ERIC Number: EJ998414
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Apr
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0272-7757
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Available Date: N/A
Not Just Any Path: Implications of Identity-Based Motivation for Disparities in School Outcomes
Oyserman, Daphna
Economics of Education Review, v33 p179-190 Apr 2013
Low-income and minority children aspire to school success and expect to attend college. These aspirations and expectations matter--predicting college attendance and graduation when present and failure to attend college otherwise. But aspiring to college does not necessarily result in relevant behavior; many children with high aspirations do not take sufficient action to work toward their school goals. This paper uses identity-based motivation theory (IBM, 0325 and 0330) to predict that school-focused expectations and aspirations predict action if at the moment of judgment, they are accessible (come to mind) and feel relevant. Relevance is operationalized in three ways. (1) Feeling congruent with important social identities (e.g., race-ethnicity, social class), (2) feeling connected with relevant behavioral strategies (studying, asking questions), and (3) providing an interpretation of difficulties along the way as implying task importance, not impossibility. Family assets and child savings are likely to influence each element of identity relevance. (Contains 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Minority Group Students, Low Income Groups, Economically Disadvantaged, Identification, Student Motivation, Student Behavior, Academic Aspiration, Student Educational Objectives, Congruence (Psychology), Learning Strategies, Money Management, Fiscal Capacity
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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