The purpose of this study is to explore the six attributes of the Resiliency for Academic Success framework and the possible relationship to academic achievement among urban high school students with a focus on multiracial students. Trueba identified six resiliency traits for academic success in his framework: intelligent planning in the pursuit of major goals, delaying gratification for the sake of future rewards, willingness to learn a new language and culture, ability to appreciate and use family support during crises, ability to use multiple personal identities in the process of communicating with others, loyalty to school and family and the wisdom to pursue academic excellence with the love and support of teachers and parents, and spiritual strength based on religious, cultural, and linguistic values. Academic achievement was measured by reading and math scores, which are mandatory assessments required for graduation in the state of Illinois. The study used quantitative research analyses: descriptive statistics, correlation, ANOVA, and regression. The sample included 521 students from five diverse high schools, but only 377 students from the five high schools had PSAE reading and math scores to correspond with completed surveys. The findings demonstrated that the multiracial students were not significantly different than other racial groups (Caucasian, African-Americans, Hispanics, and multiracial) in academic achievement. Multiracial students (N=85) in the study had similar levels with mean and standard deviation scores to Caucasian students (n=136). ANOVA demonstrated that differences existed between groups in PSAE reading, but no significant differences existed between racial groups in PSAE math. The regression analyses showed that all students (N=377) had the same three Resiliency for Academic Success factors (overall resiliency average, Spiritual strength, and Willingness to learn a new language and culture) that were predictive in reading and math PSAE. In addition, all students (N=377) showed that the Resiliency for Academic Success characteristic of Ability to use family support during crises was predictive of math PSAE scores.

1. B Y B R E T T A . B U R T O N
A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF RESILIENCY AND ACADEMIC
ACHIEVEMENT AMONG MULTIRACIAL STUDENTS
IN URBAN HIGH SCHOOLS
A DISSERTATION DEFENSE
APRIL 7, 2014

2. COMMITTEE MEMBERS
• Dissertation Chair: Dr. Teresa Wasonga
Dissertation Committee:
Dr. Christine Rienstra-Kiracofe
Dr. Carolyn Vander Schee

3. INTRODUCTION
• Relevance of the research
• Education Leadership
• School Improvement in Urban High Schools
• PSAE in the state of Illinois
• Trueba’s (2002) Resiliency for Academic Success
• Background of research
• 6 Components

4. TRUEBA’S FRAMEWORK
1. Intelligent
Planning in the
pursuit of major
goals, delaying
gratification for the
sake of future
rewards
2. Willingness
to Learn a New
Language and
Culture
3. Ability to Use Multiple
Personal Identities in the
process of communicating
with others
4. Ability to
appreciate
and use
family
support
during crises
6. Spiritual Strength
based on religious,
cultural, and
linguistic values
5. Loyalty to school and family and
the wisdom to pursue academic
excellence with the love and support
of teachers and parents
Resiliency
for
Academic
Success
Assisted
performance
and ZPD in the
discovery of the
new self
through
resiliency

5. WHAT BROUGHT ME TO EXPLORE THIS
TOPIC?
• Purpose of the Study:
• The purpose of this study was to explore the six
attributes of the Resiliency for Academic Success
Framework (Trueba, 2002) and their relationship to
academic achievement among urban high school
students, with a focus on these outcomes for
multiracial students.

6. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
• The rise in racial diversity and achievement gap
(NCLB) in public schools has caused the need for
school personnel to meet the academic demands of
students from different racial backgrounds, including
multiracial students.
• Resiliency researchers have investigated the impact
of protective factors on the academic achievement
of minority students, and the results have varied
among them (Benard, 1991; Smith & Carlson, 1997;
Trueba, 2002; Wasonga, 2004).

7. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
• RQ1: What are the levels of Resiliency for Academic Success factors and
academic achievement (PSAE Scores in Reading and Math) among Caucasians,
African-Americans, Hispanics, and multiracial urban high school students?
• RQ2: What is the relationship between Resiliency for Academic Success factors
and academic achievement (PSAE Scores in Reading and Math) among
Caucasians, African-Americans, Hispanics, and multiracial urban high school
students?
• RQ3: Are there differences in Resiliency for Academic Success factors and
academic achievement (PSAE Scores in Reading and Math) among Caucasian,
African-American, Hispanic, and Multiracial urban high school students ?
• RQ4: What Resiliency for Academic Success factors predict academic
achievement among urban high school students in each of the four racial groups
(Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic, and multiracial)?
•

8. LITERATURE REVIEW
Achievement Gap:
Factors
Resiliency for Academic
Success:
Dr. Henry Trueba
Student Racial
Groups in Urban High
Schools with a focus
on multiracial students

