Black/White Differences in School Performance
The Oppositional Culture Explanation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2297601 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Douglas B Downey (0000-0002-5028-473X, Department of Sociology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210;) |
| Year | 2008 |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 107-126 |
| Publication date | 2008-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Annual Review of Sociology (BOOK_SERIES) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0360-0572 • E-ISSN: 1545-2115 |
| Publisher | Annual Reviews (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1146/annurev.soc.34.040507.134635 |
| OpenAlex | W2151862831 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 61 |
| References cited | 35 |
The late anthropologist, John Ogbu, developed one of the most theoretically provocative explanations for racial/ethnic differences in school performance: oppositional culture theory. Rather than view racial/ethnic gaps as a product of structural disadvantage alone, the theory emphasizes minority groups' agency and the way in which they contribute to their own demise by developing a culture in opposition to schooling. This review focuses on the theory's merits for understanding the black/white gap in the United States
Agency (philosophy · Criminology · Demise · Disadvantage · Ethnic group · Opposition (politics · Political science · Politics · Racial differences · Social science · Sociology · White (mutation · Anthropology · Critical Race Theory in Education · Early Childhood Education and Development · School Choice and Performance · Gender Studies · Law
Culture of Poverty, Beyond the
Race and Academic Motivation
Teacher-students Interaction and Students’ Academic Achievement
Why are some racial disparities harder to interpret than others
Positivity amid unfulfilled aspirations
Educational inequality as a consequence and cause of race
Racial Inequalities in Access to Higher Education in Brazil Between 1992 and 2023
The thermostat of opportunity
Racial Segregation and the Black/White Achievement Gap, 1992 to 2009
The Complexity of Non-Completion
The Demographics of School District Secession
Racial and Ethnic Differences in Consumers’ Economic Expectations
STEM Immigration and U.S. STEM Workforce Development at the Intersections of Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Immigration Status
Educational Expectations among Immigrant Youth
Discrimination and academic (dis)engagement of ethnic-racial minority students
General and work-based extrinsic educational beliefs across time
Sociodemographic risk, parenting, and executive functions in early childhood
Higher education expansion and the rural–urban gap in secondary schooling and labor outcomes
Peers that count
Reasons for the underachievement and school drop out of Spanish Romani adolescents. A mixed methods participatory study
Anti-school attitudes, school culture and friendship networks
The Black Gender Gap in Educational Attainment
Stereotype threat and college academic performance
A New Look at the Black Middle Class
I can’t do this right now”
A Multilevel Examination of Neighborhood Social Processes and College Enrollment
Black-White Disparities in Test Scores
Minority Students’ Responses to Racism
The Net Black Advantage in Educational Transitions
Are there differences in ethnic majority and minority adolescents' friendships preferences and social influence with regard to their academic achievement
The Political Socialization of Adolescents in Canada
"Praying "Straight from the Heart
Immigrant status and the social returns to academic achievement in adolescence
Unequal Returns to Children's Efforts
Higher Education Expansion and Social Stratification in China
What's Oppositional Culture Got to Do with It? Moving beyond the Strong Version of the Acting White Hypothesis
Shifting Tides
Is the Sky Really the Limit? Exploring the Attitude-Achievement Paradox in the Belgian Context
All Talk and No Action? Racial Differences in College Behaviors and Attendance
Is There an Oppositional Culture Among Immigrant Adolescents in the Netherlands
Getting Ahead in Singapore
Kindergarten Black-White Test Score Gaps
Threat in Context
Black and Hispanic Immigrants' Resilience against Negative-ability Racial Stereotypes at Selective Colleges and Universities in the United States
Rethinking the Cultural Context of Schooling Decisions in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods
Racial-Ethnic Differences at the Intersection of Math Course-taking and Achievement
The attitude-achievement paradox in Belgium
The 'Burden' of Oppositional Culture Among Black Youth in America
STEM Education
Critical Race Theories, Colorism, and the Decade's Research on Families of Color
School Gardens in the City
We Don't All Look Alike
The stratification of college-going Latinos' postsecondary destinations
Math-oriented fields of study and the race gap in graduation likelihoods at elite colleges
Selling students short
Different preferences or different opportunities? Explaining race differentials in the academic achievement of friends
Does a Self-Affirmation Intervention Reduce Stereotype Threat in Black and Hispanic High Schools
Distribution, Composition and Exclusion
Do Expectations Make the Difference? A Look at the Effect of Educational Expectations and Academic Performance on Enrollment in Post-Secondary Education
Race to College
School beyond stratification
Black American Students in An Affluent Suburb
Racial Stratification and Education in the United States
The Psychology of Self-Affirmation
Ways with Words
The Myths Of Oppositional Culture
Weighing the ?burden of ?acting white
Relying on Surveys to Understand Abortion Behavior
Why are residential and school moves associated with poor school performance
Underreporting of abortion in surveys of U.S. women
Black students' school success
Dispositions toward (Collective) Struggle and Educational Resilience in the Inner City
Schooling Behaviors or Prior Skills? A Cautionary Tale of Omitted Variable Bias Within Oppositional Culture Theory
Variability in Minority School Performance
Diminished Lifetime Substance Use Over Time
The Black-White Test Score Gap
Collective Identity and the Burden of "Acting White" in Black History, Community, and Education
Culture in Action
Assessing the Oppositional Culture Explanation for Racial/Ethnic Differences in School Performance
"It's Not "a Black Thing
Black American Students in an Affluent Suburb
Does Oppositional Culture Exist in Minority and Poverty Peer Groups
The Search for Oppositional Culture among Black Students
When Work Disappears
I (Don't) Hate School
Weighing In
The Attitude-Achievement Paradox Among Black Adolescents
Why Does Jane Read and Write so Well? The Anomaly of Women's Achievement
Notes from the Back of the Room
Reexamining Resistance as Oppositional Behavior
Black-White Differences in Achievement
Reassessing the 'Burden of 'Acting White
When Race Matters
Beyond the Laboratory
Stereotype Threat and Academic Performance
| Unique citing works | 61 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3,59 |
| Citation span | 2009 - 2026 (18) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 61 |