The Racialized Field of Education and the Meaning-Making of Race within Schools:
The Racialized Field of Education and the Meaning-Making of Race within Schools:
A Racialized Cultural Capital Approach
A Racialized Cultural Capital Approach
Using field theory as an analytical tool, this study explores how parental racial socialization (PRSOC), as a transmitter of cultural capital, operates in schools. Using data from the Maryland Adolescent Development In Context Study, I: 1) focus on the ways in which Black and White students are engaged in PRSOC; 2) investigate the relationship between engagement in PRSOC, academic outcomes, and educational experiences; and 3) investigate the extent to which there is variation in content and purpose of Black and White PRSOC. Significant differences in engagement in PRSOC surface, whereby Black students, on average, report engaging in significantly higher amounts and more varied forms of PRSOC than White students. Findings also suggest a significant positive relationship between Black students’ engagement in PRSOC and academic outcomes, and to a lesser extent a negative relationship with educational experiences. Further, while there is no relationship between engagement in White PRSOC, academic outcomes, and educational experiences, there is a significant positive relationship between White racial pride and White students’ educational experiences, suggesting that White students’ probability of liking school is related to their racial pride. These differences may have repercussions on students’ educational experiences as Black PRSOC largely serves to protect students from racism, while White PRSOC ultimately maintains the racialized field of education.