9. RESEARCH DESIGN
• Quantitative Study
• Descriptive statistics, Correlation, ANOVA, and
Regression
• Pilot Study-58 urban high school students
• Survey Instrument
• 5 urban high schools (A,B,C,D, and E)
• PSAE student scores (Reading and Math)

10. METHODOLOGY
• Survey/Questionnaire- Likert Scale 1-4
• 2 Unit School Districts in Urban Locations
• 5 Urban High Schools
• Diverse Student Population

11. DEMOGRAPHICS OF SAMPLE FROM ALL FIVE HIGH SCHOOLS
Number of Respondents Percent
Total population 377 100
Gender
Female 203 54
Male 174 46
Race – self-reported
Caucasian 136 36
African-American 31 8
Asian/Pacific Islander 18 5
Hispanic/Latino 82 22
2 or more races 85 23
Native-American 2 .004

12. STUDENT MULTIRACIAL COMBINATIONS
Multiracial Student Combinations
Combinations Total
Caucasian and Hispanic/Latino 32
Caucasian and African-American 25
Caucasian and Native American 12
Caucasian and Asian 8
African-American and Asian 3
3 Groups or more 8

13. STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS AND PSAE SCORES FOR SCHOOLS INCLUDED IN THE
SAMPLE
•
•
Urban High School, Grades 9-12
School A School B School C School D School E
Total Enrollment, Grades 9-12 1,884 2,292 1,285 2031 2,411
Percent
Student Demographics
White 54.3 67.8 42.0 62.0 61.0
Black 14.5 7.4 17.6 9.7 9.6
Latino 12.3 18.2 28.8 16.7 24.4
Asian 15.2 3.2 8.2 7.5 19.0
Multiracial 3.3 3.4 3.3 3.5 3.6
Native-American 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.0
Met Standard in Reading
All 73.6 66.2 58.2 70.5 61.9
White 84.3 71.2 64.5 74.5 67.5
Black 36.1 34.0 46.7 35.0 34.0
Latino 45.6 58.2 53.1 50.0 60.4
Asian 82.0 59.0 65.0 89.0 64.0
Multiracial NA 53.0 70.0 64.0 75.0
Native-American NA NA NA NA NA
Students with Disabilities 36.4 22.0 19.0 18.0 37.0
Economically Disadvantaged 42.1 54.2 42.6 44.0 50.0
Met Standard in Math
All 74.3 68.0 60.9 72.2 65.0
White 83.7 74.5 66.7 75.7 69.5
Black 30.6 40.0 48.9 35.0 41.5
Latino 47.4 54.5 53.1 56.0 62.3
Asian 91.0 65.0 70.0 85.0 82.0
Multiracial NA 53.0 70.0 46.0 65.0
Native-American NA NA NA NA NA
Students with Disabilities 28.8 48.9 13.0 12.0 37.0
Economically Disadvantaged 42.1 49.2 51.1 38.0 50.0
Overall Graduation Rate 82.0 99.1 80.0 99.1 80.0

14. CONCLUSION- RESILIENCY AND ACHIEVEMENT LEVELS &
REGRESSION
CAUCASIANS
• Finding: This study shows that Caucasian students had high levels in intelligent planning in
the pursuit of major life goals while delaying gratification. Intelligent planning also
predicted Caucasian students’ reading performance.
• Research Supporting Finding:
• Duckworth and Seligman’s (2005) longitudinal study analyzing the predicative measure of
self-discipline and academic achievement with adolescent students .
• These self-discipline factors correlated with higher standardized test scores and higher
grade point averages and determined that students with higher levels of self-discipline
were more likely to focus on academic achievement and/or limit or delay gratification
by not working at a minimum wage job or viewing substantial hours of television.

15. CONCLUSION-RESILIENCY AND ACHIEVEMENT LEVELS
AFRICAN-AMERICANS
• Finding: The findings in this research showed that African-American students
demonstrated high levels of resiliency, in comparison to the other racial groups,
with Intelligent Planning in the pursuit of major goals, Loyalty to school and family,
Spiritual strength, and overall resiliency; however, the higher mean levels of
resiliency did not transfer to academic achievement.
• Research supporting finding:
• Sahgal and Smith (2009) found that 87 percent of African-Americans belong to a religious group
and 53 percent attend church at least once a week and pray once or more a day.
• Intelligent planning among African-American students in this sample parallels research
completed by Wasonga & Christman (2003) on resiliency and academic achievement among
African-American students in an urban setting.
• Shernoff and Schmidt (2007)

