The proposed activity will utilize both qualitative (focus groups) and quantitative (standardized measures) to assess the differential effects of cultural socialization/identity on buffering the impact of discrimination to assess the academic achievement of low-income versus middle- income African students. The principal investigator will solicit the help of area school principals to obtain samples of African American middle school students who will be invited to participate in focus groups of about 6-8 participants. During these focus groups, students will engage in discussions prompted by a series of questions pertaining to cultural identity, discrimination, and academic achievement. Several graduate students will be trained to facilitate each of the focus groups. Focus group data will be used to generate a standardized measure of cultural identity. This cultural measure, as well as other standardized measures currently used in the field, will be used to conduct interviews with larger groups of Middle School students to address the research questions stated above. At a later time, parents of the children will be invited to participate in focus groups and one-on-one interviews where they will be asked questions focusing on cultural socialization, and other aspects of parenting. There is a need for more qualitative research that helps to inform the quantitative data in studies conducted with African American samples for which the data obtained from standardized measures look very different from the white samples on which they have been normed. The proposed long-term research plan will enhance the applicant's development as an independent investigator by enabling her to address gaps in the literature with respects to identifying development patterns of cultural socialization and cultural identify development among normative samples of African American children and adolescents. Engaging in such cutting-edge research will lead to the dissemination of research findings in forums (national conferences, publishing in refereed journals, etc.) where the applicant can engage in dialogue with other experts about current issues in the field. This exposure at will contribute to the applicant's career development.
