Adolescence is a formative time for young people to define both who they are and who they hope to become. For Black and Latine youth, that journey often unfolds against a backdrop of historical barriers and discrimination in society as well as in educational settings, ultimately shaping how they see themselves, their future, and their place in school.
Negative stereotypes about academic ability, exposure to racism, and the lack of both role models and an institutional culture that reflects their identity are among the barriers affecting Black and Latine students’ identity and sense of belonging in school. Such barriers are not just individual shortcomings, but conditions that can affect students’ sense of belonging, confidence, and long-term engagement in school.
Régine Débrosse, an assistant professor at McGill’s School of Social Work, and her collaborators investigated whether simple, strength-based reflection activities could improve the academic persistence of Black and Latine adolescents.
In her study, participants were randomly assigned to three groups. The first group completed a community resourcefulness reflection, identifying strategies they could employ to help overcome obstacles to their ideal future. Participants in the second group completed a voice reflection, in which they were prompted to reflect on situations in which they might be underrepresented and were encouraged to view their identity and perspective as strengths. The third group served as a control group and did not complete any reflection activities.
The participants then filled out a form assessing school belonging, academic persistence, and ethnic-ideal alignment—the connections between their racial/ethnic identity and their future identity.
“Both reflections improved markers of academic persistence by transforming adolescents’ experiences,” Débrosse wrote in an email to The Tribune.
Altogether, the community resourcefulness and voice reflections both increased academic persistence of Black and Latine adolescents, but their effects depend on gender and operate through different psychological pathways.
Girls who completed the written community resourcefulness reflection reported greater alignment between their racial and ethnic identities and their ideal future self, which, in turn, predicted higher academic engagement. There was no measurable impact on the boys in this group.
However, both boys and girls who participated in the voice reflection reported greater belonging at school, which was associated with higher academic engagement.
Débrosse’s research highlights the importance of shifting away from deficit-based narratives in education and toward approaches that affirm students’ identities and lived experiences. Her results also suggest that identity development during adolescence may be especially sensitive to targeted messages. Repeated opportunities for students to see their racial or ethnic background as aligned with long-term goals can reshape how young people relate to school and their futures and help nurture developmental pathways marked by sustained motivation and persistence.
The results also underscore the importance of intersectionality: Black and Latina girls appeared to benefit differently from the community resourcefulness reflection, potentially because they face distinct social expectations or tensions when imagining their futures.
“[This research] adds to work demonstrating the potential of highlighting people’s strengths and full experiences, especially people whose community is negatively stereotyped in a certain area,” Débrosse wrote.
The study also points to practical implications. For instance, schools might consider implementing structured reflection activities that both highlight community resilience and affirm students’ unique voices, particularly during key developmental transitions. However, Débrosse cautions that further research is needed, especially given limitations such as small subgroup sample sizes and measurement constraints.
“[Future studies should examine] further the potential of strengths-based approaches, identity approaches that support expanding and connecting the different parts composing who each of us is, and of approaches that counter harmful narratives and make space for people to be their full selves,” Débrosse wrote.
Ultimately, the findings suggest that even brief, structured opportunities for reflection can meaningfully shape how adolescents see themselves in relation to school and their aspirations.
“It is powerful to go beyond common stories we hear about one another, and that incredible things happen when we focus on and lift each other’s strengths,” Débrosse wrote.
