Peer Group Influences and Ethnic Differences in Academic Achievement

描述（由申请人提供）：西班牙裔和亚裔人口预计将以每年2%以上的速度增长，直到2030年（美国人口普查局，2008年）。这两个种族群体的儿童往往来自社会经济背景不利的移民家庭（Portes & Rumbaut，1990）（Niedzwiecki & Duong，2004），他们分享集体主义价值观（霍夫施泰德，1980; Oyserman，Coon，& Kemmelmeier，2002）。一个不同之处是，西班牙裔学生在学校表现不佳，而亚裔学生在学业上表现良好。2008年，18.3%的西班牙裔青少年高中辍学，而非洲裔美国人为9.9%，亚裔美国人为4.4%，欧裔美国人为4.8%（NCES，2010年）。考虑到学业失败的负面发展后遗症，这些统计数据令人震惊，包括犯罪（Dishion，Patterson，Stoolmiller和Skinner，1991），物质使用（Crosnoe，2006），抑郁症（Masten等人，2005），失业，健康和心理健康问题（Vander Stoep，韦斯，郭，切尼，&科恩，2003）。学业失败对社会来说代价高昂，因为它与犯罪的增加有关（Davis，Lewin，& Hops，1999; Ronis & Borduin，2007）和对社会服务的需求（Lindbeck，2006; Wright &坎贝尔，2005）。虽然人口因素和家庭社会化实践有助于成就的种族差异，但它们并不能完全解释它们（Fuligni & Huynh，2008; Patterson & Fangzhou，2010; Sue & Okazaki，1990）。同伴群体作为一种潜在的影响因素，近年来被研究，因为（1）它是学生成就的一个重要的社会化背景（Veronneau，Vitaro，Pedersen和Tremblay，2008年），（2）随着儿童向青春期过渡，学校态度中的种族和性别差异逐渐显现（泰勒和格雷厄姆，2007年），恰逢同行评价的重要性增加（Berndt，1982），（3）有证据表明，孩子的学习成绩是否受到同龄人的奖励或惩罚因社会文化背景而异（Nakamoto & Schwartz，2010）和种族/性别群体（Duong & Schwartz，编写中）。拟议的研究将检查与同龄人的社会功能和后来的学术成果之间的纵向关系，以及这些联系是否因青少年的种族/性别群体而异，他们的朋友的学术价值观，以及他们对成就是否是其种族群体身份的一部分的感觉（称为“嵌入式成就”，见Oyserman，哈里森和Bybee，2001）。此外，调解人之间的关联性别/种族群体和学业成绩将进行检查，包括同龄人群体的价值观和嵌入式成就。这些问题将使用学术成功项目（ASP）的3年数据来回答，其中包括1513名西班牙裔和亚洲学生（6-8年级）。最后，拟议的研究将利用从ASP数据和现有干预措施的组成部分分析获得的知识，为制定综合干预措施提供信息，以提高少数民族青年的学业成绩，其中包括重点转移同龄人的过程。 公共卫生相关性：尽管几十年的经验和政治关注，种族差异在学术成就仍然很大。考虑到学业失败的负面发展后遗症，这些成就差距令人震惊，其中包括犯罪（Dishion，Patterson，Stoolmiller和Skinner，1991），物质使用（Crosnoe，2006）和抑郁症（Masten等人，2005），失业，养育困难，健康和心理健康问题（Vander Stoep，韦斯，郭，切尼，科恩，2003）。学业失败对社会来说也是代价高昂的，因为它与犯罪的增加有关（Davis，Lewin，& Hops，1999; Ronis & Borduin，2007; Mahoney & Lord，2007）和对社会服务的需求（Lindbeck，2006; Liu & Reingold，2009; Wright &坎贝尔，2005; Zhang &米勒，2009）。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Hispanic and Asian populations are expected to grow by more than 2% every year until 2030 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2008). Children of both racial groups tend come from immigrant families (Portes & Rumbaut, 1990) of disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds (Niedzwiecki & Duong, 2004) that share collectivistic values (Hofstede, 1980; Oyserman, Coon, & Kemmelmeier, 2002). One difference is that Hispanic students have been shown to struggle in school while Asian American children perform well academically. In 2008, 18.3% of Hispanic adolescents were high school dropouts, compared to 9.9% of African American, 4.4% of Asian American, and 4.8% of European American students (NCES, 2010). These statistics are alarming given the negative developmental sequelae of academic failure, including delinquency (Dishion, Patterson, Stoolmiller, & Skinner, 1991), substance use (Crosnoe, 2006), depression (Masten et al., 2005), unemployment, and health and mental health problems (Vander Stoep, Weiss, Kuo, Cheney, & Cohen, 2003). School failure is costly to society, as it is linked with increased involvement in crime (Davis, Lewin, & Hops, 1999; Ronis & Borduin, 2007) and need for social services (Lindbeck, 2006; Wright & Campbell, 2005). While demographic factors and family socialization practices contribute to ethnic differences in achievement, they do not entirely explain them (Fuligni & Huynh, 2008; Patterson & Fangzhou, 2010; Sue & Okazaki, 1990). The peer group has more recently been investigated as a potential influence in ethnic differences in achievement because (1) it is an important socializing context in students' achievement (Veronneau, Vitaro, Pedersen, & Tremblay, 2008), (2) ethnic and gender differences in school attitudes emerge as children transition to adolescence (Taylor & Graham, 2007), coinciding with an increase in importance of peer appraisal (Berndt, 1982), (3) there is evidence that whether children's academic performance is rewarded or punished by peers varies by sociocultural context (Nakamoto & Schwartz, 2010) and ethnic/gender group (Duong & Schwartz, in preparation). The proposed research will examine longitudinal relations between social functioning with peers and later academic outcomes and whether these links vary by adolescent's ethnic/gender group, the academic values of their friends, and their sense of whether achievement is part of their ethnic group's identity (called 'embedded achievement,' see Oyserman, Harrison, & Bybee, 2001). In addition, mediators of the association between gender/ethnic group and academic achievement will be examined, including peer group values and embedded achievement. These questions will be answered using 3 years of data from the Academic Success Project (ASP), which includes 1513 Hispanic and Asian students (Grades 6-8). Finally, the proposed research will use knowledge gained from ASP data and a components analysis of existing interventions to inform the development of a comprehensive intervention to increase academic achievement among ethnic minority youth that includes a focus on shifting peer processes. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Despite decades of empirical and political attention, ethnic differences in academic achievement remain wide. These achievement gaps are alarming given the negative developmental sequelae of academic failure, which includes delinquency (Dishion, Patterson, Stoolmiller, & Skinner, 1991), substance use (Crosnoe, 2006), and depression (Masten et al., 2005), unemployment, parenting difficulties, and health and mental health problems (Vander Stoep, Weiss, Kuo, Cheney, & Cohen, 2003). School failure is also costly to society, as it is linked with increased involvement in crime (Davis, Lewin, & Hops, 1999; Ronis & Borduin, 2007; Mahoney & Lord, 2007) and need for social services (Lindbeck, 2006; Liu & Reingold, 2009; Wright & Campbell, 2005; Zhang & Miller, 2009).