STRIVING TO SUCCEED: ETHNIC-RACIAL SOCIALIZATION AS AN ADAPTIVE MECHANISM FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENTS

ABSTRACT

Attending predominantly White institutions have been associated with certain challenges of academic success for African American college students. Although there are challenges, studies indicate that ethnic-racial socialization (ERS) may be an adaptive mechanism for African Americans. The current study investigates how ERS mitigates the effects of racial discrimination on the academic outcomes of 282 African Americans. Memories of school-related discrimination were negatively associated with academic outcomes, however, ERS dimensions were related to better academic outcomes. Certain ERS dimensions mitigate the effects of peer-related discrimination on academic engagement. Implications for utilizing ERS in university settings to enhance academic achievement are discussed.

Keywords:

• Ethnic-racial socialization
• racial discrimination
• African Americans
• academic engagement
• academic self-concept
• college students

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Michigan State University Graduate Research Enhancement Award.