This article develops a theoretical model for examining the interrelationship between ethnic identity and educational outcomes. The model is aimed at developing an understanding of why ethnicity may at times make a difference in academic performance and student empowerment. Ethnic identity is conceptualized as a product of multiple levels of societal structures in a dialectical relationship with the individual student, who constructs reality and responds to the constructions of others. The historical±social situation of minority university students in the People's Republic of China is used to develop and illustrate the model. The model includes macro components (such as the nation-state's designation of some groups as minority nationality or ethnic groups, and the social scienti®c construction of ethnicity) and micro-level components (such as the student's family and community background, signi®cant life events, campus status hierarchies, campus interactional experiences and status negotiation by the student).
Academic success of minority students: ethnic identity, structures and processesWhile there are many factors which determine academic success and empowerment, our focus is on ethnic identityÐhow it is continuously constructed and how it may relate to academic outcomes for university students. The process of ethnic identity construction is conceptualized as a product of macro-level variables in interaction with the individual student's micro-level decision-making and reality construction (compare this with Bidwell, 2000). We propose a model which has cross-cultural applicability for understanding the success of ethnic minority students. Ideas for this model came from previous research on and a recent study of ethnic minority students