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In this study, relationships among stereotype expectations, gender, and academic self-concept and performance of African American students in predominantly White and predominantly Black college contexts were examined. Stereotype expectations are students' perceptions of biased treatment and evaluation within their major classroom settings (SE). Findings indicated that students' majors were related to stereotype expectations, as well as to their academic competence. Our results also provide evidence of gender and institutional interactions in the relationships between stereotype expectations and academic outcomes. Results are discussed in terms of the need to examine issues of race and gender in the academic experiences of African Americans, as well as how their specific school and classroom contexts may influence their experiences.

In this theoretical analysis, we discuss the attributional and enactment approaches to identity and present a new Ethnic-Racial Identity Enactment Model derived from extant theory and research. We highlight modes of identity work that provide 1) self-concept and self-esteem protection; 2) achievement and success during everyday encounters; 3) a sense of belonging and attachment to one's ascriptive group; and 4) the relation between internalized oppression and internalized racism in everyday exchanges. We discuss the integration of self-concept mechanisms with mindsets and intentions specific to ethnic-racial identity dynamics. The article ends by highlighting a research procedure that fuses the attributional and enactment approaches to identity research.

Ethnic minority students’adjustment in majority college environments is related to the characteristics and experiences they bring to college as well as experiences on campus. In the present study, the authors explore the interaction of socioeconomic background and precollege intergroup contact opportunities among African American students (N = 215) at a predominantly White university. The authors also examine relationships among students’ racial identification (racial centrality), perceptions of ethnic fit at college (PEF), and academic adjustment (satisfaction, perceived competence, and performance) for students with differing precollege background profiles. Results indicate differing relationships with PEF across student background as well as differences in the relationships among students’racial centrality, PEF, and their academic adjustment. The findings are discussed in terms of the importance of examining heterogeneity within African Americans and in their subsequent educational experiences.

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