Teaching a lay theory before college narrows achievement gaps at scale

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Intervention Science

Background:

• College transition challenges are common and improvable, benefiting students who understand this.
• Early academic struggles do not necessarily indicate a permanent lack of belonging or potential.
• Lay theory interventions aim to shift mindsets about challenges and potential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the effectiveness of a lay theory intervention before college matriculation.
• To determine if this strategy can reduce racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic achievement gaps.
• To assess the impact on disadvantaged students' college enrollment, academic performance, and overall experience.

Main Methods:

• Three double-blind experiments involving over 9,500 first-year college students.
• Random assignment to complete online lay theory or control materials pre-matriculation.
• Analysis of college enrollment, GPA, and follow-up survey data on student experiences.

Main Results:

• Lay theory interventions increased first-year enrollment for disadvantaged students at two institutions.
• Disadvantaged students showed improved cumulative first-year GPA at a third institution.
• Interventions reduced institutional achievement gaps by 31-40% and enhanced disadvantaged students' college experiences.

Conclusions:

• Preparatory lay theory interventions show promise in reducing social inequality in higher education.
• These interventions can improve academic outcomes and the overall college experience for disadvantaged students.
• Further research should explore the generalizability of these interventions to other life transitions.