Peer Group Influences and Ethnic Differences in Academic Achievement

描述(申请人提供)：西班牙裔和亚裔人口预计在2030年前每年增长超过2%(美国人口普查局，2008)。这两个种族的儿童往往来自具有共同集体主义价值观的弱势社会经济背景(Niedzwiecki&Duong，2004)的移民家庭(Portes&Rumaut，1990)(Hofstede，1980；Oyserman，Coon，&Kemmelmeier，2002)。一个不同之处在于，拉美裔学生在学校表现不佳，而亚裔美国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，相比之下，非洲裔美国人、亚裔美国人和欧洲裔美国学生的这一比例分别为9.9%、4.4%和4.8%(NCES，2010)。考虑到学业失败的负面发展后遗症，这些统计数据令人担忧，包括青少年犯罪(Dishion，Patterson，StoolMiller，&Skinner，1991)，药物使用(Crosnoe，2006)，抑郁症(Masten et al.，2005)，失业，以及健康和精神健康问题(Vander Stoep，Weiss，Kuo，Cheney，&Cohen，2003)。失学对社会来说是代价高昂的，因为它与更多地参与犯罪(Davis，Lewin，&Hops，1999；Ronis&Borduin，2007)和对社会服务的需求(Lindbeck，2006；Wright&Campbell，2005)有关。虽然人口因素和家庭社会化做法导致了成绩的种族差异，但它们并不能完全解释这些差异(Fuligni&Huynh，2008；Patterson&F著，2010；Sue&Okazaki，1990)。最近，同龄人群体被研究为对成就的种族差异的潜在影响，因为(1)它是学生成就中的一个重要的社交环境(Veronneau，Vitaro，Pedersen和Tremblay，2008)，(2)随着儿童过渡到青春期，学校态度中出现了种族和性别差异(Taylor&Graham，2007)，与同伴评价的重要性增加(Berndt，1982)相吻合(Berndt，1982)，(3)有证据表明，儿童的学习成绩是否受到同龄人的奖惩因社会文化背景(Nakamoto&Schwartz，2010)和种族/性别群体(Duong&Schwartz，准备阶段)而有所不同。这项拟议的研究将考察与同龄人的社会功能和后来的学习成绩之间的纵向关系，以及这些联系是否因青少年的种族/性别群体、他们朋友的学术价值观以及他们对成就感是否是其种族群体认同感的一部分而有所不同(见Oyserman，Harison，&Bybee，2001)。此外，还将审查性别/族裔群体与学业成绩之间关系的中介因素，包括同龄人群体价值观和内在成就。这些问题将使用学术成功项目(ASP)三年的数据来回答，该项目包括1513名西班牙裔和亚洲学生(6-8年级)。最后，拟议的研究将使用从ASP数据中获得的知识和对现有干预措施的组成部分进行分析，以制定一项全面的干预措施，以提高少数族裔青年的学业成绩，其中包括侧重于改变同伴过程。

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.