African American adolescents (132 males and 128 females; age M=14.8 years, SD=0.92) enrolled in an urban community social skills development program participated in a study assessing the relationship among perceptions of family and community social support, fear of calamitous events, depression, and anger expression. Expressing fear of calamitous…

When eight black and eight white children tried to purchase cigarettes in California, where purchase by minors is illegal, black children were sold cigarettes significantly more often, especially in black neighborhoods and by nonblack clerks, and adult customers made no effort to stop them. Implications for smoking prevention are discussed. (SLD)

Describes preliminary research findings on the Multi-Construct African American Identity Questionnaire, designed to measure components of racial/ethnic identity for African American youth. Data from 67 youth in one city and 92 in another provide some insight into the reliability and validity of the measure as well as descriptive information for…

Examined the reliability of the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Scale (MEIM) (J. Phinney, 1992) in measuring feelings of ethnic affirmation and belongings, ethnic behaviors, and ethnic knowledge with 118 inner-city African American children aged 8 to 12 years. Results of reliability analyses are mixed and indicate that constructs of ethnic behavior and…

Studied factors that influence academic success among 84 high-achieving African American students exposed to many stressful life events often associated with life in urban neighborhoods. Results show that adolescent-perceived hassles were indications of parental monitoring, and parental monitoring was positively related to self-esteem. Discusses…

Collected data from 84 urban, female African American middle school students to investigate neighborhood cohesion and parent and adult social support coping, singly and cooperatively, as resources for school achievement outcomes. Positive perceptions of the neighborhood directly and positively related to increased feelings of school self-efficacy…

Examines race-related factors of racial discrimination, racial context, and having White friends and these factors' impact on life satisfaction for 312 African American adults in Detroit (Michigan). Results show that experiencing discrimination is associated with lower levels of life satisfaction, while attending school in predominantly white…

Reviews the findings of L. Koch and A. Gross (1997) and suggests that the positive perceptions of black children toward Black English reflect the dominant linguistic standard within their peer groups. Retention of the Black English vernacular is advocated because it is an expressively rich form of communication. (SLD)

Studied the relationship of African American adolescents' fears of calamity, kinship social support, and neighborhood social capital to aspects of depression. Results with 160 urban adolescents indicate that those with neighbors who looked out for them and who were interested in them were less likely to be depressed than those whose neighborhoods…

The efficacy of signifying, a form of social discourse in the African American community, as a scaffold for teaching skills in literary interpretation was demonstrated with 52 urban high school students in an experimental group and 25 controls. Skill in signifying and social knowledge showed positive correlations with achievement. (SLD)

Discusses the controversy over the use of Ebonics in the Oakland (California) schools and presents two schools of thought about the origin of Ebonics, the pidgin/Creole and the African retention theories. Three research studies are described that support the use of Ebonics in the classroom as a bridge to standard English. (SLD)

Examined African American students' perceptions of African Americans who used Black English (BE) as opposed to those who used Standard English (SE). In contrast to results of previous studies with adults, these 96 junior high school students from the southern United States thought the BE speaker was more likable and competent than the SE speaker.…

Examined group differences in the academic achievement beliefs of African American adolescents with 102 junior high school students involved in an academic enrichment program. Boys had higher beliefs about their abilities and expectations in mathematics and science. Differences in beliefs about effort for high and low achievers of both sexes are…

Reviews "Understanding Black Adolescent Male Violence" (Amos N. Wilson, 1991). Violence among young African-American males is explored, with a comprehensive analysis of causes of violence in the inner-city and suggested remediation and preventive methods for solving the violence problem. Theories of male development and the role of an…

Argues that educators should provide black youth with the history of Black and Standard English and encourage them to examine these two forms critically, along with the social and political situations that created them. Young black people who know the value of language and culture will not have to surrender one of these languages. (SLD)