Exploring the Relationships between Perceptions of Peer Prejudice, School Attendance, and Academic Performance among Adolescent Youth

Abstract

Research pertaining to perceived prejudice among adolescents has been limited despite the growing prevalence and incidence of issues centered around race relations and the impact it has on youth development and academic achievement. Given the research gap in this area, especially as it relates to the variations among different racial and ethnic groups, this study examined the relationships between youths’ perceptions of peer prejudice in the school environment to school attendance and academic performance among a cross-sectional sample of 68,825 adolescents from Wave 1 of the In-School data set from the [1] National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Multiple regression analyses pertaining to perceptions of peer prejudice was predictive of school attendance among African American, Caucasian, and Hispanic males and females. Results also revealed that perceived peer prejudice was predictive of academic performance among African American males and females and Caucasian females, but not predicative of Caucasian males and Hispanic males and females. Implications for research, intervention, and prevention as it relates to educational achievement among adolescent youth are discussed.