High Hope and Low Regard: The Resiliency of Adolescents' Educational Expectations While Developing in Challenging Political Contexts

Abstract

This study examines how adolescents perceive and evaluate fairness of opportunity within the United States and the concomitant impact of those influences on their educational expectations. The multiethnic, predominately (56%) African-American sample of 502 public school students were enrolled in grades 10, 11 and 12. Participants were randomly selected from secondary schools in the northeastern region of the US. Students completed self-report questionnaires which served as part of a larger multiyear study. Results demonstrated that, when compared against older students, perceptions of fairness for younger children had a stronger and negative relationship with educational expectations. For older students, positive teacher perceptions had a positive relationship with educational expectations. For younger students, educational expectations were best explained by overall school climate.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Funding for the study was granted to the second author from National Institute of Mental Health, the Kellogg Foundation, and the Spencer Foundation. The assistance of our statistical consultant, Dr. Suzanne Fegley, was most sincerely appreciated.