BY D R. B R E TT A . B U RT O N

A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF RESILIENCY AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AMONG MULTIRACIAL STUDENTS

IN URBAN HIGH SCHOOLS

INTRODUCTION

• Relevance of the research • Education Leadership• School Improvement in Urban High Schools• PSAE in the state of Illinois• Multiracial Student Experience

• Trueba’s (2002) Resiliency for Academic Success• Background of research• 6 Components• Resiliency researchers have investigated the impact of

protective factors on the academic achievement of minority students, and the results have varied among them (Benard, 1991; Smith & Carlson, 1997; Werner and Smith, Trueba, 2002; Wasonga, 2004).

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

• The rise in racial diversity in public schools has caused the need for school personnel to meet the academic demands of students from different racial backgrounds, including multiracial students.

• The last Census showed 9 million people, about 3 percent of the population, reporting more than one race. That's an increase of one-third from the decade before. (http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/05/12/183430945/checking-more-than-one-box-a-growing-multiracial-nation)

• "The youngest age group, kids under 5 [years old], 7 percent are identified as having more than one race group” Pew Hispanic Center. "If we look at the elderly, over 65, it's only 1 percent."

MULTIRACIAL EXPERIENCE IN U.S. SCHOOLS (+)

• 1. Melissa Herman’s “differential opportunities” idea claimed that multiracial students become more proficient in different racial social settings than single race individuals because they have opportunities to socialize in two or more different racial groups.

• 2. The ability of multiracial students to socialize and interact with different student racial groups increases their mutability among racial groups (Shih & Sanchez, 2009).

• 3. Root’s study demonstrated that social interactions between peers in the school environment, specifically for multiracial students, may alter one’s identity, which could have an effect on school experiences and academic success.

MULTIRACIAL EXPERIENCE IN U.S. SCHOOLS (-)

• 1. Choi, Harachi, Gillmore, and Catalano (2006): Minority Youth Project- sample size was 2,305 respondent from 2,777 multiracial= 454 or 20.6% were multiracial youths. The study found several significant differences between multiracial youths and monoracial youths in substance use behaviors, controlling for age, gender, and low-income status. Multiracial youths were significantly more likely than all three monoracial youth groups to have ever smoked, drink alcohol, and use marijuana.

• 2. Quillian and Redd’s research found that multiracial students attempting to bridge both races may experience frustration with identity development.

• 3. Cooney and Radina’s (2000) research identified that multiracial students have difficulty with identity formation, which may lead to a lack of acceptance with peers or friends.

QUESTIONS MULTIRACIAL CHILDREN RECEIVE AT SCHOOL

• What are you?

• How do you racially identify?

• “Mixed? There’s no such thing. Which ethnicity are you more?”

• “Where are you from?”

• School Counselor-”What do you consider yourself?”

WHAT ARE THESE CHILDREN?

• If these students showed up to your school what racial group would you assign them?

HOW ABOUT THESE CHILDREN?

WHAT BROUGHT ME TO EXPLORE THIS TOPIC?

• Purpose of the Study:

• The purpose of this study was to explore the six attributes of the Resiliency for Academic Success Framework  (Trueba, 2002) and their relationship to academic achievement among urban high school students, with a focus on these outcomes for multiracial students.  

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

• RQ1: What are the levels of Resiliency  for Academic Success factors and academic achievement (PSAE Scores in Reading and Math) among Caucasians, African-Americans, Hispanics, and multiracial urban high school students?

• RQ2: What is the relationship between Resiliency for Academic Success factors and academic achievement (PSAE Scores in Reading and Math) among Caucasians, African-Americans, Hispanics, and multiracial urban high school students?

• RQ3: Are there differences in Resiliency for Academic Success factors and academic achievement (PSAE Scores in Reading and Math) among Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic, and Multiracial urban high school students ?

• RQ4: What Resiliency for Academic Success factors predict academic achievement among urban high school students in each of the four racial groups (Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic, and multiracial)?

•  

LITERATURE REVIEW

Achievement Gap: Factors

TRUEBA’S FRAMEWORK

1. Intelligent Planning in the pursuit of major goals, delaying gratification for the sake of future rewards

2. Willingness to Learn a New Language and Culture

3. Ability to Use Multiple Personal Identities in the process of communicating with others

4. Ability to appreciate and use family support during crises

6. Spiritual Strength based on religious, cultural, and linguistic values

5. Loyalty to school and family and the wisdom to pursue academic excellence with the love and support of teachers and parents

Resiliency for

Academic Success

Assisted performance and ZPD in the discovery of the new self through resiliency

DEMOGRAPHICS OF SAMPLE FROM ALL FIVE HIGH SCHOOLS

MULTIRACIAL STUDENT COMBINATIONS

STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS AND PSAE SCORES FOR SCHOOLS INCLUDED IN THE SAMPLE

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CONCLUSION-RESILIENCY AND ACHIEVEMENT LEVELSMULTIRACIAL STUDENTS

• Finding:

