The Influence of Racism-Related Stress on the Academic Motivation of Black and Latino/a Students

Abstract

This study examined the effects of racism-related stress on the academic and psychological factors affecting the success of 151 Black and Latino/a college students enrolled at several predominantly White universities in the northeastern United States. Institutional racism-related stress was negatively correlated with extrinsic motivation but positively correlated with intrinsic motivation. Findings also indicated that some racial differences were found between the level of amotivation that Black and Latino/a college students who report high levels of institutional racism-related stress experience. Implications of these results for research and practice within student affairs are explored.

The Shaping of Postcollege Colorblind Orientation Among Whites: Residential Segregation and Campus Diversity Experiences

“…In contrast, however, Lewis et al (2000) suggest that students of color suffer within these interracial interactions due to the colorblind perspectives of their white peers. Their findings are corroborated by extensive research documenting racial microaggressions, which are subtle, seemingly innocuous verbal and nonverbal insults directed at people of color that are accumulatively harmful over time (see e.g., Harwood, Huntt, Mendenhall, & Lewis, 2012;Reynolds, Sneva, & Beehler, 2010;Sue et al, 2009). This contrasting body of research sheds light on how whites' colorblind frames contribute to the alienation of students of color.…”

Mexican and Mexican American Student Reflections on Transfer: Institutional Agents and the Continued Role of the Community College

“…Critical research shows that Latinx transfer students can face disproportionate bias in the vertical transfer process, preventing full participation in college life and ultimately, completion. Such challenges include-but are not limited to-incidents of racism and systemic racism (Castro & Cortez, 2017;Franklin, Smith, & Hung, 2014;Reynolds, Sneva, & Beehler, 2010), language discrimination and perceptions of limited English language proficiency (Alexander, Garcia, Gonzalez, Grimes, & O' Brien, 2007), and potential anxiety and fear related to documentation status (Huber & Malagon, 2007;Stebleton & Aleixo, 2015). …”

Developing Socially Just Practices and Policies in Assessment

“…Some students internalize negative messages and encounters which can undermine their academic performance (Strayhorn, ). Institutional racism can cause additional stress for Black and Latino/a students, leading to a lack of academic motivation and decreased likelihood of persistence to degree attainment (Reynolds, Sneva, & Beehler, ).…”