Major and Classification
Psychology
Faculty Mentor
- Stanley Huey, Ph.D.
Department
- Psychology
McNair Project
Perceived Discrimination and Academic Achievement
Research has shown that students from disadvantaged U.S. minority groups tend to do less well academically than dominant-group students. This study examined the relationship between perceived discrimination and academic performance in a sample of African American and Latino high school students. Participating youth underwent a one-time survey assessment in a group setting. Correlational analyses did not support a statistically significant association between perceived discrimination and school performance. These findings illustrate that further research exploring minority academic underachievement is needed to uncover the mechanisms underlying this achievement gap. Gaining insight into the factors that may cause ethnic disparities in school performance may facilitate efforts to eliminate this gap.