Stephens et al., 2014: Reflecting on social class challenges and how to overcome them improved academic performance and physiological thriving among first-generation college students over one to two years
Reference:
Stephens, N. M., Hamedani, M. G., & Destin, M. (2014). Closing the social-class achievement gap: A difference-education intervention improves first-generation students’ academic performance and all students’ college transition. Psychological science, 25(4), 943-953.
Download PDFSummary:
A panel discussion that provided first-generation college students information about how students’ social-class backgrounds affect their experiences in college, including unique challenges faced by first-generation students and how students overcome these with time, as compared to a panel discussion that did not link college experiences to students’ social-class background, reduced the social-class achievement gap in first-year GPA among students at a selective college by 63%. A follow-up 2 years later found that the intervention improved anabolic balance, a measure of physiological thriving, while students engaged in stressful tasks (Stephens et al., 2015)
Psychological Process:
Need
Need to BelongWhat Desired Meaning is At Stake?
What is the Person Trying to Understand?
To Feel Connected, Included, Respected, and Valued by OthersHow?
Psychological Question Addressed
Can people "like me" come to belong?Can people "like me" come to belong?Faciliating beliefs that sustain belonging in the face of challengesPsychological Question Addressed
Can people "like me" come to belong?Psychological Process 2:
Psychological Process 3:
Social Area:
Education
Intervention Technique:
Prompting with information