"A Question of Belonging: Race, Social Fit, and Achievement"

Abstract

Stigmatization can give rise to belonging uncertainty. In this state, people are sensitive to information
diagnostic of the quality of their social connections. Two experiments tested how belonging uncertainty
undermines the motivation and achievement of people whose group is negatively characterized in
academic settings. In Experiment 1, students were led to believe that they might have few friends in an
intellectual domain. Whereas White students were unaffected, Black students (stigmatized in academics)
displayed a drop in their sense of belonging and potential. In Experiment 2, an intervention that mitigated
doubts about social belonging in college raised the academic achievement (e.g., college grades) of Black
students but not of White students. Implications for theories of achievement motivation and intervention
are discussed.

Walton & Cohen (2007).pdf

Return to Front Page