Racial Identity Attitudes, Self-Esteem, and Academic Achievement among African American Adolescents

The purpose of the present study was to explore the extent to which racial identity attitudes and self-esteem could predict academic performance for African American middle school students. A total of 175 African American adolescents in 7th grade attending one of two urban schools participated in the study. The Multi-Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) were used to measure children's feelings toward themselves and their group. Cumulative grade point average (gpa) was used to measure academic achievement. The findings partially supported the hypothesis that racial identity and self-esteem are predictors of academic performance. Self-esteem and racial affiliation were significant predictors of academic achievement, but not the racial identity search component of the MEIM. The results revealed self-esteem to be less predictive of academic achievement than racial affiliation. The second part of the study was to examine the effects of racial identity and self-esteem on African American adolescents' academic performance. The hypothesis was supported. Students who exhibited high levels of self-esteem and racial identity performed better academically than students who showed low levels of self-esteem and racial identity. (Contains 7 tables.)