Now that we understand o opportunity g gaps w what’s next? t? The p psychology o of s f small i interventi tions to lift ft student a ach chievement Valerie Purdie-Greenaway Columbia University May 2, 2019
A Framework for Small Interventions Scholarship • Education • Consulting 4
Psych chology is a a powerf rful s source ce o of motivatio ion Psychology is implicit in all situations
Change your perspective *TEXT HERE*
Psychology is implicit in all situations “Perhaps my most significant finding is that female science majors need far more encouragement than men. The prevailing ethos tends to be, Anyone Who Needs to be Encouraged Shouldn’t Be ... Most instructors think that they are being even-handed in their refusal to encourage anyone, not understanding that any male who grows up in this country already receives encouragement, if only in the form of prevailing images of scientists as male that convey that they belong… ” (preface)
Example 1 Disambiguate the meaning of critical feedback
Critical al f feedbac ack i k is ambi biguous f for s students from om u under er-represented g groups
“Wise feedback” group [in teacher’s handwriting]: I’m giving you these comments because I have high standards and I know that you can meet them.
Control group: [in teacher’s handwriting]: I’m giving you these comments so you have feedback on your essay.
Middle School Student Feedback Study After “teacher” writes note Percentage of students revising their essay: • White students, both conditions: 75% • Black students, control: 17% • Black students, intervention: 71% Yeager, Purdie-Vaughns, et al., 2013, Journal of Experimental Psychology - Social
Psychology is a powerful source of motivation Psychology is implicit in all situations
Example 2 Loss of I Institutional Trust f for M Minority Adolescents: A A Consequence ce o of Proce cedural I Injustice a and a Cause o of Colleg ege E e Enrollmen ent Do teachers and adults treat me with respect? Is school really worth the effort? “Is this is a p pla lace I can achiev eve? e?” “Will I ill I b fa fair ir c ch
Do teachers and adults treat me with respect? Is school really worth the effort? “Is this is a p pla lace I can achiev eve? e?” “Will ill I be g giv iven a fai air c chan ance?”
Do teachers and adults treat me with respect? Is school really worth the effort? “Is this is a p pla lace I can achiev eve? e?” “Will ill I be g giv iven a fai air c chan ance?” Black and Latino adolescents face the added burden of assessing their environments for biases that allege the real and perceived limitations of their group.
Our goals To develop and test a social psychological and developmental process model for how racial gaps in institutional trust emerge during adolescence and affect long term developmental outcomes (i.e., enrollment in college). To offer evidence that such gaps and their consequences can be changed with well-timed “trust-restoring” interventions (i.e., wise feedback). Yeager, Purdie-Vaughns, Hooper & Cohen, Child Development, 2017
What causes institutional trust? What are long term consequences of loss in trust? Adults Adolescents (10-19 yrs. Old) Procedural fairness – fair processes to make consequential decisions Personal regard – authorities are respectful and care about one’s best interest (Bryk & Schneider, 2002; Goffman, 1963; Levei, 2009; Purdie-Vaughns, 2008; Tyler, 2006; Tyler et al, 2014) (Killen, Mulvey, & Hitti, 2013; McKown, 2013; Olson & Dweck, 2008) (Okonofua, Paunesku, & Walyon, 2016; Okonofua. Walton et al., 2016) 61% of African Americans vs. 32% of Whites report low levels of trust in American society (Taylor, Funk & Clark, 2007)
Social psychological and developmental model of institutional trust loss among minority adolescents Yeager, Purdie-Vaughns, Hooper & Cohen, Child Development, 2017
Social psychological and developmental model of institutional trust loss among minority adolescents Yeager, Purdie-Vaughns, Hooper & Cohen, Child Development, 2017
