Natural Mentors, Racial Pride, and Academic Engagement Among Black Adolescents

Abstract

The current study examined the potential of relational closeness in the natural mentoring relationships (NMRs) of Black students to counter and protect against the noxious effects of school-based discrimination on academic engagement. The study sample included 663 Black students between the ages of 12 and 19 ( M = 14.96 years, SD = 1.81 years), all reporting a natural mentor. Approximately half of participants were female (53%). Participants were recruited from three different school districts in a Midwestern metropolitan area. Findings indicated that perceived school-based discrimination was negatively associated with academic engagement. Relational closeness in NMRs countered, but did not protect against, the negative effects of perceived school-based discrimination on students’ academic engagement. Additional analyses indicated that one mechanism through which relational closeness in NMRs may promote greater academic engagement among Black students is via increased racial pride. Results highlight the potential of NMRs to counter messages of inferiority communicated through discriminatory experiences in the school. Fostering relational closeness between Black students and supportive non-parental adults in their lives may be an effective strategy to boost academic achievement among Black youth experiencing discrimination in the school environment. In addition to fostering stronger bonds with natural mentors, strategic efforts to reduce school-based discrimination are needed to truly bolster the academic success of Black youth.

“I Didn’t Come to School for This”: A Qualitative Examination of Experiences With Race-Related Stressors and Coping Responses Among Black Students Attending a Predominantly White Institution

“…Although natural mentors who were affiliated with the institution were slightly better positioned to support students, those outside of the PWI also played a role in the coping process. Consistent with previous research, the natural mentors with whom students discussed race-related stressors were also Black (Wittrup et al, 2016), and many students commented on the importance of a shared experience when identifying individuals who could provide support in the context of race-related stressors. Black students felt that individuals who did not possess a shared understanding of race-related stressors, particularly those that may be unique to the PWI setting, would not be able to provide the support students needed.…”

Results of Mentoring in the Psychosocial Well-Being of Young Immigrants and Refugees in Spain

“…The perceived availability of social support reduced some symptoms of stress associated with the migration process and made the youths more resilient, despite enduring significant adversity. The impact of mentoring on the promotion of resilience in adolescents from ethnic minorities supports the findings of a recent literature review [ 36 , 60 , 61 , 62 ].…”

Violence Exposure and Sexual Risk Behaviors for African American Adolescent Girls: The Protective Role of Natural Mentorship and Organizational Religious Involvement

“…The quality of mentorship may shape resilience among African American youth (e.g., mentorship warmth, type of support), so future research examining the interaction of ORI and natural mentorship would benefit by assessing mentorship quality (see Albright, Hurd, & Hussain, ; Hurd & Zimmerman, ). For example, mentorship quality and the nature of support provided have been shown to augment the protective effect of natural mentoring relationships (Hurd, Albright, Wittrup, Negrete, & Billingsley, ; Hurd & Sellers, ; Wittrup et al., ). Third, although our study identified that high levels of ORI paired with natural mentorship was protective, religious socialization for some African American girls may shape the protectiveness of religious involvement (Bowie, Juon, Taggart, Thorpe, & Ensminger, ; Butler‐Barnes et al., ; Gutierrez, Goodwin, Kirkinis, & Mattis, ; Hope et al., Taggart et al, ).…”

“…A growing body of research points to the potential of natural mentors to help vulnerable adolescents display positive adaptation in the face of risk. Specifically, natural mentoring relationships have been linked to improved psychological well‐being, more positive connections with peers and parents, academic success, and fewer problem behaviors among marginalized youth (DuBois & Silverthorn, ; Griffith, Hurd, & Hussain, ; Hurd, Sánchez, Zimmerman, & Caldwell, ; Hurd, Varner, & Rowley, ; Hurd & Zimmerman, ; Klaw, Rhodes, & Fitzgerald, ; Kogan, Brody, & Chen, ; Sánchez, Esparza, & Colón, ; Wittrup et al., ). Scholars have suggested that natural mentoring relationships are a long‐standing tradition in the African American community (Billingsley & Billingsley, ; Stack, ; Stewart, ).…”