The Relationship Between High School Students’ Perceptions of Their Teachers’ Racial/Ethnic Bias and the Students’ Academic Self-Efficacy

Abstract

In the United States, there is increasing concern regarding the differential academic achievement of Caucasian and racial/ethnic minority students. When students perceive negative racial/ethnic biases from their teachers, these biases have detrimental effects on the classroom environment and on teacher-student relationships. The literature has consistently shown academic self-efficacy to be a powerful predictor of academic performance and persistence, and thus, the present study was designed to test whether students’ perceptions of their teachers’ racial/ethnic biases related to students’ levels of academic self-efficacy. It was hypothesized that, if students perceived high levels of bias from their teachers, then the students’ levels of academic self-efficacy would be lower as compared to students who perceived low levels of bias. In a study of 149 racially/ethnically diverse 9th grade high school students, perceived bias did not significantly predict students’ levels of academic self-efficacy. For African American female students, however, perceived bias did significantly predict their end of year academic self-efficacy, such that perceiving less bias related to higher levels of academic self-efficacy. Limitations of the present study, suggestions for future research, and implications for possible educational interventions are discussed.