Perceived Ethnic Discrimination by Teachers and Ethnic Minority Students’ Academic Futility: Can Parents Prepare Their Youth for Better or for Worse?

Abstract

This study focuses on the interplay of perceived ethnic discrimination by teachers, parents' ethnic socialization practices, and ethnic minority students' sense of academic futility. Since discrimination creates barriers beyond control of the individual, the first research goal is to examine the association of perceived ethnic discrimination by teachers with ethnic minority students' sense of academic futility. The second research goal is to focus on the role of perceived parental ethnic socialization (e.g., cultural socialization and preparation for bias) to get a better understanding of the interaction between family level factors and the potentially negative consequences of ethnic teacher discrimination. A multilevel analysis on 1181 ethnic minority students (50.6 % girls; mean age = 15.5), originating from migration, in 53 secondary schools in Flanders (Belgium) shows that the frequent perception of ethnic discrimination by teachers is associated with stronger feelings of academic futility, and if these students also received high levels of parents' ethnic socialization, they perceive even stronger feelings of futility. The group of ethnic minority students, who perceive frequent ethnic teacher discrimination, is a group at risk, and parents' ethnic socialization does not seem able to change this.

Ethnic–Racial Socialization in the Family: A Decade's Advance on Precursors and Outcomes

“…In terms of risk, some studies found that preparation for bias directly predicted greater maladjustment such as higher depressive symptoms (e.g., Liu & Lau, ; Nelson et al, ), whereas other studies found that it exacerbated the negative effect of stressors on adjustment (e.g., Banerjee, Rowley, & Johnson, ; Dotterer & James, ). In contrast, other studies found preparation for bias to be promotive for youth either because it was directly associated with indicators of positive youth outcomes (e.g., D'hondt, Eccles, Van Houtte, & Stevens, ; Joseph & Hunter, ; Sanchez, Smith, & Adams, ), it reduced the negative effects of risk on youth adjustment (e.g., Schires et al, ), or it enhanced the positive effects of other promotive factors on youth adjustment (e.g., Tran & Lee, ).…”

Family Socialization for Racism and Heterosexism: Experiences of Latinx Sexual Minority Adolescents and Young Adults

“…In addition, the interactions between ethnic minority stress and preparation for bias related to ethnicity were not significant. The research evidence linking preparation for bias with well-being has been conducted primarily with African American youth, and the findings are mixed when other racial–ethnic groups are analyzed (e.g., D’hondt et al, 2016; Harris-Britt et al, 2007; Hughes, 2003; Hughes et al, 2006; Neblett et al, 2012). Further research is needed to examine under what circumstances preparation for bias may be promotive of well-being among Latinx young people.…”

“…However, future research is needed to understand more clearly how parents and young people engage in these interactions and how they experience these processes. Furthermore, in our sample of Latinx sexual minority youth, we add to the diversity of findings related to whether preparation for bias among Latinx populations is promotive, protective, or risk-enhancing (e.g., D’hondt et al, 2016; Harris-Britt et al, 2007; Hughes, 2003; Hughes et al, 2006; Neblett et al, 2012). In this study, preparation for ethnicity-related bias was not associated with well-being.…”

“…Among young people of color, family ethnic–racial socialization practices focused on preparing their children for ethnic–racial bias are generally found to be protective against negative outcomes (D’hondt, Eccles, Van Houtte, & Stevens, 2016; Harris-Britt, Valrie, Kurtz-Costes, & Rowley, 2007; Hughes, 2003; Neblett et al, 2012). It is important to note, however, that under some circumstances, higher reported frequency of preparation for bias has been associated with negative mental health and academic outcomes (Hughes et al, 2006; Neblett et al, 2012).…”

The role of social and psychological resources in children's perception of their participation rights

“…Children who feel discriminated against are less likely to participate in social life (e.g., Jaffé, Moody, Piguet, & Zermatten, 2012;Spears Brown & Bigler, 2005). In other words, where the right to nondiscrimination is violated, children will likely refrain from participating actively, owing to mental health concerns and behavioural problems, including increased levels of anxiety, lower self-esteem, psychological distress, conduct problems, as well as the deployment of avoidance strategies (Brody et al, 2006;D'hondt, Eccles, Houtte, & Stevens, 2016;Fisher, Wallace, & Fenton, 2000;Pascoe & Smart Richman, 2009;Simons et al, 2002). Thus, perceived discrimination may decrease both children's social participation and the extent to which they consider their participation rights as realised in a particular social domain.…”