The unexplored voices of the “New African Diaspora”: An examination of the impact of race, ethnicity, and teacher discrimination on academic performance for Nigerian and Black American adolescents

Abstract

Because African immigrant and Black American adolescents share identifiable phenotypic characteristics (e.g. skin color and hair texture), many researchers and educators have assumed that they have a monolithic racial identity and similar educational experiences. Much of the scholarship has failed to acknowledge the increased ethnic diversity among Blacks in the United States—particularly the expanding African immigrant subpopulation. Moreover, differences in group identity, culture, and reaction to inequitable treatment may distinguish the two ethnic groups from one another. In response, this dissertation investigated how and in what ways ethnic group membership and racial identity contributed to the academic performance of 59 Black American (N=38; Mage=15.79; 44.7% female) and Nigerian (N=21; Mage= 16.43; 76.1% female) high school students. Study 1 assessed internal validity and reliability of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Racial Identity-teen (MIBI-t), a survey traditionally used to measure Black youth’s racial identity (Scottham, Seller, and Nguyen, 2008) using three dimensions: Centrality (the degree to which a person defines themselves racially), Private Regard (the degree to which an individual personally feels positively or negatively towards Blacks), and Public Regard (the degree to which a person feels Blacks are viewed negatively or positively by broader society). Exploratory factor analyses showed a 3-factor solution to be the best-fitting model, consistent with prior research. Inspection of the internal reliabilities suggested possible improvement to the MIBI-t. Reliability for both groups combined was low for Centrality, α = 0.51; marginal for Private Regard, α = 0.65 (but improved by dropping one item, α = 0.78), and adequate for Public Regard, α = 0.71. Similar results were found for each group separately. Three 2 (ethnic group) by 2 (gender) ANOVAs conducted for each MIBI-t subscale showed no significant main effects by ethnic group or by gender. However, significant ethnic group by gender interactions were found for Centrality and Public Regard. For Centrality, Black American girls’ average Centrality score were higher than Nigerian girls (p < .001). For Public Regard, Nigerians and Black American females reported that broader society perceived Blacks more positively than Black American males (all ps < .05). Results suggest that neither ethnic group membership nor gender alone are sufficient to explain mean level differences in the sub-factors of identity. Rather the intersection of ethnic group membership and gender illuminated mean level differences among the four subsamples. Study 2 assessed (1) whether an “immigrant advantage” in grades existed for Nigerian relative to Black American youth, and (2) examined the relationship of racial identity to perceived teacher discrimination and grades. Two 2 (ethnic group) by 2 (gender) ANOVAs conducted for grades and perceived teacher discrimination showed no significant main effects or ethnic group by gender interactions. Pearson product-moment correlation analyses showed, contrary to previous studies, no significant relationships between discrimination and grades for the whole sample nor for each group separately. To examine the extent to which the Black racial identity subscales, individually or in combination, moderated the contribution of perceived teacher discrimination to grades for Black American and Nigerian youth, four block-wise hierarchical regression analyses were performed. Gender, ethnicity, and discrimination were entered in Block 1, racial identity subscales in Block 2, and interactions of gender by ethnicity and racial identity subscales by discrimination in Block 3. Across all four analyses, gender was the only statistically significant predictor. However, when all of the interactions were entered into Model 3 the contributions of Public Regard became significant. In this sample, there was no indication of an “immigrant advantage” in grades for Nigerian youth relative to Black American youth, nor were the racial identity nor perceived discrimination significant. Taken together, these two studies provided a more nuanced picture of the ways in which Black racial identity operates for Black American and Nigerian youth. Study 1 contributed to limited psychometric studies of the MIBI-t’s internal validity and reliability by extending analyses to African immigrants. Although this study identified needed improvement, it suggests that the MIBI-t is applicable to Nigerian youths’ racial identity. Future research might examine the relative importance of racial and ethnic identity for Nigerian youth, as this might provide important insight into their psychological adjustment and academic achievement. Study 2 contributed to limited studies on the relationship between ethnic group membership, discrimination, and academic achievement between Black American and Nigerian youth. It debunked the notion of African immigrant youth as a “New Model Minority”. When care is taken to compare groups that are equivalent in parent education, Black Americans perform as well as Nigerians. This project lays an important foundation for future assessments of the Black racial identity and academic achievement of the youth of the African Diaspora.