Profiles of observed ethnic-racial socialization and links to youth academic engagement and motivation

• In Event: Ethnic Racial Socialization

Abstract

Teaching children about their race, ethnicity, and culture is an essential component of parenting in ethnic minority families, referred to as ethnic-racial socialization (ERS). Black and Latinx caregivers may engage in ERS in preparation for future encounters with racism, potentially attenuating its effects (Hughes et al., 2006). However, approaches to ERS have been found to vary in their ability to promote positive youth outcomes, like academic engagement and motivation (Smalls, 2010). Anderson and Stevenson (2019) identify two notable approaches to ERS: a racial literacy approach socializes practicable and emotional coping skills, while a legacy approach prioritizes naming racism and applies maxims (e.g., “remain respectful”) in lieu of coping advice. The current study sought to examine profiles of observed caregiver ERS in response to an academically based racial dilemma. Informed by past research, differences in profile membership by demographic characteristics were tested (Thornton et al., 1990) and child academic engagement and motivation were examined as outcomes.

Participants were 81 ethnic minority caregivers (45 Black; 36 Latinx) from low-income backgrounds and their children enrolled in a larger longitudinal study in a Southwestern state. In Wave 6, caregivers and their children (Mage= 11.09. SD = .29; 46.3% female) participated in a modified version of the Racial Socialization Observational Task and Coding System (RSOTCS; Smith-Bynum et al. 2016). Dyads discussed their response to a hypothetical scenario in which a school counselor is racially discriminatory towards the child. Caregivers were rated on 12 items (0-very low/ not present to 4-very high). Youth reported on their academic engagement and achievement motivation at Wave 6 (Wang et al., 2013).

A factor mixture analysis, testing five class solutions, was conducted in Mplus 8.1 (Muthén & Muthén, 2017). Fit indices recommended by Nylund et al. (2007) were used to assess model fit and to derive a 4-class solution (see Figure 1). One class presented as Low-engaged (averages less than 2 on all dimensions; n = 21), and another as High-engaged (averages at or above 3 on all but advocacy; n = 11). The second and third classes were similar on many dimensions. However, Class 2 was significantly higher in critical consciousness raising (i.e., scaffolding a broader understanding of racism) and concerns for the child’s emotional wellbeing (Racial literacy approach, n = 21). Contrastingly, respect for authority was more prevalent among participants in Class 3, the Legacy approach (n = 28), than in Class 2. Further, Class 3 was statistically comparable to the Low-engaged group on concerns for the child’s emotional wellbeing.

Results of the tests for demographic differences by ERS profile are displayed in Table 1. Lastly, equality of means across the profiles on child’s academic engagement and achievement motivation were tested using the automatic BCH approach in Mplus (Asparouv & Muthen, 2020). Racial Literacy caregivers had children with significantly higher scores on the Subjective Task Valuing subscale of Academic Motivation than Low-engaged caregivers, χ2(3) = 3.96, p < .05.

The quality of ERS explored in this study can inform a range of practical and policy implications.

Authors

• Kimberly R. Osborne, Arizona State University
  Presenting Author

• Ashley Ann Walsdorf, Alliant International University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Dawn Yvette Brinkley, University of Georgia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Samantha Leigh Redig, University of Texas at Dallas
  Non-Presenting Author

• Margaret O'Brien Caughy, University of Georgia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Margaret Tresch Owen, University of Texas at Dallas
  Non-Presenting Author