Nearly forty-three percent of African American students enrolled in higher education institutions in 2011 dropped out by 2017. These data come from a national study, which showed African Americans' dropout rates were significantly higher than White (i.e., 23.5%), Asian (i.e., 16.5%), and Latinx students (i.e., 32. 8%; Shapiro, et al., 2017). Although the higher education field has proposed several theoretical models for understanding the dropout process, the most influential prototype has been the student departure model (Tinto, 1975). According to this model, an interaction occurs between students and their institutions, which results in integration. When students fail to properly integrate into their institutions' academic and social systems, they drop out. Existent research conducted at four-year institutions provides modest support for this model. However, a fraction of proposed relationships within the model have been less well supported (Braxton et al., 1997). Even more, little progress has been made in understanding the dropout process unique to African Americans.
Interestingly, other fields have also taken an interest in factors determining educational and academic outcomes. For African Americans, this factor has been ethnic-racial identity (ERI), a term that describes an individuals' feelings and beliefs about his or her ethnicity and race (Rivas-Drake et al., 2014). ERI is thought to be a critical part of diverse ethnic-racial groups' development and is often conceptualized as a protective and promotive factor for African Americans. The bulk of ERI literature reveals a small to moderate, positive association between ERI and achievement in African Americans (Miller-Cotto & Byrnes, 2016). More specifically, studies show that having positive feelings and beliefs about one's ethnicity/race are associated with better academic outcomes. This appears particularly true for individuals who believe their ethnicity and race are central to their identity. Similarly, a more explored and committed identity is linked to higher academic achievement (Miller-Cotto & Byrnes, 2016).
Thus, the current study proposed a new relationship in the student departure model between ERI and dropout outcomes, via academic integration. This study sampled African American undergraduates attending a predominately White institution (PWI) to examine the role of ERI dimensions (i.e., positive racial affect, racial centrality, and explorative behaviors) were related to intentions to persist through academic integration factors (i.e., intellectual development, attendance behavior). Overall, the mediation path analysis model effectively depicted the experiences of African American undergraduates' departure experiences, revealing that ERI dimensions were indirectly related to intentions to remain enrolled through intellectual development. Specifically, results showed that 1) high private regard was related to higher levels of intellectual development, and 2) for low private regard students, high centrality was related to lower intellectual development Intellectual development was linked to greater intentions to remain enrolled. Ultimately, students' intent to remain enrolled predicted dropout status the following semester. Neither exploration nor attendance behavior were significant within the model. Additionally, no gender differences among ERI, academic integration, and dropout outcomes (i.e., intent to persist, dropout status) were identified in exploratory analysis. Taken together results underscore the importance of positive racial affect in academic integration for African American students at PWIs. The presence of positive racial affect may be particularly important for promoting students' persistence toward continued enrollment.