Disidentification with academics is sometimes cited as a factor in the underperformance of ethnic minority students, and the current study examined whether this would be evident among adolescents from Latin American backgrounds. The associations of adolescents’ grade point average (GPA) and academic self-concept with their global self-esteem were examined in a longitudinal sample of 552 adolescents from Latin American, Asian, and European backgrounds. Correlational and longitudinal within-person analyses indicated that adolescents from Latin American backgrounds demonstrated levels of academic identification similar to their more highly achieving peers from other backgrounds. These findings contribute to the emerging body of evidence suggesting a strong level of motivation among students from Latin American backgrounds despite the significant challenges to their academic success.

Ethnic socialization has significant associations with African American children’s academic motivation and psychological well-being. However, little is known about the role of ethnic socialization for families with Latin American and Asian backgrounds. In the present study, we examined if there were ethnic and generation differences among 524 11th grade adolescents from Mexican, Chinese, and European backgrounds in the frequency and the types of ethnic socialization messages that they received from their parents. Participants also responded to questions about discrimination experiences and academic motivation. Their grade point averages (GPAs) were collected from school records. Results indicated that adolescents from both Mexican and Chinese backgrounds reported more cultural socialization and preparation for bias messages than their peers from European backgrounds. Chinese adolescents reported more promotion of mistrust messages than their peers with European backgrounds. Moreover, promotion of mistrust messages negatively predicted academic achievement, whereas positive cultural socialization messages accounted for the higher levels of motivation among adolescents from Chinese and Mexican backgrounds as compared to their equally-achieving peers from European backgrounds. Ethnic socialization did not moderate the negative association between discrimination and achievement.