Racial-Ethnic Socialization and Achievement: The Mediating Role of Academic Engagement

This brief report examined how racial socialization is directly and indirectly related to academic achievement for African Americans attending a predominantly White institution. We expected that students who received more racial socialization would exhibit better academic engagement and this, in turn, would help explain their academic achievement. The sample included 226 African American college students (76% female) between the ages of 18 and 22 years (Mage = 20.05) who were recruited from the subject pool of the university’s psychology department and through general advertising across the university’s campus. Students participated by completing an online survey. Path analyses indicate that racial socialization messages about cultural pride (i.e., cultural socialization) were associated with academic achievement directly and indirectly through students’ engagement with school. However, racial socialization messages about future barriers were directly associated with academic achievement but not mediated by school engagement. Implications for studying academic engagement and racial socialization in African American college students’ academic achievement are discussed.