Breaking Barriers: Peer Racial Socialization and Academic Persistence Among Black College Students

• In Event: Understanding how racially minoritized students navigate college contexts and relationships

Abstract

Racial discrimination is a unique stressor that Black college students must contend with (Peer et al., 2015) and has been associated with detriments developmental outcomes including academic functioning and persistence in college (Her & Thompson, 2022). Burgeoning literature has identified peer racial socialization as integral in coping with racial inequities for college attending emerging adults through validating their experiences, assisting to process racial experiences, understanding the sociopolitical implications of these experiences, and engaging in individual or collective action against racist experiences and oppressive systems (Golden et al., 2021). However, little is known about how peer racial socialization relates to Black college students’ academic resilience in the face of racial inequities. The present study examined how peer racial socialization messages are used to promote academic persistence and self-development for Black college students experiencing racial stressors at a predominately white institution (PWI).

Participants included 20 self-identified Black undergraduate students (ages 18-21) attending a predominantly white institution (PWI) in the southeastern region of the United States total. Fifty percent of the sample population identified as female and 50% as male. Fifteen percent classified as freshmen, 35% as sophomores, 30% as juniors, and 20% as seniors. Forty percent of participants reported attending a predominately white high school, 35% a predominately Black high school, and 25% a racially mixed high school. When asked about the racial composition of their friend groups, 60% of participants reported having a mostly Black friend group, 40% a racially diverse friend group, and no participants reported having a mostly White friend group.

Inductive thematic analysis was conducted and three themes emerged including: (a) supporting professional goals, (b) cultivating and maintaining a professional identity, (c) pushing beyond barriers. Supporting professional goals highlighted the verbal messages and behaviors peers communicate denoting encouragement and support for achieving their goals despite racial barriers and inequities. Cultivating and maintaining a professional identity described the interactions among Black college students and their peers that focused on cultivating or maintaining a professional identity through controlling the image that others had of them. Finally, the pushing beyond barriers theme focused on the importance of peer messages in encouraging Black college students’ academic persistence in the face of racial stressors. See Table 1 for example excerpts. Overall, these findings suggest that Black peers play a crucial role in Black college students’ ability to negotiate the academic landscape as Black students and succeed in the face of racial inequities. Findings from this study have implications for promoting the academic resilience of Black college students who experience racial discrimination and improving educational equity.

Author

• Alexandrea Renee' Golden, University of Memphis
  Presenting Author