A study of academic self- concept, academic motivation, and self- esteem: Their relationship to academic achievement in college students

Abstract only availableThis study examined the reliability of the Academic Motivation Scale in a group of 263 undergraduate students enrolled in undergraduate psychology classes at a large Midwestern public university. Ethnicity, sex, age, and class status (i.e., year in college) differences in academic self- concept were investigated as well as factors that predict academic self- concept. Participants completed the Academic Self- Concept Scale, Academic Motivation Scale, and the Rosenberg Self- Esteem Scale. This study also examines construct comparison to test for any differences in the levels of motivation, and self-esteem as it relates to GPA between African American and European American college students. While it was found that African American students are highly motivated and have a higher academic self- concept when compared to European Americans, this does not seem to be related to how African Americans perform academically. Analyses revealed that among African American students and European American students, the relationship between academic self- concept and GPA showed a slight difference. However, reported self- esteem for both ethnic groups was relatively similar. Self-determination theory has been introduced as an additional motivational framework to understand African American students' motivation relative to European American students.Summer Pre-Graduate Research Experience for Students in the Humanitie

RACE, CULTURE, AND THE EDUCATION OF AFRICAN AMERICANS

In this essay, Marvin Lynn explores a range of perspectives on African American education, with particular focus on three works: Black American Students in an Affluent Suburb: A Study of Academic Disengagement, by social anthropologist John Ogbu; African-Centered Pedagogy: Developing Schools of Achievement for African American Children, by teacher education expert Peter Murrell; and African American Literacies, by Elaine Richardson, professor of English and applied linguistics. Lynn draws on Charles Valentine\u27s sociological framework for understanding culture in order to interrogate how the concept of culture is used in these works. Lynn concludes that critical race theory in education — a rapidly emerging discourse on schooling and inequality — may be a useful tool for lucidly framing the conditions under which African Americans are educated as well as the possible solutions to the perennial problems faced by this historically marginalized group

Reclaiming the Past and Transforming Our Future: Introduction to the Special Issue on Foundational Contributions of Black Scholars in Psychology

The contributions of Black scholars to psychology have been erased or marginalized within mainstream, U.S.-centered psychology. As such, psychologists and trainees have little exposure to strengths-based theories and schools of thought that center and humanize the experiences of people of African descent. This special issue intervenes on anti-Black racism at the epistemic level by curating a review of foundational contributions by diverse Black scholars in psychology and related fields. The special issue is organized around five integrative and overlapping themes: (a) Black scholars who have written on topics related to race, racism, and racial identity; (b) schools of thought that embody decolonial, liberation, and African psychologies and the scholars writing within these traditions; (c) scholars who have created new theories and approaches to conceptualizing the mental health of Black children, youth, and families; (d) Black scholars adopting an intersectional lens to research and practice; and (e) Black scholars creating spaces within existing organizations to theorize about and research the experiences of people of African descent. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The Effect of Action Orientation on the Academic Performance of Undergraduate Marketing Majors

Due to the effect of academic performance on employment opportunities and admission to graduate schools, researchers have long recognized the need for identifying factors that are linked to the academic performance of undergraduate marketing students. This research proposes a model that investigates the relationships among motivation, effort, personality, stress, and academic performance. Action-state orientation (AO-SO) is an important factor in students’ emotional exhaustion and effort. AO-SO relates to individual differences in the capacity to regulate emotions, cognitions, and behaviors to accomplish intentional actions. AO-SO consists of three dimensions: disengagement (versus preoccupation), volatility (versus persistency), and hesitation (versus initiative). Results indicate that persistency and initiative are positively related to effort, which is an important antecedent of academic performance. Also, disengagement is negatively related to emotional exhaustion