Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

Academic affect shapes the relationship between racial discrimination and longitudinal college attitudes

  • Published:
Social Psychology of Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Underrepresented racial minority college students attending predominantly White institutions disproportionately experience school-based racial/ethnic microaggressions, which can impede college satisfaction and college graduation rates. This study examines the longitudinal implications of school-based racial/ethnic microaggressions on college attitudes (e.g., college satisfaction and graduation expectations). The study also compares the mediating roles of academic achievement (GPA) and academic affect (feelings toward academic experiences). Among a sample of 437 Black and Latinx college students attending five universities in the Midwestern United States, results indicated that academic affect, but not academic achievement, mediated the relationship between school-based microaggressions and graduation expectations. Additionally, school-based discrimination indirectly predicted lower college satisfaction through a negative impact on academic affect. Overall, more frequent exposure to school-based discrimination in college led to lower academic affect, which in turn, predicted lower graduation expectations and lower college satisfaction. These findings highlight the powerful role of academic affect in explaining how racial discrimination impairs graduation expectations and college satisfaction over time. Implications and policy recommendations regarding the impact of racial discrimination on underrepresented minority college students are further discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Note: Standardized coefficients are depicted in the figure along with the 95% confidence interval in brackets; c = total effect; c’ = direct effect; *p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001

Fig. 2

Note: Standardized coefficients are depicted in the figure along with the 95% confidence interval in brackets; c = total effect; c’ = direct effect; *p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alabi, J. (2015). Racial microaggressions in academic libraries: Results of a survey of minority and non-minority librarians. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 41(1), 47–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2014.10.008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allen, Q. (2010). Racial microaggressions: The schooling experiences of Black middle-class males in Arizona’s secondary schools. Journal of African American Males in Education, 1, 125–143.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aronson, J., Fried, C. B., & Good, C. (2002). Reducing the effects of stereotype threat on African American college students by shaping theories of intelligence. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 38(2), 113–125. https://doi.org/10.1006/jesp.2001.1491

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butler-Barnes, S. T., Chavous, T. M., Hurd, N., & Varner, F. (2013). African American adolescents’ academic persistence: A strengths-based approach. Journal of Youth Adolescence, 42, 1443–1458. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-013-9962-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Byrd, C. M., & Chavous, T. M. (2012). The congruence between African American students’ racial identity beliefs and their academic climates: Implications for academic motivation and achievement. In J. M. Sullivan & A. M. Esmail (Eds.), African american racial identity: An interdisciplinary exploration of the racial and cultural dimensions of the black experience (pp. 345–369). Lanham, MD: Lexington Books/Rowman & Littlefield. https://doi.org/10.17077/etd.1d1q7wou.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Chavous, T. M., Rivas-Drake, D., Smalls, C., Griffin, T., & Cogburn, C. (2008). Gender matters, too: The influences of school racial discrimination and racial identity on academic engagement outcomes among African American adolescents. Developmental Psychology, 44(3), 637–654. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.44.3.637

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cokley, K., Awad, G., Smith, L., Jackson, S., Awosogba, O., Hurst, A., et al. (2015). The roles of gender stigma consciousness, impostor phenomenon and academic self-concept in the academic outcomes of women and men. Sex Roles, 73, 414–426. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-015-0516-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeCuir-Gunby, J. T., & Gunby, N. W. (2016). Racial microaggressions in the work- place: A critical race analysis of the experiences of African American educators. Urban Education, 51(4), 390–414. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085916628610

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donovan, R. A., Galban, D. J., Grace, R. K., Bennett, J. K., & Felicié, S. Z. (2013). Impact of racial macro- and microaggressions in Black women’s lives: A preliminary analysis. Journal of Black Psychology, 39(2), 185–196. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798412443259

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Einarson, M. K., & Matier, M. W. (2005). Exploring race differences in correlates of seniors’ satisfaction with undergraduate education. Research in Higher Education, 46(6), 641–676. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-004-4138-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fries-Britt, S. L., Griffin, K. (2007). The black box: How high-achieving Blacks resist stereotypes about Black Americans. Journal of College Student Development, 48, 509-524.victory. Harvard educational review, 58, 54-84. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2007.0048.

