Natural Mentors, Racial Pride, and Academic Engagement Among Black Adolescents

Resilience in the Context of Perceived Discrimination

Bibliographic Data

ID8097529
AuthorsAudrey Wittrup (University of Virginia, corresponding author), Audrey R Wittrup (University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA), Saida B Hussain (0000-0002-0193-0731, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA), Jamie N Albright (0000-0002-3733-5387, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA), Noelle M Hurd (0000-0002-2417-5038, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA), Fatima Varner (0000-0002-3737-6111, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA), Jacqueline S Mattis (0000-0002-6714-9163, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA)
Year2016
Volume51
Issue4
Pages463-483
Publication date2016-11-26
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueYouth & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0044-118X • E-ISSN: 1552-8499
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0044118x16680546
PMID38239814
OpenAlexW2553049039
LanguageEN
Citations received24
References cited57

The current study examined the potential of relational closeness in the natural mentoring relationships (NMRs) of Black students to counter and protect against the noxious effects of school-based discrimination on academic engagement. The study sample included 663 Black students between the ages of 12 and 19 ( M = 14.96 years, SD = 1.81 years), all reporting a natural mentor. Approximately half of participants were female (53%). Participants were recruited from three different school districts in a Midwestern metropolitan area. Findings indicated that perceived school-based discrimination was negatively associated with academic engagement. Relational closeness in NMRs countered, but did not protect against, the negative effects of perceived school-based discrimination on students' academic engagement. Additional analyses indicated that one mechanism through which relational closeness in NMRs may promote greater academic engagement among Black students is via increased racial pride. Results highlight the potential of NMRs to counter messages of inferiority communicated through discriminatory experiences in the school. Fostering relational closeness between Black students and supportive non-parental adults in their lives may be an effective strategy to boost academic achievement among Black youth experiencing discrimination in the school environment. In addition to fostering stronger bonds with natural mentors, strategic efforts to reduce school-based discrimination are needed to truly bolster the academic success of Black youth

Academic achievement · Closeness · Developmental psychology · Metropolitan area · Pedagogy · Political science · Pride · Student engagement · Early Childhood Education and Development · Medicine · Parental Involvement in Education · Psychology · Racial and Ethnic Identity Research · Social Psychology

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