Abstract
Grounded in ecological frameworks, this study examines (a) the extent to which Latinx adolescents’ perceptions of peer ethnic discrimination were associated with their participation in organized after-school activities, activity type, and ethnic composition; (b) different patterns of perceived peer ethnic discrimination; and (c) associations between discrimination patterns with key activity experiences including psychological engagement, perceived peer support, perceived leader support, and positive feelings in the activities. Using a pattern-centered approach, we applied latent profile analysis to analyze the data from 204 Latinx adolescents (53% female, M age = 12.40) in Southwest United States. Latinx adolescents who did not participate in organized after-school activities perceived higher peer ethnic discrimination than Latinx adolescents who participated. Latinx adolescents who were the numerical ethnic majority in activities reported lower discrimination than those who were the numerical minority. Among those who participated, 4 patterns of peer ethnic discrimination Latinx adolescents experienced in activities were identified. These profiles included moderate discrimination (4%), minimal discrimination (21%), no discrimination (64%), and somewhat negative beliefs (11%), which were differentially related to adolescents’ activity outcomes. Adolescents in the no discrimination group reported the most positive activity outcomes and those in the moderate discrimination group reported the most negative activity experiences. Adolescents who experienced little discrimination but felt other peers held negative beliefs about their ethnicity reported significantly lower psychological engagement and peer support than the no discrimination group. These findings highlight the importance of examining adolescents’ varying patterns of perceived ethnic discrimination in activities and provides ways that activity practitioners can optimize organized activity settings for Latinx adolescents.
Highlights
Participation in organized after-school activities has steadily increased over the years (Afterschool Alliance, 2014) and is linked to key indicators of positive youth development
The present study examines three research questions: First: Is Latinx adolescents’ overall perceived level of peer ethnic discrimination associated with activity indicators, including participation status, activity types, and ethnic compositions in the school and in the activity, and with participant demographics, including gender and nativity status? Second: What are different patterns of Latinx adolescents’ self-reported peer ethnic discrimination in organized after-school activities? Third: To what extent do peer ethnic discrimination patterns predict key activity outcomes including psychological engagement, perceived peer support, perceived leader support, and positive feelings in the activity? We believed that, to this topic, both variable-centered and pattern-centered methods help to maximize the understanding of Latinx adolescents’ experienced discrimination in the activity
To examine our second research question, we explored Latinx adolescents’ experiences with peer ethnic discrimination for those who participated in the activity with latent profile analysis (LPA)
Summary
Participation in organized after-school activities has steadily increased over the years (Afterschool Alliance, 2014) and is linked to key indicators of positive youth development (e.g., social-emotional learning skills; Hurd & Deutsch, 2017). Scholars have argued the need to examine the role of race, ethnicity, and culture in these settings, very few studies address these issues and how it may influence adolescents’ experiences (Simpkins et al, 2017; Williams & Deutsch, 2016). Preliminary research suggests that social-cultural factors related to race and ethnicity, such as peer ethnic discrimination, can influence adolescents’ experiences in these settings (Echols & Graham, 2018; Fredricks & Simpkins, 2014). Understanding how to optimize organized activity settings for an increasingly diverse adolescent population is imperative
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