  • Griffin, T., Chavous, T., Cogburn, C., Branch, L., & Settles, I. (2012). Dimensions of academic contingencies among African American college students. Journal of Black Psychology, 38(2), 201–227. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798411414892

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harper, S. (2015). Black male college achievers and resistant responses to racist stereotypes at predominantly white colleges and universities. Harvard Educational Review, 85(4), 646–674. https://doi.org/10.17763/0017-8055.85.4.646

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrell, J. P., Hall, S., & Taliaferro, J. (2003). Physiological responses to racism and discrimination: An assessment of the evidence. American Journal of Public Health, 93(2), 243–248. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.93.2.243

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harris, P. A., Taylor, R., Thielke, R., Payne, J., Gonzalez, N., & Conde, J. G. (2009). Research electronic data capture (REDCap)—A metadata-driven methodology and workflow process for providing translational research informatics support. Journal of Biomedical Informatics, 42(2), 377–381. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbi.2008.08.010

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henfield, M. S. (2011). Black male adolescents navigating microaggressions in a traditionally White middle school: A qualitative study. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 39(3), 141–155. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1912.2011.tb00147.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, J. S., Suah, K., & Chantea, W. (2010). The context of racial microaggressions against indigenous peoples: Same old racism or something new? In D. W. Sue (Ed.), Microaggressions and marginality: Manifestation, dynamics, and impact (pp. 105–122). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hope, E. C., Chavous, T. M., Jagers, R. J., & Sellers, R. M. (2013). Connecting self-esteem and achievement: Diversity in academic identification and dis- identification patterns among black college students. American Educational Research Journal, 50(5), 1122–1151. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831213500333

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hope, E. C., Velez, G., Offidani-Bertrand, C., Keels, M., & Durkee, M. I. (2018). Political activism and mental health among Black and Latinx college students. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 24(1), 26. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huynh, V. W. (2012). Ethnic microaggressions and the depressive and somatic symptoms of Latino and Asian American adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 41(7), 831–846. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-012-9756-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, M. P., & Nadal, K. L. (2010). Multiracial microaggressions: Exposing mono-racism in everyday life and clinical practice. In D. W. Sue (Ed.), Microaggressions and marginality: Manifestation, dynamics, and impact (pp. 123–144). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keels, M. (2013). Getting them enrolled is only half the battle: College success as a function of race or ethnicity, gender, and class. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 83(3), 310–322. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajop.12033

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keels, M., Durkee, M., & Hope, E. (2017). The psychological and academic costs of school-based racial and ethnic microaggressions. American Educational Research Journal, 54(6), 1316–1344. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831217722120

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lambert, S. F., Herman, K. C., Bynum, M. S., & Ialongo, N. S. (2009). Perceptions of racism and depressive symptoms in African American adolescents: The role of perceived academic and social control. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38(4), 519–531. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-009-9393-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leath, S., & Chavous, T. (2018). Black women’s experiences of campus racial climate and stigma at predominantly White institutions: Insights from a comparative and within-group approach for STEM and non- STEM majors. The Journal of Negro Education, 87(2), 125–139. https://doi.org/10.7709/jnegroeducation.87.2.0125

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leath, S., Mathews, C., Harrison, A., & Chavous, T. (2019). Racial identity, racial discrimination, and classroom engagement outcomes among Black girls and boys in predominantly Black and predominantly White school districts. American Educational Research Journal, 56(4), 1318–1352. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831218816955

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGee, E., & Bentley, L. (2017). The troubled success of Black women in STEM. Cognition and Instruction, 35(4), 265–289. https://doi.org/10.1080/07370008.2017.1355211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Museus, S. D., Nichols, A., & Lambert, A. (2008). Racial differences in the effects of campus racial climate on degree completion: A structural equation model. The Review of Higher Education, 32(1), 107–134. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.0.0030

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nadal, K. L., Wong, Y., Griffin, K., Sriken, J., Vargas, V., Wideman, M., & Kolawole, A. (2011). Microaggressions and the multiracial experience. International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 1, 36–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nadal, K. L., Wong, Y., Griffin, K. E., Davidoff, K., & Sriken, J. (2014). The adverse impact of racial microaggressions on college students’ self-esteem. Journal of College Student Development, 55, 461–474. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2014.0051

