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Academic Achievement Among African American Adolescents: Direct and Indirect Effects of Demographic, Individual, and Contextual Variables

Nicole Renick Thomson

Missouri Institute of Mental Health

A path model examining the direct and indirect effects of demographic, individual, and contextual variables on the academic achievement of 174 African American adolescents was assessed. Results indicated that participant sex indirectly impacted participants' sense of self-worth through their perceptions of themselves as possessing leadership or independence qualities. Whether adolescents felt good about themselves (global self-worth) was a direct outcome of their perceptions of their leadership or independence qualities. In turn, participants with higher levels of self-worth were more likely to be bonded to their school, and those who felt more bonded to their schools reported higher school grades. Study findings are discussed within the context of helping educators to better meet these students' educational needs.

Key Words: adolescents • academic achievement • path analysis

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