The authors examined the relationships between interracial best friendships and 10th-grade students’ academic achievement. The analysis consisted of data from 13, 134 participants in the ELS:2002 database. The results indicated that interracial best friendships for minority students (African Americans, Latino Americans, Asian Americans, and American Indians) generally have a positive relationship with students’ academic achievement. Discussion and implications of the results are presented.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AltermattE. R., & PomerantzE. M. (2005). The implications of having high-achieving versus low-achieving friends: A longitudinal analysis.Social Development, 14, 61–81.
2.
American School Counselor Association. (2005). The ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling programs (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA:Author.
3.
American Institutes for Research. (n.d.). AM statistical software.Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved June 2, 2005, from http://am.air.org
4.
BuhsE. S. (2005). Peer rejection, negative peer treatment, and school adjustment: Self-concept and classroom engagement as mediating processes.Journal of School Psychology, 43, 407–424.
5.
BurkW. J., & LaursenB. (2005). Adolescent perceptions of friendship and their associations with individual adjustment.International Journal of Behavioral Development, 29, 156–164.
6.
CaldwellG. P., & GintherD. W. (1996). Differences in learning styles of low socioeconomic status for low and high achievers.Education, 117, 141–147.
7.
CarbonaroW. J. (1998). A little help from my friend's parents: Intergenerational closure and educational outcomes.Sociology of Education, 71, 295–313.
8.
CohenJ. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ:Lawrence Earlbaum Associates.
9.
ColemanJ. S. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital.American Journal of Sociology, 94, 95–120.
10.
CrosnoeR., CavanaghS., ElderG. H.Jr., (2003). Adolescent friendships as academic resources: The intersection of friendship, race, and school disadvantage.Sociological Perspectives, 46, 331–352.
11.
DuBoisD. L., & HirschB. J. (1990). School and neighborhood friendship patterns of Blacks and Whites in early adolescence.Child Development, 61, 524–536.
12.
FairclothB., & HammJ. (2005). Sense of belonging among high school students representing 4 ethnic groups.Journal of Youth & Adolescence, 34, 293–309.
13.
HallinanM. T., & SmithS. S. (1985). The effects of classroom racial composition on students’ interracial friendliness.Social Psychology Quarterly, 48, 3–16.
14.
HallinanM. T., & WilliamsR. A. (1990). Students’ characteristics and the peer-influence process.Sociology of Education, 63, 122–132.
15.
HansellS. (1984). Cooperative groups, weak ties, and integration of peer friendships.Social Psychology Quarterly, 47, 316–328.
16.
HobbsD. (1990). School based community development: Making connections for improved learning. In RafertyS. & MulkeyD. (Eds.), The role of rural schools in community development (pp. 57–64). Starkville, MS:Southern Rural Development Center.
17.
LeaseA. M., & BlakeJ. J. (2005). A comparison of majority-race children with and without a minority-race friend.Social Development, 14, 20–41.
18.
LouryG. (1977). A dynamic theory of racial income differences. In WallaceP. A. & LaMundA. (Eds.), Women, minorities, and employment discrimination (pp. 153–186). Lexington, MA:Lexington Books.
19.
MillsJ. K., DalyJ., LongmoreA., & KilbrideG. (1995). A note on family acceptance involving interracial friendships and romantic relationships.Journal of Psychology, 129, 349–351.
20.
National Center for Educational Statistics. (2004). Statistical analysis report: ELS:2002 base year data file user's manual.Washington, DC:Government Printing Office.
21.
NogueraP. (2003). The trouble with Black boys: The role and influence of environmental and cultural factors on the academic performance of African American males.Urban Education, 38, 431–459.
22.
ParsonsT. (1963). On the concept of influence.Public Opinion Quarterly, 27, 37–62.
23.
SantosM. (2005, July). Reopening the debate on social capital: Parental intergenerational close, school racial composition, and math achievement.Paper presented at the 100th Annual American Sociological Association Conference, Philadelphia.
24.
SmithT. W. (2002). Measuring inter-racial friendships.Social Science Research, 31, 576–593.
25.
StearnsE. (2004). Interracial friendliness and the social organization of schools.Youth & Society, 35, 395–419.
26.
WilsonD., & LavelleS. (1990). Interracial friendship in a Zimbabwean primary school.Journal of Social Psychology, 130, 111–113.