The Relationship Between Racial Identity, Motivation, and the Academic Performance of African American Students at a Predominately White Institution
Open AccessThe purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between racial identity, motivation, and academic performance in African American college students at a predominately White institution (PWI). Two questions guided this research: a) is there a relationship between racial identity, motivation, and the academic performance of African American students at a PWI?; and b) what is the combined predictive utility of racial identity and motivation on the academic performance of African American students at a PWI? This study used the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (MIBI) and the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) to assess the racial identity and motivation, respectively, of participants. Cumulative grade point average (GPA), which was obtained as part of a Personal Demographic Questionnaire (PDQ), was used to measure academic performance. The population for this research consisted of undergraduate students who were second-semester freshmen through seniors and who self-identified as African Americans within a large public research institution located in the Southern region. Two-hundred and six (206) students' responses to the MIBI, AMS, and PDQ were used in the statistical analysis of the data. Pearson correlations and multiple regression analyses were conducted to address the research questions. The findings from this study indicated that: a) a statistically significant relationship exists between racial identity and students' academic performance; b) a statistically significant relationship exists between racial identity and motivation; and, c) racial identity and motivation have combined predictive utility on students' GPA. A major conclusion from this study was that an identity-based model of motivation that is rooted in both racial identity and personal identity may provide a more comprehensive approach to understanding the motivation and thus academic performance of African American students at PWIs.
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