Community and Voice: Emphasizing Black and Latine Adolescents' Strengths Promotes Identity Alignment, Belonging, and Academic Persistence.

Abstract

Introduction: The present research examined whether Black and Latine adolescents' academic persistence could be promoted through two novel strength-based reflection activities, providing them an opportunity to experience a sense of school belonging and to form meaningful connections between their racial/ethnic identity and their ideal future identity they aspired for.

Methods: A randomized-controlled experiment was conducted in the U.S. with Black and Latine adolescents (n = 278, including 134 girls and 117 boys, M = 14.05 years old). Academic persistence was assessed by examining two markers: how much adolescents were engaged in school, as well as how much they interpreted school difficulties as indicating the importance of school.

Results: Black and Latina girls assigned to the 'community resourcefulness reflection' who were invited to reflect on strategies and advice from their racial/ethnic communities (vs. their peers who were not) saw their racial/ethnic and ideal career identities as more aligned, which in turn was associated with increased academic engagement and increased likelihood of interpreting school difficulties as indicating school importance. Moreover, Black and Latine adolescents assigned to the "voice reflection" who were invited to reflect on how their voice could play a powerful role in spaces where they are underrepresented (vs. their peers who were not) reported more school belonging, which in turn was associated with increased academic engagement and increased likelihood of interpreting school difficulties as indicating school importance.

Conclusions: These findings indicate that approaches focused on racial/ethnic strengths foster positive identity connections, school belonging, and academic persistence for adolescents of color.