Academic Achievement Motivation of Black Adolescents
Fisher, Teresa Arlene
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/69208
Description
Title
Academic Achievement Motivation of Black Adolescents
Author(s)
Fisher, Teresa Arlene
Issue Date
1988
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Harmon, Lenore W.
Department of Study
Education
Discipline
Education
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Education, Guidance and Counseling
Abstract
The goal of this study was to identify factors that predict academic motivation for Black adolescents as well as those that inhibit their motivation. This investigation also searched for significant distinctions between Black students who succeed in school and those who do not. The participants in the study were 368 students who attended inner-city high schools in Illinois. They were sophomores and juniors with a wide range of ability levels and from various socioeconomic backgrounds.
The investigation examined the differences among the students on several preselected variables. Statistical analysis was performed to determine how a student's California Achievement Test score and grade point average (dependent variables) are affected by the following independent variables: socioeconomic status, sex, educational aspirations and expectations, occupational aspirations and expectations, perceived opportunity for success in school, academic self-concept, awareness of limited opportunity for the future, and perceived support from parents, teachers, and peers. The variables were assessed by a 10-page questionnaire and interview procedure.
The findings of the study reveal that the students' academic self-concept is the best predictor of academic achievement. According to the interviews, the students' perception of academic support from significant others as well as their perception of the opportunities for success in their academic environment are also crucial factors in the academic achievement behavior of Black adolescents.
This study introduced student perception of opportunity for academic success as one of the newest variables that can have an impact on achievement behavior. Identifying what students perceive as positive incentives in their academic setting is the next step required to establish a comprehensive picture of this new predictor.
The strength of the relationship between the above variables and academic achievement implies that current and future programs should include them as major components. Most programs designed to enhance academic performance of Black youth focus primarily on increasing academic self-confidence. Programs that focus on developing positive self-evaluations of academic ability, establishing supportive relationships with students and their significant others, and assisting schools with providing positive incentives, will be the ideal model for educators and counselors to follow.
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