Positive Ethnic Identity Development and Life Outcomes among African-American Males
Positive Ethnic Identity Development and Life Outcomes among African-American Males
Loading...
Issue Date
2014
Authors
Greer, Kalana R.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
The importance of Positive Ethnic Identity has been supported in current literature, particularly in relation to school success and other variables. Still, it has not been assessed in relation to criminal offending. Due to the relationship between ethnic identity and school success and between school success and criminal offending, the current study assessed group differences between African American men with and without felonies, and intercorrelations among ethnic identity development in childhood, culturally responsive teaching experiences in primary school, racial socialization in the home and global life satisfaction as adults. Demographic data, the Satisfaction with Life Survey ( SWLS ), and modified versions of the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure - Revised (MMEIMR), Student Measure of Culturally Responsive Teaching (M-SMCRT), and the Teenager Experience of Racial Socialization Scale (M-TERS) were analyzed. The modifications made were designed to facilitate retrospective recall. Coefficient alphas for the modified measures were consistent with reliability indicators for the original versions. Data was collected and analyzed from 104 men who identify as African American, male, age 18 or older, and with and without felony convictions. All data was collected from participants via existing social networking sites. No significant differences between African American men with and without felony convictions in regards to ethnic identity development, culturally responsive teacher experiences in primary school, racial socialization in the home, and global life satisfaction as adults were found. These results may have been affected by the small number of participants who reported having a felony conviction (n = 10). However, these two groups were significantly different in terms of formal education. On average, participants with a felony conviction had close to three fewer years of formal education than those without. Intercorrelations among the experimental variables were assessed. Correlations were found between ethnic identity (M-MEIMR) and culturally responsive experiences in primary school (M-SMCRT) and ethnic identity (M-MEIMR) and racial socialization (M-TERS). Finally, a positive relationship was found between years of formal education and satisfaction with life (SWLS). A limitation of the current study was that few participants with felony convictions completed the survey. Suggestions for how to address this limitation are provided.
Description
Keywords
"Ethnic Identity Development","Public Education","Life Outcomes","African American Males","Criminal Offending"