Academic Behavior and Performance Among African American Youth: Associations with Resources for Resilience

A social support and coping framework informed the present research on children’s academic behavior and performance. Forty-six African American children aged 8–12 years were recruited from the 2011/2012 enrollment list of a partnering school. Data on children’s resources for resilience (e.g., coping...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Urban review 2016-03, Vol.48 (1), p.1-14
Main Authors: Chesmore, Ashley A., Winston, Willie, Brady, Sonya S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic Achievement
African American Students
African Americans
Behavior Problems
Caregivers
Children & youth
Community and Environmental Psychology
Coping
Education
Educational Attainment
Educational Environment
Family Involvement
Gender Differences
Parent Participation
Resilience (Psychology)
Scores
Social support
Social Support Groups
Sociology
Standardized Tests
Stress Variables
Student Records
Surveys
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Summary:A social support and coping framework informed the present research on children’s academic behavior and performance. Forty-six African American children aged 8–12 years were recruited from the 2011/2012 enrollment list of a partnering school. Data on children’s resources for resilience (e.g., coping skills, perceived support from caregivers) were collected through administered surveys. Additional data on academic outcomes were collected from children’s progress reports and most recent standardized tests. Children’s resources for resilience were associated with academic outcomes. Among the total sample, greater perceived support from caregivers and behavioral coping by the child were associated with less child-reported school misbehavior and greater teacher-evaluated reading performance. Among African American boys, but not girls, a quarter of the variance in standardized test scores in reading ( r  = .50 vs. r  = .06) and math ( r  = .55 vs. r  = −.01) was explained by behavioral coping. If further research supports the present set of findings, school-based mental health services for families and prevention programs that target children’s use of coping strategies in the presence of stressors may prove beneficial to children’s academic success.
ISSN:0042-0972
1573-1960
DOI:10.1007/s11256-015-0342-9