Aspiration, assets can lead youth down path to college
November 16, 2012
ANN ARBOR—Aspiring to attend college is not enough for children who want to reach their goals.
The chances of finishing high school and college are significantly higher for children for whom this aspiration is accessible and relevant in their daily lives, according to a new University of Michigan study.
U-M researcher Daphna Oyserman focused on how low economic resources might impact children’s academic outcomes by influencing motivation. That is, how children imagine their future. It might involve strategies such as studying or asking questions in class. Or, they might interpret difficulties along the way as meaning that succeeding in school is an important goal rather than an impossible one. (more…)