Racial Socialization and the Academic Self-Esteem of African American Adolescents: Racial Private and Public Regard as Mediators?
Abstract
Though studies have indicated that racial socialization is associated with positive academic outcomes, the literature in this area has not yielded a consensus regarding this association. Thus, a better understanding of the mechanisms through which racial socialization operates is needed. With this in mind, the present study examines racial identity as a potential mediator. In particular, this investigation gives specific attention to the mediating roles of racial private and public regard in relationships between racial socialization and academic-specific self-esteem in two models. The sample was comprised of 229 African American adolescents (M =12.4; SD =1.04; 63% female). Findings indicated that private regard partially mediated the relationship between race pride socialization and academic self-esteem. However, public regard did not mediate the relationship between race barrier socialization and academic self-esteem. Overall, these results provide some insight into the mechanisms through which racial socialization messages may influence academic-related outcomes. Potential limitations of these results and future research directions are discussed.