16. CONCLUSION-RESILIENCY AND ACHIEVEMENT LEVELS
MULTIRACIAL STUDENTS
• Finding: Multiracial students were more similar on the six Resiliency for Academic Success
factors and PSAE reading and math scores when compared to Caucasians, but were not
significantly different from Hispanic/Latino and African-American students. The findings
are indicative of having a multiracial student sample that was majority part Caucasian at
67%, which means that although multiracial students in the research identified as
multiracial, their results were closer to Caucasian students results in Resiliency for
Academic Success and academic achievement than to any other racial group.
• Research supporting finding:
• Shih & Sanchez, (2009)
• Binning, Unzueta, Huo, and Molina (2009)
• The findings from this study indicated multiracial students demonstrated levels of resiliency
and academic achievement that were more similar to Caucasian students.

17. CONCLUSION-RESILIENCY AND ACHIEVEMENT LEVELS
HISPANIC/LATINO STUDENTS
• Finding: Hispanic/Latino students had the highest mean score in willingness to
learn a new language and culture and ability to use multiple personal
identities.
• Research supporting Finding: These findings parallel Trueba’s (2002)
research that found Hispanic/Latino students had to overcome challenges
such as learning a different language and associating with other students
from different racial and ethnic groups. The Hispanic/Latino students in this
study had high levels of ability to use multiple personal identities in comparison
to Caucasian and African-American students, which may help
Hispanic/Latinos overcome challenges by developing different identities
(Wasonga, 2004). However, Hispanic/Latino students’ ability to use multiple
personal identities did not affect their academic achievement.

18. CONCLUSION- RESILIENCY AND ACHIEVEMENT LEVELS &
REGRESSION
OVERALL STUDENTS
• Finding: Willingness to learn a new language and culture predicted math
achievement as measured by PSAE for all students (F7, 370, p < 0.05) &
spiritual strength predicted math achievement as measured by PSAE for
all students (F7, 370, p < 0.05).
• Research supporting Finding:
• Ferrer’s Study (2012) study of African-American and Hispanic/Latino High
school students.
• Regnerus’s (2006) study of urban high school students from all racial
groups. Regnerus examined the relationship between church
attendance and religious values and math achievement scores. The
results of the study showed that a positive correlation (r=.301; p < .001)
existed among urban high school students between religious
involvement/church attendance and reading and math achievement. In
addition, Regnerus found that religious involvement predicted reading
and math achievement with urban high school students. .

19. CONCLUSION-RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RESILIENCY AND
ACHIEVEMENT
CAUCASIANS
• Finding: Caucasian students had positive correlations between PSAE
mathematics and reading and intelligent planning in the pursuit of
major life goals, delaying gratification (r=.197, p=0.05) (r= .184, p=
0.05).
• Research supporting Finding:
• Benard found that resilient children aspired to be something great,
established high educational goals by remaining motivated to
achieve academically, and were persistent in their pursuit of a good
life.
• Benard’s findings relate to Trueba’s (2002) research pertaining to
intelligent planning that when students forecast their future by pursuit
of a goal, they are more inclined to resist immediate gratification
because it may hinder the pursuit of long-term gratification with
goals.

20. CONCLUSION-RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RESILIENCY AND
ACHIEVEMENT
AFRICAN-AMERICANS
• Finding: African-American students in this study had a positive
correlation between intelligent planning and PSAE reading (r=.504,
p=0.05).
• Research supporting Finding:
• Wasonga’s (2004) Research
• Powell and Arriola’s (2003) Research
• The current research discovered that African-Americans had lower
PSAE math and reading scores than other student racial groups,
although their achievement scores met state benchmarks.

21. CONCLUSION- RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RESILIENCY AND
ACHIEVEMENT
HISPANIC/LATINOS
• Finding: Hispanic/Latino (n=82) students did not show any
correlations between Resiliency for Academic Success factors and
PSAE reading and math.
• Research supporting Finding: This finding is aligned to Trueba’s (2002)
research with Hispanic/ Latino students that concluded students may
possess resiliency factors but the factors do not necessarily increase
academic achievement.

