The academic achievement of African-American students during early adolescence: An examination of multiple risk, promotive, and protective factors

This study examined the effects of multiple risk, promotive, and protective fac-tors on three achievement-related measures (i.e., grade point average, num-ber of absences, and math achievement test scores) for African American 7th-grade students (n D 837). There were 3 main findings. First, adolescents had lower grade point averages, more absences, and lower achievement test scores as their exposure to risk factors increased. Second, different promotive and protective factors emerged as significant contributors depending on the nature of the achievement-related outcome that was being assessed. Third, protective factors were identified whose effects were magnified in the presence of multiple risks. Results were discussed in light of the developmental tasks facing adolescents and the contexts in which youth exposed to multiple risks and their families live. KEY WORDS: African American; early adolescence; academic achievement; resilience; risk factors; protective factors. Until recently, the period of early adolescence, spanning ages 10–14, was neglected in scientific inquiry, in policy formation, and in public understand-ing (Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development, 1995). In recent years, however, researchers and practitioners have begun to recognize both the tremendous risks and opportunities inherent in early adolescence. Early 1To whom correspondence should be addressed at Center for Human Growth and Develop