Ethnic discrimination predicting academic attitudes for Latinx students in middle childhood

The current study is a two-year study examining perceptions of teacher and peer discrimination among Latinx children in middle childhood (n = 156). We examined the frequency and type of teacher and peer discrimination Latinx children perceive; whether perceptions of teacher and peer discrimination predict changes in children's academic attitudes over time (namely, their interest in academics, perceived importance of academic success, school belonging, and perceptions of Latinx peers' academic norms); and whether this influence is moderated by the school ethnic context. Results indicated that a majority of children perceived at least one instance of school-based discrimination, more often from teachers than peers. Further, controlling for academic performance, perceptions of discrimination from teachers, albeit infrequent, led to a lower school belonging and more negative perceptions of their Latino peers' academic norms. School context moderated the links between peer and teacher discrimination and perceived interest in and importance of academics.