The Effects of a School’s Ethnic-Racial Composition on Black Girl’s Academic Engagement and Academic Motivation

• In Event: Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: PS 13 Topic - Education, Schooling

Abstract

Research has shown that gender gaps are consistent in academic achievement, yet they differ depending on academic domain as girls outperform boys in literacy and boys outperform girls in mathematics as early as Kindergarten (Robinson & Libeienski, 2011). Race-ethnic differences in academic achievement are larger than gender differences due to social and structural inequalities which disproportionately affect Black students (Burchinal et al., 2011). When comparing the academic achievement of Black girls and boys, both experience their own set of challenges. However, Black girls’ experiences of benign neglect and lack of cultural synchrony in relation to their achievement outcomes require a closer look (Crenshaw et al., 2015; Rollock, 2007). In the context of Black girls’ academic achievement, Black girls’ intersectional identities cause them to experience interactions with their teachers and peers at school much differently than White girls. Research has shown when Black girls feel support from teachers, a sense of belonging, racial harmony, and increased cultural sensitivity in the classroom, their academic achievement improves (Butler-Barnes et al., 2018, Nyache, 2016). However, there is a lack of research on how school characteristics are associated with differences in academic engagement and achievement among Black girls. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to better understand how a school’s ethnic-racial makeup can impact Black girls’ academic achievement and engagement.

We predict that attending a school with a higher proportion of Black students will be associated with more academic engagement among Black girls. Further, we hypothesize that higher levels of academic engagement will mediate the relation between school ethnic composition and academic achievement of Black girls.

The families in this study are part of a longitudinal research project that began in 2010 with Black and Latinx parent/child dyads. Data for these specific analyses were collected during Wave 5. Three of the target children were later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder so will be removed from analyses. A total of 183 Black families participated during Wave 5, when target children were in the fourth grade. Bivariate correlations are displayed in Table 1. Achievement Motivation and Academic Engagement were assessed based on child-report using scales developed by Eccles et al. (1993). The Achievement Motivation scale has two subscales, Academic Self-Concept and Subjective Task Valuing of School Learning. While, the Academic Engagement scale as three subscales, Behavioral, Emotional, and Cognitive. Academic achievement was assessed using three subscales of the Woodcock-Johnson Revised assessment, Applied Problems, Letter-Word Identification, and Word Attack. The latter two scales were composited to create a measure of reading achievement. School ethnic composition and school quality (a covariate) were derived from a secondary database for schools in the state. Family income-to-needs ratio was also used as a covariate.

Bivariate correlations for academic engagement and academic motivation revealed that Black girls’ Academic Engagement Cognitive subscale at W5 and Academic Motivation Self-Concept subscale at W5 was positively correlated to the percentage of the school’s ethnic-racial makeup being Black. However, there was no correlation found for Black boys’ Academic Engagement or Motivation with the school’s ethnic racial makeup.

Authors

• LaRen Morton, University of Georgia
  Presenting Author

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