Harackiewicz et al., 2016: Asking why biology is useful in their lives raised grades among first-generation, ethnic-minority, biology students
Reference:
Tibbetts, Y., Harackiewicz, J. M., Canning, E. A., Boston, J. S., Priniski, S. J., & Hyde, J. S. (2016). Affirming independence: Exploring mechanisms underlying a values affirmation intervention for first-generation students. Journal of personality and social psychology, 110(5), 635.
Download PDFSummary:
Asking students in an introduction biology course to reflect on why “specific [course content] is relevant to your life or useful to you” raised the course grades of first-generation and racial-ethnic minority college students, reducing the achievement gap with advantaged students by 61%. Simultaneously, a value-affirmation intervention was not effective.
Psychological Process:
What Desired Meaning is At Stake?
What is the Person Trying to Understand?
Personal and Social ExperiencesApproach to Desired Meaning
What about it?
Changing beliefs about personal experiences and contexts that lack meaningHow?
Psychological Question Addressed
Does this school or work task have personal meaning to me?Does this school or work task have personal meaning to me?Psychological Question Addressed
Does this school or work task have personal meaning to me?Psychological Process 2:
Psychological Process 3:
Social Area:
Education
Intervention Technique:
Active reflection, value-affirmation; Prompting with leading questions;