The Effects of Racial Identity on Academic Achievement and Perceptions of Campus Connectedness on African American Students at Predominantly White Institutions.

At a predominantly White institution 118 African American students completed the Racial Identity Attitude Scale to assess the effects of racial identity on grade point average and students' psychological sense of belonging on campus. The results of the study indicated that academic achievement was not related to any of the racial identity statuses. African American students at the Immersion-Emmersion status were less likely to perceive a connection between themselves and the campus environment. Student expressing higher levels of Internalization reported significantly more campus connection. It is well known that African American students make up about 10% of the entire college population (Carter & Wilson, 1996) and that more than 80% of all African American college students attend PWIs (Nettles & Perna, 1997). However, there is more to be known about why some African American students succeed academically at PWIs, while other African American students perform poorly. Additional clarification is also needed to understand why some African American students at PWIs seem to connect with the campus environment and perceive the campus as welcoming and friendly while others perceive the campus environment as cold and unwelcoming. In order to assist African American students' academic and social development at PWIs, additional research is needed regarding these issues. Furthermore, this line of inquiry is important in understanding how we can improve the quality of life for African American students at PWIs. In the absence of this information, student affairs professionals, who seek to integrate African American students into the campus community and facilitate academic success and cognitive growth, are left to wonder if their time and energy is being well spent. In recent years, researchers have begun to explore African American student development by studying three interrelated themes: academic performance, campus connectedness, and racial identity (Alien, 1992; Cross, 1991; D'Augelli & Hershberger, 1993; Flowers & Pascarella, 1999; Flowers & Pascarella, 2003; Goodstein & Ponterotto, 1997; Gossett, Cuyjet, & Cockriel, 1996). More specifically, researchers have begun to investigate the effects of race on learning outcomes in college (Alien, 1992; D'Augelli & Hershberger, 1993; Flowers & Pascarella, 1999; Flowers & Pascarella, 2003). In addition, researchers have also sought to explore the impact of race on perceptions of marginality and feelings of inclusion on campus (Gossett, et al., 1996). Lastly, a considerable amount of research has surfaced that explores the influence of racial identity on academic and social outcomes for African American college students (Cross, 1991; Goodstein & Ponterotto, 1997; Taylor & Howard-Hamilton, 1995). In an attempt to better understand the impact of racial identity on African American students at PWIs, the present study, utilizing data from 118 African American students, sought to examine the influence of racial identity on academic achievement and perceptions of campus connectedness. In the next three sections, we will discuss empirical findings from the three separate, yet complimentary lines of research that informed the present study: (a) academic achievement, (b) campus connectedness, and (c) racial identity. Academic Achievement Although the experience of academic failure cuts across all racial and cultural boundaries, measures of student learning and academic achievement for African American students who attend PWIs consistently fall below those of other groups (Nettles, Thoeny, & Gosman, 1986; Sampel & Seymour, 1971; Wolfle, 1983). Flowers and Pascarella (2003), controlling for intervening variables, found that African American students scored lower than Caucasian students on standardized measures of critical thinking, reading comprehension, mathematics, science reasoning, and writing skills. Pantages and Creedon (1978), commenting on African American student retention rates, explained that for more than three decades academic factors contributed to higher attrition among African American students. …