Identity Salience Theory

Black males have often been the subject of researchers’ inquires, but few researches have analyzed the impact of schooling on their holistic identity development within middle and high school settings (i.e., Henfield, 2013). During the K-12 years, physical, educational, social, and psychological changes take place during the adolescent years. “Adolescent identity development has linked a coherent sense of oneself and one's place in the world with school attendance, graduation, and academic achievement, particularly for youth who are members of non-dominant racial/ethnic groups” (Gullan et al., 2011, p. 1). Presumably, identity salience becomes a factor in the educational experiences of Black males (Belgrave & Brevard, 2014).
Given the connection
DuBois coined as double-consciousness (Beasley et al., 2014; Johnson, 2013; Zirkel & Johnson, 2016; Allen, 2016). Dubois’s theory posits that there is a "twoness, an American, a Negro, two souls, two thoughts-two warring ideals" (DuBois, 1990, p. 364). This is due to the structual racism that Black men experience causing an internal conflict where Black men are faced with navigating the psychological and socio-historical realities of racial oppression within a predominately European society (Johnson, 2013; Zirkel & Johnson, 2016; Allen, 2016). Furthermore, this becomes the basis for identity formation within education for many academically talented Black
Zirkel and Johnson (2016) posited that having racial pride and developing a position Black racial identity is linked to two concepts: “(a) a strong and positive identification with being Black combined with (b) a racial consciousness of the historical, social, and cultural context of being Black in the United States, including a critical consciousness about race and racism (p. 302).”
Furthermore, there is an association between academic self-efficacy—which influences motivation by demonstrating how much effort an individual exerts in an endeavor and their willingness to persevere through the obstacles they face—and positive racial identity development in regards to academic achievement (Ellis et al., 2015). Parents play a significant role in racially socializing their children and providing them with a positive perspective of their racial identity (Cross, 1971; Cross et al., 2001; Harro, 2000). Allen (2013) found that parents were proactive and intentional about instilling racial pride in their sons and helping them to understand racial barriers to success in order to prepare their sons to be resilient. The socialization process often focused on education as a tool for excelling within society by stressing meritocracy, accountability, and resiliency. Allen (2015) recalled a parent