Teacher-student relationships have been linked to autonomous motivation and achievement. However, relatively little is known about whether satisfying students' psychological needs mediates the association between teacher-student relationships and student happiness. Furthermore, this relationship needs to be examined in samples of students from…

This study investigated reading motivation among high school bi/multilingual students whose first language was Spanish. Latinx English Learners (N = 171) from four southeastern, suburban high schools completed the Adolescent Motivation to Read Profile (AMRP; Pitcher et al., 2007), a survey that proposes to measure two dimensions of reading…

African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans are historically underrepresented minorities (URMs) among science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degree earners. Viewed from a perspective of social influence, this pattern suggests that URMs do not integrate into the STEM academic community at the same rate as non-URM students.…

To examine the unique functions of same- and cross-ethnic friendships, Latino (n = 536) and African American (n = 396) sixth-grade students (M[subscript age] = 11.5 years) were recruited from 66 classrooms in 10 middle schools that varied in ethnic diversity. Participants reported on the number of same- and cross-ethnic friends, perceived…

This research examines the complex patterns by which distinct dimensions of critical consciousness may lead marginalized adolescents toward distinct forms of political action. Structural equation modeling was applied to nationally representative data from the Civic Education Study (2,811 ninth graders; M[subscript age] = 14.6), first establishing…

Community colleges currently enroll over one-third of all undergraduates and serve as the gateway to postsecondary education for increasing numbers of Americans in the 21st century, especially students of color. A significant portion of community college students aspire to transfer to a four-year college or university, but only 23% to 40% make…

Background: The purpose of this research was to examine the impact of school-related variables on the physical activity (PA) levels of early adolescent African American, Latino, and White girls. Methods: Data were collected from 353 African American (N?=?123), Latino (N?=?118), and White (N?=?112) girls. Physical activity levels included a PA…

Drawing on the programme for international student assessment 2009 US data-set, this study examines the relationship between formative assessment and students' reading achievement using a structural equation modelling approach. We find that formative assessment is positively related to students' reading achievement directly and indirectly (through…

Latinas/os are the largest and fastest growing minority group however they still remain the smallest group to complete graduate program in the United States (Fry, 2004; NCES, 2011). Moreover, if the proportion of Latinas/os continues to grow and the post-baccalaureate shortfall persists, a serious shortage of highly educated Latinas/os is likely,…

Inasmuch as current U.S. population projections indicate that Latino students will comprise over half the growth in the college-age population during the coming decades, the puzzle of Latino educational attainment presents perhaps one of the most critical policy concerns relevant to any efforts targeted at increasing U.S. levels of educational…

Symbolic interaction and stage-environment fit theories were used to examine associations between several aspects of the perceived school environment and youths' school-related experiences during the first semester of middle school in a sample of 390 youth living in a southeastern U.S. county. Perceived school environment included learning…

In this study, we used Lent's (2004) social cognitive model of well being to examine the academic and life satisfaction of 457 Mexican American college students attending a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Using structural equation modeling, results indicated that the model provided a good fit to the data. Specifically, we found positive relations…

Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Freshmen dataset, this study examined how students' within- and between-group racial contacts mediated the change of in-group and out-group racial perceptions across White, Black, Latino, and Asian students. This study was grounded in intergroup contact theory and employed multi-trait multi-method…

The purpose of this study was to (a) determine the extent to which Latina/o students' perceptions of support from high school teachers and counselors, as well as acculturation, predict enrollment in AP coursework; (b) examine Latina/o students' perceptions of different forms of support that appear to play a role in academic success (Hassinger…

The purpose of this study was to examine the degree to which academic achievement in U.S. schools could be explained by several indicators of belongingness (i.e., close teacher-student relationships, peer acceptance, school liking, low levels of loneliness in school and positive perceptions of peers) and school engagement. For this study, data…