Recursive processes in self-affirmation: intervening to close the minority achievement gap.
A 2-year follow-up of a randomized field experiment previously reported in Science is presented. A subtle intervention to lessen minority students' psychological threat related to being negatively stereotyped in school was tested in an experiment conducted three times with three independent cohorts (N = 133, 149, and 134). The intervention, a series of brief but structured writing assignments focusing students on a self-affirming value, reduced the racial achievement gap. Over 2 years, the grade point average (GPA) of African Americans was, on average, raised by 0.24 grade points. Low-achieving African Americans were particularly benefited. Their GPA improved, on average, 0.41 points, and their rate of remediation or grade repetition was less (5% versus 18%). Additionally, treated students' self-perceptions showed long-term benefits. Findings suggest that because initial psychological states and performance determine later outcomes by providing a baseline and initial trajectory for a recursive process, apparently small but early alterations in trajectory can have long-term effects. Implications for psychological theory and educational practice are discussed.
Department of Psychology, University of Colorado, Muenzinger Psychology Building, Boulder, CO 80309-0345, USA. cohen.geoff@gmail.com
Geoffrey L
GL
Cohen
Julio
J
Garcia
Valerie
V
Purdie-Vaughns
Nancy
N
Apfel
Patricia
P
Brzustoski
D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D004521:Educational Measurement; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D012938:Social Perception; D012945:Social Values; D013240:Stereotyping