Closing the social class achievement gap for first-generation students in undergraduate biology.
Open accessAbstract
Many students start college intending to pursue a career in the biosciences, but too many abandon this goal because they struggle in introductory biology. Interventions have been developed to close achievement gaps for underrepresented minority students and women, but no prior research has attempted to close the gap for first-generation students, a population that accounts for nearly a fifth of college students. We report a values affirmation intervention conducted with 798 U.S. students (154 first-generation) in an introductory biology course for majors. For first-generation students, values affirmation significantly improved final course grades and retention in the second course in the biology sequence, as well as overall GPA for the semester. This brief intervention narrowed the achievement gap between first-generation and continuing generation students for course grades by 50% and increased retention in a critical gateway course by 20%. Our results suggest that educators can expand the pipeline for first-generation students to continue studying in the biosciences with psychological interventions.
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In one series of studies, much of the effect of affirmation on second-year grades was mediated by its effect on first-year grades, suggesting that early strong performance begot later strong performance.
“In one series of studies, much of the effect of affirmation on second-year grades was mediated by its effect on first-year grades, suggesting that early strong performance begot later strong performance (Cohen et al. 2009, Harackiewicz et al. 2014).”
From The Psychology of Change: Self-Affirmation and Social Psychological Intervention (2014) · cites this paper as Harackiewicz et al. 2014
The Results (Mediation analysis; page unavailable) report that first-course grades partially mediated affirmation’s effect on enrollment in the next course, not its effect on second-year grades. The Discussion (page unavailable) describes longer-term GPA effects and the possibility that early performance carries forward, but does not report the claimed first-year-to-second-year grade mediation. (LLM, conf=0.87)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredBut for self-affirmed students, these effects vanished.
“But for self-affirmed students, these effects vanished.”
From The Psychology of Change: Self-Affirmation and Social Psychological Intervention (2014) · cites this paper as Harackiewicz et al. 2014
The Results (Process Analyses; page unavailable) say the gap in concern about academic background was completely closed in the values-affirmation condition. But the Results (Primary Analyses; page unavailable) report that the course-grade achievement gap became smaller, not that it vanished. Because the sentence does not specify which effects it means, the source supports only a narrower reading. (LLM, conf=0.76)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredEffects of self-affirmation interventions on academic grades and health outcomes have endured months and years after the commencement of the intervention.
“For example, effects on academic grades and health outcomes have endured months and years after the commencement of the intervention”
From The Psychology of Change: Self-Affirmation and Social Psychological Intervention (2014) · cites this paper as Harackiewicz et al. 2014
The Theoretical Framework reports that effects on academic grades persisted for two or three years in earlier values-affirmation studies, and the Discussion reports effects on grades in the same semester of this study. The Theoretical Framework also describes reduced physiological stress, but it does not say that health-related effects endured for months or years. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredTo the extent that financial distress can imprint on children a view of the world as threatening and requiring vigilance, interventions later in life may need to assure them that their school or work environment is a safe place where they belong and good things eventually happen.
“To the extent that financial distress can imprint on children a view of the world as threatening and requiring vigilance, interventions later in life may need to assure them that their school or work environment is a safe place where they belong and good things eventually happen”
From The Psychology of Change: Self-Affirmation and Social Psychological Intervention (2014) · cites this paper as Harackiewicz et al. 2014
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Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredA randomized field experiment that disentangled the effect of student social class from the effect of student race found that values affirmation could help close the social-class achievement gap.
“A randomized field experiment that disentangled the effect of student social class from the effect of student race found that it could (Harackiewicz et al. 2014).”
From The Psychology of Change: Self-Affirmation and Social Psychological Intervention (2014) · cites this paper as Harackiewicz et al. 2014
For these students, two in-class values affirmations improved their grades in an introductory biology course.
“For these students, two in-class values affirmations improved their grades in an introductory biology course.”
From The Psychology of Change: Self-Affirmation and Social Psychological Intervention (2014) · cites this paper as Harackiewicz et al. 2014
First-generation students also proved more likely to enroll in the second course in the biology sequence if they had been in the affirmation condition (86% did so) rather than in the control condition (66% did so).
“Remarkably, first-generation students also proved more likely to enroll in the second course in the biology sequence if they had been in the affirmation condition (86% did so) rather than in the control condition (66% did so).”
From The Psychology of Change: Self-Affirmation and Social Psychological Intervention (2014) · cites this paper as Harackiewicz et al. 2014
It cut the achievement gap between them and their more financially advantaged peers in the course by 50%.
“It cut the achievement gap between them and their more financially advantaged peers in the course by 50%.”
From The Psychology of Change: Self-Affirmation and Social Psychological Intervention (2014) · cites this paper as Harackiewicz et al. 2014
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- Authors
- Harackiewicz, J. M., Canning, E. A., Tibbetts, Y., Giffen, C. J., Blair, S. S., Rouse, D. I., & Hyde, J. S.
- Affiliations
- University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Educational Psychology
- Published
- 2014-05
- Volume
- 106
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 375-389
- ISSN
- 0022-0663 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-2176
- PMC
- PMC4103196
- OpenAlex
- W2138956971
- Cited by
- 360
- References
- 68
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 31 · 2020: 79 · 2019: 46 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 26 · 2016: 24 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 13
- FWCI
- 91.93
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Journal of Educational Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (R01GM102703)
- University of Wisconsin
- U.S. Department of Education (R305B090009)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › Higher Education Research Studies
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Career Development and Diversity
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Education, Achievement, and Giftedness
- Keywords
- first-generation college students, values affirmation, achievement gap, social class, introductory biology, student retention, gateway courses, underrepresented students, psychological intervention, course grades
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