The ecology of social support in relation to academic and behavioral self-perceptions among African American boys and girls

ABSTRACT

In this research, the ecology of perceived social support was examined across multiple contexts (i.e., parents, teachers, classmates, and close friends) in relation to self-perception indices among African American school-age children. Social support is multifaceted and includes positive regard from others, practical support, and stability of care. While there is ample evidence that levels of perceived social support are predictive of self-perceptions, there is less information regarding ecologies of social support. African American children are subject to disparate discipline in schools which can create discontinuity in social support across home and school. Furthermore, research has suggested African American boys and girls have different experiences and expectations across parent, school, and peer contexts. Hence, the question arises as to what ecologies of social support are more or less impactful, and for whom? Cluster and canonical correlation analyses were employed to identify and create relevant ecologies across adult and peer social support items. The results suggested the following: a) continuous positive social support was associated with enhanced self-perceptions, b) some patterns of discontinuity were particularly germane for self-perceptions, and c) relations between perceived social support and self-perceptions outcomes varied by gender. Practical implications are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• African American
• self-perceptions
• ecological
• school-age children

Acknowledgments

This research was supported in part by a California State University Junior/Senior Faculty Research award. The author would like to thank all participating schools, children, and families. The authors would like to thank George Marcoulides for his assistance with data analysis.