title: Racial identity and academic attainment among African American adolescents.
abstract: In this study, the relationships between racial identity and academic outcomes for African American adolescents were explored. In examining race beliefs, the study differentiated among (a) importance of race (centrality), (b) group affect (private regard), and (c) perceptions of societal beliefs (public regard) among 606 African American 17-year-old adolescents. Using cluster analysis, profiles of racial identity variables were created, and these profile groups were related to educational beliefs, performance, and later attainment (high school completion and college attendance). Results indicated cluster differences across study outcomes. Also, the relationships between academic attitudes and academic attainment differed across groups. Finally, the paper includes a discussion on the need to consider variation in how minority youth think about group membership in better understanding their academic development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. tchavous@umich.edu
authors.forename: Tabbye M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Chavous
authors.forename: Debra Hilkene
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Bernat
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schmeelk-Cone
authors.forename: Cleopatra H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Caldwell
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kohn-Wood
authors.forename: Marc A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004522:Educational Status; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D012649:Self Concept