ERIC Number: EJ967350
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Jul
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0361-476X
EISSN: N/A
If "We" Can Succeed, "I" Can Too: Identity-Based Motivation and Gender in the Classroom
Elmore, Kristen C.; Oyserman, Daphna
Contemporary Educational Psychology, v37 n3 p176-185 Jul 2012
Gender matters in the classroom, but not in the way people may assume; girls are outperforming boys. Identity-based motivation (IBM) theory explains why: People prefer to act in ways that feel in-line with important social identities such as gender. If a behavior feels identity-congruent, difficulty is interpreted as meaning that the behavior is important, not impossible, but what feels identity-congruent is context-dependent. IBM implies that boys (and girls) scan the classroom for clues about how to be male (or female); school effort will feel worthwhile if successful engagement with school feels gender-congruent, not otherwise. A between-subjects experimental design tested this prediction, manipulating whether gender and success felt congruent, incongruent, or not linked (control). Students in the success is gender-congruent condition described more school-focused possible identities, rated their likely future academic and occupational success higher, and tried harder on an academic task (this latter effect was significant only for boys). (Contains 7 figures.)
Descriptors: Research Design, Females, Self Concept, Motivation, Males, Identification (Psychology), Gender Differences, Learner Engagement, Prediction, Theories, Academic Achievement, Task Analysis, Context Effect, Control Groups
Elsevier. 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, FL 32887-4800. Tel: 877-839-7126; Tel: 407-345-4020; Fax: 407-363-1354; e-mail: usjcs@elsevier.com; Web site: http://www.elsevier.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A