Race, academic achievement and the issue of inequitable motivational payoff

As racial inequities continue to pervade school systems around the world, further research is necessary to understand the factors undergirding this pressing issue. Here across three studies conducted in the United States ( N  = 8,293), we provide evidence that race-based differences in student achie...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature human behaviour 2023-04, Vol.7 (4), p.515-528
Main Authors: Silverman, David M., Rosario, R. Josiah, Wormington, Stephanie V., Tibbetts, Yoi, Hulleman, Chris S., Destin, Mesmin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
4014/160
4014/477/2811
Academic achievement
Academic Success
Achievement
Aptitudes
Averages
Behavioral Sciences
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Educational Status
Experimental Psychology
Humans
Inequality
Life Sciences
Microeconomics
Motivation
Neurosciences
Personality and Social Psychology
Race
Racial bias
Racial differences
Statistical power
Students
Teachers
United States
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Summary:As racial inequities continue to pervade school systems around the world, further research is necessary to understand the factors undergirding this pressing issue. Here across three studies conducted in the United States ( N  = 8,293), we provide evidence that race-based differences in student achievement do not stem from a lack of motivation among Black, Latinx and Indigenous (BLI) students, but a lack of equitable motivational payoff. Even when BLI and non-BLI students have the same levels of motivation, BLI students still receive maths grades that are an average of 9% lower than those of their non-BLI peers (95% confidence interval 7 to 11%). This pattern was not explained by differences in students’ aptitude, effort or prior achievement but was instead linked to teachers’ diminished expectations for their BLI students’ academic futures. We conclude by discussing statistical power limitations and the implications of the current findings for how researchers consider the sources of, and solutions for, educational inequity. Silverman et al. find that Black, Latinx and Indigenous (BLI) students receive lower grades than non-BLI students with similar patterns of motivation. This inequitable motivational payoff is linked to teachers’ racially biased beliefs about students.
ISSN:2397-3374
2397-3374
DOI:10.1038/s41562-023-01533-9