The United States is experiencing a major shift in the population as more students who are considered ethnic minorities enter the school system. These students are at an increased risk for school failure due to language barriers, challenges with experiencing potential discrimination, and debating their identities across two cultural contexts. Although students who are considered ethnic minorities risk many potential stressors, the literature has shown that ethnic identity is a factor that facilitates positive academic adjustment and engagement among this population. Previous literature has also documented mixed findings regarding the relationship between ethnic identity and school outcomes. The current study explored: (a) the associations between ethnic identity, academic efficacy, and achievement goals among early adolescents, (b) to what extent school belonging moderates the association of ethnic identity with academic efficacy and academic achievement goals, and (c) how associations between ethnic identity and outcomes vary by race (Black, Hispanic, Asian, Other, and White students) and gender. The archival dataset analyzed consisted of data collected from 436 participants in the Adolescent Development Longitudinal Study when they were in the spring of their 6th grade year. Findings revealed significant positive relationships between ethnic identity, academic efficacy, and achievement goals with the exception of performance-avoidance goals. School belonging did not moderate these relationships. Further, group differences (gender, race, and school) in the relationships between ethnic identity, academic efficacy, and achievement goals were not detected among the current sample. Implications for educators and researchers are discussed.

Seminar papers.

This volume explores contemporary issues of ethnic, cultural, and national identities and their influence on the social construction of identity. These issues are analyzed from the perspective of seven nations: China, Israel, Japan, South Africa, Ukraine, Wales, and the United States. While different, these perspectives are not mutually exclusive lenses through which to review the discourse between ethnic and educational dynamics. The chapters in this book illustrate how these seven perspectives differ, as well as overlap. *Part I explores ethnicity and race as important variables in explaining minority students' academic performance and schooling in the United States and China. *Part II focuses on ethnic and racial identity issues in Israel, Japan, and South Africa. *Part III addresses ethnic and racial identity as it affects racial integration at different levels of education in post-apartheid South Africa, and the effects on schooling of a rapidly changing ethnic map in the United States. *Part IV focuses on issues of language and national identity in three countries: Ukraine and Wales, where a national language is central to nation-building, and China, where 61 languages are in use and bilingual education is essential in enhancing national literacy and communication. The questions this book addresses are highly significant in today's global economy and culture. Scholars and professionals in the fields of comparative, international, and multicultural education and educational policy will find the volume particularly pertinent.

Presents work of scholars and practitioners who are exploring the interconnections of racial and ethnic identity to human development, for the purpose of promoting successful pedagogical practices and services.

The present study used resilience theory to explore relationships among perceived racial discrimination, ethnic identity, coping efficacy, gender, and various academic outcomes among urban, low-income, Latina/a youth. Although Latina/as are the largest ethnic minority group in the United States, they attain less education than other racial/ethnic groups (Chapman, Laird, Ifill, & Kewei Ramani, 2011). Racial discrimination is one factor that may account for the lower levels of education attained by this group, and research has indicated that racial discrimination is associated with poor educational outcomes among Latina/a adolescents (Alfaro, Umana-Taylor, Gonzales-Backen, Bamaca, & Zeiders, 2009; DeGarmo & Martinez, 2006). Despite exposure to risk factors such as racial discrimination, resilience theory suggests that some adolescents with assets, such as ethnic identity or coping efficacy, can still thrive, or achieve success (Fergus & Zimmerman, 2005). Ethnic identity and coping efficacy are two protective factors that were hypothesized to buffer Latina/a students' academic outcomes from the negative effects of racial discrimination. Some research suggests that these relationships are significant among male participants, but not among female participants (Umana-Taylor, Wong, Gonzales, & Dumka, 2012). The participants in this study were 446 urban, low-income Latina/a high school students from a large, Midwestern city who completed surveys in both 9th-grade and 10th-grade. Structural equation modeling was used to test the relationships among racial discrimination, ethnic identity, coping efficacy, and academic outcomes. Results supported a protective model of resilience. Specifically, ethnic identity and coping efficacy served as protective factors by buffering the negative effects of perceived racial discrimination on some academic outcomes, including GPA, attendance, and extrinsic motivation. This study filled gaps in the literature by examining the relationships among perceived racial discrimination, ethnic identity, coping efficacy and academic outcomes among urban, low-income Latina/a adolescents over time.

This book explores the importance, and construction, of ethnic identity among college students, and how ethnicity interfaces with students’ interactions on campus, and the communities in which they live. Based on qualitative interviews with White, Latina/o, African American and Asian students, it captures both the college context and the individual experiences students have with their ethnicity, through the immediacy of the students’ own voices.The authors observe how students negotiate their ethnic identity within the process of becoming adults. They identify the influences of family, the importance of socio-historical forces that surround students’ educational experiences, and the critical role of peers in students’ ethnic identity development. While research has begun to document the positive outcomes associated with diverse learning environments, this study emphasizes and more closely delineates, just how these outcomes come to be. In addition, the study reveals how the freedom to express and develop ethnic identity, which multicultural environments ideally support, promotes student confidence and achievement in ways which students themselves can articulate. This work is distinctive in eschewing an ethnic minority perspective through which Whites are the primary reference group, and the standard from which all ethnic and racial identity processes evolve; as well as in considering the influences that growing up in a multi-ethnic context may have on ethnic identity processes, particularly where the “other” is not White. This perspective is particularly important at a time when students entering universities are more likely to come from highly segregated high school environments, and will confront ethnic and social differences for the first time in college.This book is intended as a resource for researchers and practitioners in psychology and higher education. It offers insights for student affairs and higher education administrators and leaders about the ways in which their campus policies and practices can positively influence the development of more supportive campus climates that draw on the strengths of each ethnic group to create an overarching pluralistic culture. It can also serve as a cultural diversity text for upper division or graduate courses on pluralism. Moreover, understanding students’ ethnic identity, their personal growth, and adjustment to college, it is central to preparing individuals for life in a pluralistic society.