Sample quotes from middle school students about teacher and respect Minority students (11 yrs. old) I can't think of a time when an adult disrespected me because I'm aware we aren't equal so I don't pretend we are. I treat teachers with respect and they return the favor. [Latino student] I was walking in the hall way and they stoped me and said pick up that trash on the ground and I did but it made me pissed [Black student] i cant tell if they respect me or not. so i said maybe [Black student] White students (11 yrs old) my teacher to day and was very respectful to me and help where he could [White student] All my teachers respect me equally. They don't treat me better or worse than any other student. Sometimes, when one of my teachers is in a bad mood, they would get irritated easily by the whole class and not just me.[white student]
Sample quotes from middle school students about teacher and respect Minority students (11 yrs. old) I can't think of a time when an adult disrespected me because I'm aware we aren't equal so I don't pretend we are. I treat teachers with respect and they return the favor. [Latino student] I was walking in the hall way and they sto;pped me and said pick up that trash on the ground and I did but it made me pissed [Black student] i cant tell if they respect me or not. so i said maybe [Black student] White students (11 yrs old) my teacher to day and was very respectful to me and help where he could [White student] All my teachers respect me equally. They don't treat me better or worse than any other student. Sometimes, when one of my teachers is in a bad mood, they would get irritated easily by the whole class and not just me.[white student]
Yeager, Purdie-Vaughns, Hooper & Cohen, Child Development, 2017
Yeager, Purdie-Vaughns, Hooper & Cohen, Child Development, 2017
Yeager, Purdie-Vaughns, Hooper & Cohen, Child Development, 2017
METHOD Data, syntax, output: osf.io/3hpu8/ Yeager, Purdie-Vaughns, Hooper & Cohen, Child Development, 2017
Yeager, Purdie-Vaughns, Hooper & Cohen, Child Development, 2017
Participants Survey sample N = 277 middle school students (2 consecutive cohorts) 52% female 48% African American; 52% White *Middle school is three years, 6-8 th grade (11 years old) Experimental subsample from 7 th grade intervention N = 88 middle school students with “B” or “C” grades 22 students per racial group (Black/White, 2 consecutive cohorts) Yeager, Purdie-Vaughns, Hooper & Cohen, Child Development, 2017
Method “Wise Feedback” Intervention Survey measure at each time National Student point Clearinghouse (NSC) data Two cohorts: Year 2004 Year 2005 Yeager, Purdie-Vaughns, Hooper & Cohen, Child Development, 2017
Measures School trust 6 items: 6-point scale: 1 = very much disagree to 6 = very much agree • E.g., I am treated fairly by teachers and other adults at SCHOOL NA ME. • E.g., Teachers give me the grades I think I deserve. Awareness of bias in enforcement of school policies 2 items: 5-point scale: 1 = almost always the Black student not the white student, to 5 = almost always the white student not the Black student • E.g., If a Black and a White [school name] student did something wrong, who is more likely to get in trouble for it?” School records Discipline incidents (Range: 0-34), GPA (0 [F]-4.33 [A+]), gender On time college enrollment 1= enrolled at a 4 year college the year after high school, 0 = did not Yeager, Purdie-Vaughns, Hooper & Cohen, Child Development, 2017
RESULTS Data, syntax, output: osf.io/3hpu8/ Yeager, Purdie-Vaughns, Hooper & Cohen, Child Development, 2017
Social reality of the school reveals evidence of racial bias in enforcement of school policies. African American students perceive racial bias in enforcement of school policies (i.e., racial awareness ). African American students lose trust in their school, their mental representation of the institution and racial gap in trust develops and widens. African American students show evidence of a recursive process marked by increasing perceptions of racial bias and a relationship between racial bias and school trust. Whites do not. Short term, for African American students, one year’s level of school trust predicts the next year’s level of behavioral defiance of school policies (i.e., discipline incidences ). Long term, the damage to school trust in 7 th grade predicts on-time enrollment in four-year college . This effect is mediated by level of behavioral defiance which impacts 8 th grade grades. This does not occur for White students.
African American students are more likely to be disciplined than their White peers for each year in middle school.
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