The role of perceptions of discrimination in the relationship between skin tone, socioeconomic status, and academic outcomes

Author

Desiree Ryan

Graduation Date

2016

Document Type

Thesis

Program

Other

Program

Thesis (M.A.)--Humboldt State University, Psychology: Academic Research, 2016

Committee Chair Name

Chris Aberson

Committee Chair Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Keywords

Skin tone, Academic outcomes of African Americans, academic outcomes, Socioeconomic status, Prejudice, African American, Humboldt State University -- Theses -- Psychology, Academic success of African Americans

Abstract

Lighter-skinned African-Americans (AAs) complete more years of education, have jobs that are more prestigious, and earn higher incomes more often than darker-skinned AAs. People's preferences and biases for lighter skin directly influence these life outcomes. Both AAs and non-AAs prefer lighter skin tones because they more closely resemble the skin tone of European Americans (EAs). As such, darker-skinned AAs report more experiences with discrimination than their lighter skinned racial group members. In addition to skin tone, a person's socioeconomic status (SES) is a marker for discrimination. While in college, low SES students report more experiences of discrimination based on their SES than their high SES peers. SES influences the academic trajectory of students, including persistence through undergraduate coursework and enrollment in graduate school. For the current study, I used a sample of AA students (n = 1,051) from the National Longitudinal Survey of Freshmen to examine the effects of skin tone, SES, and the combined effects of skin tone and SES on experiences of discrimination on campus. I then examined how experiences of discrimination, in turn, affect academic outcomes such as GPA, evaluation of college experiences, and graduate school enrollment plans. Results show that skin tone is associated with perceptions of prejudice and academic anxiety, while SES is associated with GPA.

https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/theses/q524jr179

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