22. CONCLUSION-RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RESILIENCY AND
ACHIEVEMENT
MULTIRACIAL
• Finding: Significant positive linear relationships were found between multiracial
students’ PSAE mathematics scores and two of the Resiliency for Academic
Success factors: 1) ability to use family support during crises (r=.308, p=0.05); and 2)
loyalty to family/school (r=.324, p=0.01).
• In addition, a significant positive linear relationship was found between multiracial
students’ PSAE scores in reading and three of the Resiliency for Academic Success
factors: 1) willingness to learn a new language and culture (r= .211, p= 0.05) and 2)
ability to use family support during crises (r=.277, p=0.05) and loyalty to family
school and the wisdom to pursue academic excellence (r=.326, p=0.05).
• Research supporting finding: . Trueba (2002) elaborates on the family support
concept by claiming that family support for students provides a great source of
stability and strength. Students learn to appreciate their family and share things in
their life that are positive as well as negative. Furthermore, students learn not only
to receive help from their family, but they learn to help family members in need as
well. Although correlations were present among multiracial students, the factors did
not impact their PSAE reading and math achievement, it’s relational.

23. CONCLUSION-DIFFERENCES IN RESILIENCY AND ACHIEVEMENT
ACROSS RACIAL GROUPS
ALL STUDENTS
Findings (Differences):
• Caucasians and Hispanics in Willingness to Learn a New Culture and Language and
Ability to use Multiple personal Identities
• African-Americans and Hispanic/Latino differences with Ability to Use Multiple Personal
Identities and Willingness to Learn a New Language and Culture
• Caucasians and African-American differences with Ability to Use Multiple Personal
Identities and Spiritual Strength
• The results show that Caucasian students (N=136) had more differences than other
student racial groups on the Resiliency for Academic Success factors.
• ANOVA results show that overall multiracial students (N=85) were not significantly
different than Caucasians (N=136),
• Research supporting finding:
• Dr. Ferrer’s Study
• Trueba’s Study (2002)

24. IMPLICATIONS FOR ALL STUDENT RACIAL GROUPS
• 1. A significant difference in the study was in PSAE reading between Caucasians and Hispanic/Latinos.
• 2. The second important finding suggests that Resiliency for Academic Success factors did not
significantly increase academic achievement, however, all student racial groups met standards in PSAE
Reading and Math.
• 3. Intelligent planning for the sake of future rewards and delaying gratification predicted PSAE reading
achievement for only Caucasian students, demonstrating that these students have acquired the
necessary skills in developing an academic plan and educational goals.
• 4. Multiracial students were more similar on the six Resiliency for Academic Success factors and PSAE
reading and math scores when compared to Caucasians students. Shih and Sanchez state there is a
need for school systems to fully understand multiracial communities.
• 5. This study revealed that Resiliency for Academic Success factors did not transfer to academic
achievement for this particular student population which parallels Trueba’s (2002) study with
Hispanic/Latino students.
• 6. As an educational leader we know that resiliency attributes are beneficial to students and the school
culture, which means public schools may want to embed the teaching of resiliency and/or foster
resiliency into a high school curriculum.

25. IMPLICATIONS FOR MULTIRACIAL STUDENTS
• 1. The current findings are consistent with the more recent literature focused
on the positive or neutral outcomes of being multiracial (Shih & Sanchez,
2009). i.e.// flexibility
• 2. Binning, Unzueta, Huo, and Molina (2009) found in their research on
multiracial adolescents that multiracial students electing to identify with
multiple racial groups instead of one racial group are more apt to experience
“positive outcomes, social engagement, and psychological wellbeing” (p.
44). (Correlation with ability to use family support during crises and PSAE Read
and Math achievement).
• 3. Based on the multiracial student sample in this research, where 67% of the
multiracial student population was part Caucasian, the results are rational.

26. IMPLICATIONS FOR MULTIRACIAL STUDENTS MAP
Shih &
Sanchez
(2009)
•Multiracial people have more
flexible understandings of race
and race relations
•Multiracial identity is
overlapping and compatible,
higher well being
Rockquemore,
Brunsma, &
Delgado (2009)
•Multiracial in media has helped
legitimize mixed racial identity
•Both feet in both groups so that
one has the ability to hold,
merge, and respect multiple
racial groups
Binning,
Unzueta,
Huo, and
Molina
(2009)
•Study found that multiracial
adolescents who identify proudly
as multiracial fare as well as – or
better than kids who identify with
a single group.
•Multiracials identify with multiple
groups are better able to
navigate homogenous and
heterogeneous settings than
those multiracials that identify
with one group

27. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY
• 1. Perform a mixed methods design study (Quantitative and
Qualitative)
• 2. Study a larger high school student population from students
located in inner city, magnet, charter, or parochial schools
• 3. Examine student populations in other geographic regions in the United
States such as Los Angeles, California; New York City, New York;
Miami, Florida; and Minneapolis, Minnesota.
• 4. Examine resiliency among multiracial students with various multiracial
blends
• 5. Control for Socioeconomic status