In or out? Predictors of educational attainment in American Indian youth
Description
There is a disparity in educational attainment among American Indian youth in the U.S. when compared to the general population. American Indians' rates of high school retention, college enrollment, and college retention are lower than those for any other ethnic group in the country (Cole & Denzine, 2002; National Center for Education Statistics, 2005). This study examined the roles of ethnic identity and perceived discrimination in relation to academic achievement and educational attainment in a community sample of American Indian adolescents living in the southeastern United States. Ethnic identity exploration (EI) was assessed using the Ethnic Identity Achievement subscale of the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM; Phinney, 1992). Race-based rejection sensitivity (RRS) was assessed using a modified version of the Status-Based Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire (RS-Race; Mendoza-Denton, Downey, Purdie, Davis, & Pietrzak, 2002). It was hypothesized that low levels of RRS and high levels of EI would be associated with high GPAs during high school. At high levels, EI was hypothesized to attenuate the negative association between RRS and college enrollment. Data was collected over two time points. GPA was assessed while participants were in high school and college enrollment was ascertained three years later. Results indicate that high levels of EI were associated with high GPAs during high school. The probability of attending college was high among individuals who had low levels of RRS and high levels of EI. The probability of attending college was also high among those with high RRS and low EI. Two profiles were associated with a high probability of college enrollment in this sample. The first profile (Low RRS, High EI) was expected to lead to high educational attainment. The second profile (High RRS, Low EI) was an unexpected result. Findings are discussed in terms of two distinct paths to high educational attainment that were identified in this sample. The dual role of ethnic identity is discussed in the context of perceived discrimination. Future work is needed to further clarify the role of ethnic identity in educational attainment in this sample