In the article “Ethnic Identity, GPA and Devaluating Academic Success as Predictors of Academic Self-Concept in African-American Adolescents in Urban High Schools” by Kevin Cokley et al. Cokley proposes that it is not the type of schooling or the school environment that has a negative effect on the academic success of African Americans but rather the way that a students self-concept is shaped. His study shows that a high GPA is related to academic self-concept and that the students academic self-concept is dependent on ethnic identity and the absence of the devaluation of academic success.
The concept of how African American students can achieve success is still relevant today because even though segregation isn’t legal in schools any more, it still happens very often which can have a negative effect on the academic success of African American students. Because of the income levels of many African Americans who get treated with bias in the work place or who have dealt with these same academic discriminations, African Americans frequently find themselves in school districts that are poorly funded and primarily African American. Other African Americans may find themselves in better funded primarily Caucasian schools but as our textbook points out in chapter 6 (Belgrave, 2009, pg 172-176) these schools stay primarily white because if too many African Americans entered into the schools system, the Caucasian students would gradually pull away from the school and into new schools. This would leave this school to turn into a poorly funded and primarily African American school as mentioned in the start of this paragraph. Both of these school set ups can negatively impact an African American students academic self-concept.
Academic self-concept is defined by Cokley as how the student feels about his academic abilities in comparison to those of his peers. From this the inference then can be made that the type of schooling and the school environment does matter in the achievement of academic success since these help to dictate the type of peers that will be around African American students. Schools that have a large Caucasian student body can negatively affect African American student’s academic self-concept since years of oppression and bias have told African American students that they aren’t as good as their Caucasian peers. Like-wise, schools that have a high population of Caucasian students and very few African American students will help to perpetuate this stereotyped bias since there will be a very week fostering of ethnic identity in this academic environment. Lastly, African American students that attend very well funded Caucasian schools will face both of these problems, a week environment for fostering ethnic identity (since these schools typically have low African American student bodies) and also feelings of low academic self-concept when comparing themselves to Caucasian students who are considered at the top of their game (this can also lead to the perpetuation of feelings of inferiority).
Dominate African American school environments can also negatively affect an African American students academic self-concept. Schools that have a high concentration of African Americans and very low funding will often have peers that place little value on academic success since their school environment is designed in a way to communicate to them that nobody else cares about their academic success. Cokley refers to this as devaluating academic success and his study found it to have a negative impact on African American student’s GPA and academic success. Although these schools are more likely to have an environment that fosters ethnic identity, the low quality of the school environments rarely coincides with positive feelings of ethnic identity.
Cokley suggests that in order to help African American students develop a strong academic self-concept schools need to put a positive emphasis on academic success and allow an environment that fosters ethnic identity. Although this would be a step in the right direction, the problem goes beyond this to even the type of schooling offered. The article “From Child to Adult” (Fortes, 1970) shows that traditional learning in Africa is a group based approach that uses observational learning and keen participation. The problem then is how do you promote a positive ethnic identity in African American students when putting them in a school system where the design is very much Caucasian?
Sticking with Cokley’s proposal in his study that African American students need an environment that focuses positively on ethnic identity and the value of academics, the current school system would need to incorporate traditional African methods of learning as well as integrate the schools more. This would encourage a school environment where all students have access to learning styles that are rich in their own cultural heritage as well as participating in learning styles embraced by other cultures. This, along with integration, will also help to provide for peers that can be seen more as equals rather than dominating or distant forces. It would also help to even out the funding that the schools have as well as other resources and facilities so that the school environment itself tells African American students that a good education is valued and important while providing the means for them to make the most out of their academic careers.
Works Cited
Belgrave, F. Z., & Allison, K. W. (20092010). African American psychology: from Africa to America (2nd ed.). London: Sage.
Cokley, K. (2009). Ethnic Identity, GPA, and Devaluing Academic Success as Predictors of Academic Self-Concept. Psych Discourse. Retrieved October 19, 2011, from http://pd-online.abpsi.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=299:ethnic-identity-gpa-and-devaluing-academic-success-as-predictors-of-academic-self-concept&catid=74:featured-news
Fortes, M. (1970). Social and Psychological Aspects of Education in Taleland. In J. Middleton (Ed). From Child to Adult. NY: Natural History Press.
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