Family Socialization and Fatalism Among Black Adolescents

Abstract

One of the most important theoretical and public policy issues encountered by social scientists interested in the problems associated with race and public education is the attempt to account for variations in scholastic performance among black students. Among the general hypotheses advanced to account for variations in scholastic performance among black students, the idea that learning difficulties among black students are brought about by a breakdown of the socialization process in the home has gained prominence and popularity. According to this perspective, . . early childhood experiences in poverty environments create enduring personality formations that are enimical to effective achievement striving. . . .1 This viewpoint has been given credence by the fact that several important studies have reported strong relationships between variations in certain personal attitudes and characteristics and scholastic performance among black students. In the tradition of established theories of socialization, the assumption is then made that variations in these personal attitudes and characteristics must