Affirming Independence: Exploring Mechanisms Underlying a Values Affirmation Intervention for First-Generation Students
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| Title: | Affirming Independence: Exploring Mechanisms Underlying a Values Affirmation Intervention for First-Generation Students |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Tibbetts, Yoi, Harackiewicz, Judith M., Canning, Elizabeth A., Boston, Jilana S., Priniski, Stacy J., Hyde, Janet S. |
| Source: | Grantee Submission. 2016 110(5). |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 25 |
| Publication Date: | 2016 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Institutes of Health (DHHS) Institute of Education Sciences (ED) National Science Foundation (NSF) |
| Contract Number: | R01GM102703 R305B090009 DGE1256259 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | First Generation College Students, Biology, Science Instruction, Longitudinal Studies, Grade Point Average, Comparative Analysis, Intervention, Prediction, Mathematics Tests, Working Class, Mathematics Achievement, Laboratory Experiments, Student Attitudes, Achievement Gap, Social Values, Social Class, Self Concept, Self Esteem, Writing (Composition), Outcomes of Education, Gender Differences, Personal Autonomy |
| DOI: | 10.1037/pspa0000049 |
| ISSN: | 0022-3514 |
| Abstract: | First-generation college students (students for whom neither parent has a 4-year college degree) earn lower grades and worry more about whether they belong in college, compared with continuing-generation students (who have at least 1 parent with a 4-year college degree). We conducted a longitudinal follow-up of participants from a study in which a values-affirmation intervention improved performance in a biology course for first-generation college students, and found that the treatment effect on grades persisted 3 years later. First-generation students in the treatment condition obtained a GPA that was, on average, 0.18 points higher than first-generation students in the control condition, 3 years after values affirmation was implemented (Study 1A). We explored mechanisms by testing whether the values-affirmation effects were predicated on first-generation students reflecting on interdependent values (thus affirming their values that are consistent with working-class culture) or independent values (thus affirming their values that are consistent with the culture of higher education). We found that when first-generation students wrote about their independence, they obtained higher grades (both in the semester in which values affirmation was implemented and in subsequent semesters) and felt less concerned about their background. In a separate laboratory experiment (Study 2) we manipulated the extent to which participants wrote about independence and found that encouraging first-generation students to write more about their independence improved their performance on a math test. These studies highlight the potential of having FG students focus on their own independence. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| IES Funded: | Yes |
| Entry Date: | 2020 |
| Accession Number: | ED605733 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | First-generation college students (students for whom neither parent has a 4-year college degree) earn lower grades and worry more about whether they belong in college, compared with continuing-generation students (who have at least 1 parent with a 4-year college degree). We conducted a longitudinal follow-up of participants from a study in which a values-affirmation intervention improved performance in a biology course for first-generation college students, and found that the treatment effect on grades persisted 3 years later. First-generation students in the treatment condition obtained a GPA that was, on average, 0.18 points higher than first-generation students in the control condition, 3 years after values affirmation was implemented (Study 1A). We explored mechanisms by testing whether the values-affirmation effects were predicated on first-generation students reflecting on interdependent values (thus affirming their values that are consistent with working-class culture) or independent values (thus affirming their values that are consistent with the culture of higher education). We found that when first-generation students wrote about their independence, they obtained higher grades (both in the semester in which values affirmation was implemented and in subsequent semesters) and felt less concerned about their background. In a separate laboratory experiment (Study 2) we manipulated the extent to which participants wrote about independence and found that encouraging first-generation students to write more about their independence improved their performance on a math test. These studies highlight the potential of having FG students focus on their own independence. |
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| ISSN: | 0022-3514 |
| DOI: | 10.1037/pspa0000049 |
