Promoting science motivation in American Indian middle school students: an intervention

Abstract

U.S. national data show that American Indians earn lower math and science scores than other ethnic/racial groups. In the current study, a brief, self-affirmation intervention was aimed at increasing science motivational beliefs in American Indian middle school students (n = 212, M_age = 12.7 years). Students, each read a biography of a successful scientist who was matched to them on both ethnicity and gender; ethnicity but not gender; gender but not ethnicity; or no match. Students then wrote a short essay describing traits they shared with the scientist. Pre- and post-intervention science self-efficacy, individual interest, and goal orientations were measured to assess intervention efficacy immediately following the intervention and one week later. Results revealed no benefits of the intervention in increasing motivational beliefs for students in any experimental condition. We discuss the fragile fidelity of self-affirmation interventions and conditions that might be necessary for intervention success.

Keywords:

• American Indian
• gender
• intervention
• motivation
• self-affirmation

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank the Native nation and schools that allowed us to collect data with citizens of the nation. Also, a special thanks to the American Indian Center at UNC - Chapel Hill for their aid in facilitating this research relationship.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Data collection was supported by the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, Grants-In-Aid Award; the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at UNC – Chapel Hill, Dashiell Student Dissertation Start-Up Grant; and the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship awarded to Adam J. Hoffman. Any opinions, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation, the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, or the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at UNC – Chapel Hill.