| Citation: | Williams, T. R., Davis, L. E., Cribbs, J. M., Saunders, J., & Williams, J. H. (2002). Friends, family and neighborhood: Understanding academic outcomes of African American youth. Urban Education, 37(3), 408-431. |
Annotation:
This study examines the relationship between academic performance and several contextual factors for African American freshmen in an urban setting. It found that gender, church attendance by peers, and percentage of relatives completing high school were significant in predicting positive academic outcomes. The results suggested that community programs for adolescents should focus both on reducing risk and promoting protective influences. Results also suggested that the protective qualities of religiosity and exposure to academic success are factors worth exploring. Through a questionnaire, data on living arrangements, relativesÕ and friendsÕ religiosity, exposure to academic success, and neighborhood perceptions were collected and analyzed to investigate their impact on intention to complete school, grade point average, and number of suspensions. The study sample included 231 ninth-grade students (103 males and 128 females) in the class of 1998, of whom 32% lived with both biological parents and 58% received free or reduced lunch. This research did not use a randomized sample or control groups, although the results were analyzed using multiple regressions to explore relationships between variables. The authors recommend that youth programs consider what adult relatives, churches, and neighborhood resources can offer, encouraging new relationships to build upon existing support networks. It is important to keep in mind that while the findings are representative of this single sample, the impact of contextual factors analyzed could change in a different setting, thus preventing generalizations across other African American adolescent groups.
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