• Multiracial students were more similar on the six Resiliency for Academic Success factors and PSAE reading and math scores when compared to Caucasians, but were not significantly different from Hispanic/Latino and African-American students.  The findings are indicative of having a multiracial student sample that was majority part Caucasian at 67%, which means that although multiracial students in the research identified as multiracial, their results were closer to Caucasian students results in Resiliency for Academic Success and academic achievement than to any other racial group

CONCLUSION-RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RESILIENCY AND ACHIEVEMENTMULTIRACIAL

• Finding: Significant positive linear relationships were found between multiracial students’ PSAE mathematics scores and two of the Resiliency for Academic Success factors: 1) ability to use family support during crises (r=.308, p=0.05); and 2) loyalty to family/school (r=.324, p=0.01).

• In addition, a significant positive linear relationship was found between multiracial students’ PSAE scores in reading and three of the Resiliency for Academic Success factors: 1) willingness to learn a new language and culture (r= .211, p= 0.05) and 2) ability to use family support during crises (r=.277, p=0.05) and loyalty to family school and the wisdom to pursue academic excellence (r=.326, p=0.05).

IMPLICATIONS FOR ALL STUDENT RACIAL GROUPS

• 1. A significant difference in the study was in PSAE reading between Caucasians and Hispanic/Latinos.

• 2. The second important finding suggests that Resiliency for Academic Success factors did not significantly increase academic achievement.

• 3. Intelligent planning for the sake of future rewards and delaying gratification predicted PSAE reading achievement for only Caucasian students, demonstrating that these students have acquired the necessary skills in developing an academic plan and educational goals.

• 4. Multiracial students were more similar on the six Resiliency for Academic Success factors and PSAE reading and math scores when compared to Caucasians  students.

• 5. This study revealed that Resiliency for Academic Success factors did not transfer to academic achievement for this particular student population which parallels Trueba’s (2002) study with Hispanic/Latino students.

• 6. As an educational leader we know that resiliency attributes are beneficial to students and the school culture, which means public schools may want to embed the teaching of resiliency and/or foster resiliency into a high school curriculum.

IMPLICATIONS FOR MULTIRACIAL STUDENTS

• 1. The current findings are consistent with the more recent literature focused on the positive or neutral outcomes of being multiracial (Shih & Sanchez, 2009).

• 2. Binning, Unzueta, Huo, and Molina (2009) found in their research on multiracial adolescents that multiracial students electing to identify with multiple racial groups instead of one racial group are more apt to experience “positive outcomes, social engagement, and psychological wellbeing” (p. 44). (Correlation with ability to use family support during crises and PSAE Read and Math achievement).

• 3. Based on the multiracial student sample in this research, where 67% of the multiracial student population was part Caucasian, the results are rational.

• 4. Cheng and Lee (2009) found multiracial students perceived their racial background as “overlapping and compatible” with all racial categories (p. 11). Meaning multiracial individuals’ racial identity provides them with opportunities to have relationships with individuals from a variety of racial groups. (Correlation loyalty to family and school and PSAE Read and Math achievement).

IMPLICATIONS FOR MULTIRACIAL STUDENTS MAP

Shih & Sanchez (2009)

•Multiracial people have more flexible understandings of race and race relations

•Multiracial identity is overlapping and compatible, higher well being

Rockquemore, Brunsma, & Delgado

(2009)

•Multiracial in media has helped legitimize mixed racial identity

•Both feet in both groups so that one has the ability to hold, merge, and respect multiple

Binning, Unzueta, Huo, and Molina (2009)

•Study found that multiracial adolescents who identify proudly as multiracial fare as well as – or better than kids who identify with a single group.

•Multiracials identify with multiple groups are better able to navigate homogenous and heterogeneous settings than those multiracials that identify with one group

WHAT CAN SCHOOLS DO TO FOSTER RESILIENCY WITH MULTIRACIAL STUDENTS

• 1. ACT Engage- Measure student motivation, social engagement, and Self Regulation • 2. Staff Development for school counselors,

administrators, and teachers on the unique experiences of multiracial students• 3. Embed Maria Root’s “Bill of Rights for Racially

Mixed People” into social emotional school counseling groups• 4. Staff Development by utilizing the book

Multiracial Child Resource Book edited by Maria Root and Matt Kelly

SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY

• 1. Perform a mixed methods design study (Quantitative and Qualitative)

• 2. Study a larger high school student population from students located in inner city, magnet, charter, or parochial schools

• 3. Examine student populations in other geographic regions in the United States such as Los Angeles, California; New York City,

New York; Miami, Florida; and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/us/family-trees.html?ref=us#index