The paradox of positive self-concept and low achievement among Black and Latinx youth: A test of psychological explanations

Previous studies often document that Black and Latinx adolescents demonstrate considerable positive self-concept despite their low academic achievement. We critically reviewed two common psychological explanations for this paradoxical phenomenon: selective devaluation hypothesis (lower value placed in schoolwork protects their self-concept) and external attribution hypothesis (external attribution of poor achievement protects their self-concept). For a deeper understanding of Black and Latinx youth’s development of self-concept as racially or ethnically influenced process, we revisited these hypotheses with consideration of explanatory mediator (i.e., academic value) and moderator (i.e., perceived school fairness), based on nationally representative longitudinal data of Black, Latinx, and White 10th graders (n ≅ 12,920, 50.5% female). Contrary to the selective devaluation hypothesis, we found that Black and Latinx youth placed greater value in schoolwork than White adolescents. Contrary to the external attribution hypothesis, self-concept was similarly related to previous achievement between Black and White adolescents and more closely related among Latinx adolescents. Based on the results, we proposed three alternative hypotheses that might better explain the process of developing academic self-concept among Black and Latinx youth.