Psychosocial Keys to African American Achievement? Examining the Relationship Between Achievement and Psychosocial Variables in High Achieving African Americans

Grit, growth mindset, ethnic identity, and other group orientation are four psychosocial variables that have been associated with academic achievement in adolescent populations. In a sample of 105 high achieving African American high school students (cumulative grade point average [GPA] > 3.0), we examined whether these four psychosocial variables contributed to the achievement of high achieving African Americans beyond the contribution of socioeconomic status (SES) and other demographic variables. Results indicated that the psychosocial variables were not significant predictors of academic achievement for the high achieving African American students in this sample. However, SES was a significant predictor of the academic achievement with a medium effect size. These findings suggest that interventions focused on grit, growth mindset, ethnic identity, and other group orientation may not be as effective as hypothesized.