and perceived stress related negatively, with both indicators of academic functioning (Table 1). Additionally, analysis indicated that mean differences in EI and academic functioning by ethnic-racial group, such that EI affirmation and resolution were significantly higher among Hispanic/Latinx and Black/African American participants when compared to Asian participants, and academic self-regulation and extrinsic motivation were higher among Black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx participants when compared to Asian American participants (Table 2). To best understand the processes by which identity may influence academic outcomes, subsequent analyses will examine if ERI and USI moderate the relations between perceived college stress and academic functioning. Our discussion will center on the role of various identity domains and person-level attributes (e.g., perceived stress) for academic functioning among a highly diverse sample of ethnic/racial minority emerging adults.

Authors

• Dulce Wilkinson, University of California - Riverside
  Presenting Author

• Anabelle Maya, University of California - Riverside
  Non-Presenting Author

• Alan Meca, University of Texas at San Antonio
  Non-Presenting Author

• Aerika Brittian Loyd, University of California - Riverside
  Non-Presenting Author