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ong, A. D., Burrow, A. L., Fuller-Rowell, T. E., Ja, N. M., & Sue, D. W. (2013). Racial microaggressions and daily well-being among Asian Americans. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 60(2), 188. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031736

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pierce, C., Carew, J., Pierce-Gonzalez, D., & Willis, D. (1978). An experiment in racism: TV commercials. In C. Pierce (Ed.), Television and education (pp. 62–88). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Inc. https://doi.org/10.1177/001312457701000105.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, A. L., Sneva, J. N., & Beehler, G. P. (2010). The influence of racism-related stress on the academic motivation of Black and Latino/a students. Journal of College Student Development, 51(2), 135–149. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.0.0120

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rivera, D. P., Forquer, E. E., & Rangel, R. (2010). Microaggressions and the life experience of Latina/o Americans. In D. W. Sue (Ed.), Microaggressions and marginality: Manifestation, dynamics, and impact (pp. 59–83). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1037/e615432009-001.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Selig, J. P. (2018). Overidentified model. In M. Allen (Ed.), The sage encyclopedia of communication research methods (pp. 1172–1174). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Inc. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781483381411.n406.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Shapiro, D., Dundar, A., Huie, F., Wakhungu, P., Yuan, X., Nathan, A., & Hwang, Y. (2017). A National view of student attainment rates by race and ethnicity—fall 2010 cohort (Signature Report No. 12b). Herndon, VA: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smedley, B. D., Myers, H. F., & Harrell, S. P. (1993). Minority-status stresses and the college adjustment of ethnic minority freshman. Journal of Higher Education, 64(4), 434–452. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.1993.11778438

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, W. A., Allen, W. R., & Danley, L. L. (2007). ‘“Assume the position … you fit the description”’: Psychosocial experiences and racial battle fatigue among African American male college students. American Behavioral Scientist, 51(4), 551–578. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764207307742

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snyder, T. D., De Brey, C., & Dillow, S. A. (2016). Digest of education statistics 2014 (NCES 2015–006). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U. S. Department of Education. https://doi.org/10.1037/e492162006-024

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Steele, C. (1992). Race and the schooling of Black Americans. The Atlantic Monthly, 269, 68–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strayhorn, T. L. (2009). The burden of proof: A quantitative study of high-achieving Black collegians. Journal of African American Studies, 12, 375–387. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-008-9059-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strayhorn, T. L. (2012). Satisfaction and retention among African American men at two-year community colleges. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 36(5), 358–375. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668920902782508

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sue, D., Capodilupo, M., Torino, G., Bucceri, J., Holder, A., Nadal, K., & Esquilin, M. (2007). Racial microaggressions in everyday life: Implications for clinical practice. American Psychologist, 62(4), 271–286. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066x.62.4.271

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sue, D. W., Lin, A. I., Torino, G. C., Capodilupo, C. M., & Rivera, D. P. (2009). Racial microaggressions and difficult dialogues on race in the classroom. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 15(2), 183–190. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014191

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wong, G., Derthick, A. O., David, E. J. R., Saw, A., & Okazaki, S. (2014). The what, the why, and the how: A review of racial microaggressions research in psychology. Race and Social Problems, 6(2), 181–200. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12552-013-9107-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yosso, T. J., Smith, W. A., Ceja, M., & Solorzano, D. G. (2009). Critical race theory, racial microaggressions, and campus racial climate for latina/o undergraduates. Harvard Educational Review, 79(4), 659–690. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.79.4.m6867014157m707l

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The research described in this article was supported by the William T. Grant Foundation (Grant #180804) through an award granted to Micere Keels, Ph.D. (University of Chicago).

Author information

Author notes

  1. Myles I. Durkee and Tiani R. Perkins have contributed equally to this manuscript

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Myles I. Durkee & Tiani R. Perkins

  2. Department of Psychology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA

    Elan C. Hope

Authors
  1. Myles I. Durkee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tiani R. Perkins
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  3. Elan C. Hope
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Myles I. Durkee.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Durkee, M.I., Perkins, T.R. & Hope, E.C. Academic affect shapes the relationship between racial discrimination and longitudinal college attitudes. Soc Psychol Educ 24, 59–74 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-020-09602-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-020-09602-x

Keywords