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Possible selves and academic outcomes: How and when possible selves impel action
Daphna Oyserman1, Deborah Bybee, Kathy Terry
1The Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1248, USA. daphna.oyserman@umich.edu
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|July 13, 2006
Summary
Academic possible selves (APSs) interventions for low-income teens are more effective when linked to strategies and identity. This approach improved academic outcomes and reduced behavioral issues, with sustained effects.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Education
- Sociology
Background:
- A significant gap exists between academic attainment and academic possible selves (APSs) in low-income and minority adolescents.
- Existing interventions may be insufficient if APSs are not integrated with actionable strategies and personal identity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of a brief intervention designed to bridge the gap between academic attainment and APSs in low-income 8th graders.
- To determine if linking APSs with strategies, congruent identities, and reframed challenges enhances academic success and well-being.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 141 students in the experimental group and 123 in the control group.
- The intervention focused on connecting APSs with strategies, fostering identity congruence, and altering the perception of academic difficulty.
- Data collected included academic initiative, standardized test scores, grades, depression, absences, and in-school misbehavior.
Main Results:
- The intervention group showed significant improvements in academic initiative, standardized test scores, and grades compared to the control group.
- Participants in the intervention group experienced reductions in depression, school absences, and in-school misbehavior.
- These positive effects were sustained over a 2-year follow-up period and were mediated by changes in students' possible selves.
Conclusions:
- Linking academic possible selves (APSs) with actionable strategies and personal/social identity is crucial for improving academic outcomes in disadvantaged youth.
- The intervention demonstrated the efficacy of a multifaceted approach in enhancing academic performance and reducing negative behavioral and emotional outcomes.
- Changes in students' possible selves appear to be a key mechanism driving the observed long-term benefits.
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