Role of Student Background, Perceptions of Ethnic Fit, and Racial Identification in the Academic Adjustment of African American Students at a Predominantly White University

Abstract

Ethnic minority students’adjustment in majority college environments is related to the characteristics and experiences they bring to college as well as experiences on campus. In the present study, the authors explore the interaction of socioeconomic background and precollege intergroup contact opportunities among African American students (N = 215) at a predominantly White university. The authors also examine relationships among students’ racial identification (racial centrality), perceptions of ethnic fit at college (PEF), and academic adjustment (satisfaction, perceived competence, and performance) for students with differing precollege background profiles. Results indicate differing relationships with PEF across student background as well as differences in the relationships among students’racial centrality, PEF, and their academic adjustment. The findings are discussed in terms of the importance of examining heterogeneity within African Americans and in their subsequent educational experiences.