Investigating School Racial Climate and Private Racial Regard as Risk and Protector Factors for Black High School Students’ School Engagement

Abstract

This investigation examined associations between school racial climate (racial fairness, teacher discrimination, and peer discrimination), private racial regard, and school engagement (behavioral, emotional, and cognitive) in a sample of 151 Black high school students. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that students who perceived their school environment to be more impartial and equitable for Black students also reported higher school engagement on all dimensions. Furthermore, teacher discrimination was associated with emotional engagement, whereas higher levels of perceived discrimination from peers were associated with both higher levels of behavioral engagement and cognitive engagement. In addition, two significant interactions were found: private regard moderated the relationship between teacher discrimination and emotional engagement, and the relationship between peer discrimination and cognitive engagement.