STUDENT AND SCHOOL PREDICTORS OF PERCEIVED DISCRIMINATION

Abstract

Perceptions of discrimination have been linked to a variety of negative academic and social outcomes for adolescents. Relatively few studies have investigated school characteristics that may serve as antecedents of perceived discrimination toward Black students. Even less is known about how individual differences may interact with school characteristics to influence Black students’ perceptions of discrimination. The current study examined the role of individual student and school variables as predictors of Black middle school students’ perceived discrimination experiences, defined as racial hassles. The moderating role of racial identity processes was also examined. Analyses for the current study focused on 135 Black adolescents, who were recruited for the Temple University Adolescent Cognition and Emotion (ACE) Project at approximately 12 years of age, and for whom school-level data were available. Correlational and linear regression analyses indicated that school characteristics were unrelated to perceptions of discrimination. Racial identity processes did not moderate the relationship between school racial composition and perceived discrimination. Male and female students reported no differences in either perceived discrimination or reported bothersomeness. Most participants, regardless of school context, reported some discrimination. In conclusion, this study suggests that Black early adolescents perceived racial discrimination irrespective of school racial composition, school quality, and school size. Directions for future research are discussed.