Fitting in matters: markers of in-group belonging and academic outcomes.
Minority boys are at risk of academic disengagement. Prior research documents that an aspect of racial-ethnic identity, in-group connection, can buffer against this risk, but that in-group connection is undermined in high-risk neighborhoods. We examined another way that boys may feel connected to the in-group, by looking like in-group members. We hypothesize that physical markers of in-group membership can serve to improve boys' sense of belongingness, thereby facilitating their engagement in school. We tested our model with low-income, high-risk African American (Study 1, n= 102) and Latino (Study 2, n= 66) teens. Hierarchical regression supported our model; dark skin tone was a protective factor (and light skin tone a risk factor) for African American boys, and feeling that one looks Latino was a protective factor (and feeling that one does not look Latino a risk factor) for Latino boys' grades, in-class behavior, and school engagement. Mediational analyses suggest that markers of belongingness have their impact via peer-group choice.
Oyserman
Daphna
D
Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1248, USA. daphna.oyserman@umich.edu
Brickman
Daniel
D
Bybee
Deborah
D
Celious
Aaron
A
D000293:Adolescent; D044383:Black People / Q000523:psychology*; D002755:Choice Behavior; D004522:Educational Status; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008824:Michigan; D010379:Peer Group; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology; D011610:Psychosocial Deprivation; D012307:Risk Factors; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012880:Skin Pigmentation; D012925:Social Conformity; D012933:Social Identification; D014505:Urban Population; D001741:Black or African American