Does the Context of Racial Discrimination Matter for Adolescent School Outcomes?: The Impact of In-School Racial Discrimination and General Racial Discrimination on Black Adolescents’ Outcomes

Abstract

The present study explored the role of context and gender on the association between racial discrimination and adolescents’ outcomes among Black ninth graders (N = 557) (male = 249; female = 308). In particular, we investigated whether there were differences in the link between racial discrimination within school, and racial discrimination outside of school, and adolescents' academic and non-academic outcomes. Findings on the role of context and gender were mixed. While in-school racial discrimination was more strongly related to academic persistence than general racial discrimination, our results did not reveal differences in the associations between racial discrimination and grades or psychological well-being. Gender results indicated that girls who reported decreases in in-school and general racial discrimination were more likely to report a more positive perceptions of school climate. Implications for research on the association between racial discrimination and adolescent outcomes are discussed.