System-Justifying Ideologies and Academic Achievement Among Ethnic-Minority Youth

• In Event: Poster Session 17
  In Poster Session: Motivation in Education SIG Poster Session 2

Abstract

This conceptual paper focuses on the racial gap in achievement between majority group students and ethnic minority group students. African American and Latinx student achievement are the foci of this paper. First, the history and implications of the achievement gap will be reviewed. Next, I will argue that system-justification theory is a useful theory to help explain the academic achievement gap and minority school performance in particular. I will then review and critique two dominant theories that have been frequently used to help explain minority students’ school performance: cultural ecological theory and stereotype threat theory. Additionally, I will explain how system-justification theory makes up for the shortcomings of these two theories. This paper concludes with recommendations for future research.

Author

• Cyrell Roberson, University of California - Berkeley