title: Sociocultural Factors and School Engagement among African American Youth: The Roles of Racial Discrimination, Racial Socialization and Ethnic Identity.
abstract: This study investigated the links between racial discrimination and school engagement and the roles of racial socialization and ethnic identity as protective factors in those linkages in a sample of 148, 6ththrough 12thgrade African American adolescents from working and middle class two-parent families. In home interviews youth described their ethnic identity, discrimination experiences at school, and school engagement (school bonding, school grades, school self-esteem), and parents rated their racial socialization practices. Analyses revealed that discrimination was negatively related to school self-esteem and school bonding. Racial socialization had additive effects on school self-esteem and school bonding, but did not moderate the discrimination -- school engagement association. For boys, ethnic identity had additive effects on school bonding, but for girls, ethnic identity moderated the relation between discrimination and school bonding: When girls experienced more discrimination and had lower ethnic identity, they reported lower school bonding. Discrimination, racial socialization, and ethnic identity were not related to school grades.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.
authors.forename: Aryn M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Dotterer
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: McHale
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Ann C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Crouter