Collaborative Research: Gender, Race, and Identity Development in Black Youth

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AbstractThis collaborative project aims to study the effects of personal and group identity variables on STEM educational outcomes. Longitudinal data will be collected and analyzed on a number of self and other motivational variables to understand how these personal and social factors are likely to determine the educational trajectories and decisions of African-American youth. Little research, though, has addressed developmental changes in stereotype awareness and endorsement, or ramifications of stereotypes and discrimination for identity development and achievement striving in Black adolescents. The proposed study will model the relationship of two salient group memberships, race and gender, with achievement outcomes for Black youth. Prior research has underscored the need to attend to race and gender simultaneously, as well as the importance of evaluating motivational and achievement outcomes within academic domains (e.g., English and science). The proposed study is an extension and expansion of a previous NSF-funded longitudinal study of African American youth. The goal of this follow-up study is to concentrate more explicitly on the simultaneous effects of race-related and gender-related experiences and beliefs and on investigating how these experiences play out across different course content domains (e.g., English, science, and mathematics). Using survey and qualitative methods, the study will describe normative development in self-concept, stereotypes, motivation, and parenting from fifth through twelfth grade. Another important goal of the project is to determine whether the advantages gained by girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) areas are maintained as they prepare to move through more advanced coursework and college applications, and what personal, family, and school context factors predict STEM interest and success for both genders. The proposed outcomes will aid in the understanding of how self-concept and other self variables impacts motivation as a predictor for success in STEM disciplines which may in turn broaden participation of under represented groups.