The Role of Social Identities, Motivational Beliefs and Environmental Support in College Aspirations

Abstract

The benefits of higher education for society are numerous: addressing many pressing social and environmental challenges requires a diverse workforce with advanced degrees; democracies thrive with knowledgeable and caring voters; and a productive economy needs a well-trained workforce. Consequently, increasing the number and diversity of students attending college is a forefront concern. However, gender and racial/ethnic differences in college enrollment and completion persist. Given the importance of higher education for individuals and society, understanding the factors underlying these differences is critical. Students’ expectations of success and how they perceive the value of education affect their post-secondary plans. Social identities and the sociocultural context influence the development of these expectations and values. In particular, an individual’s identified race/ethnicity, affiliated gender, motivational beliefs and perceived environmental support can enhance or detract from the formation of college aspirations. However, few studies have examined how these factors interact to affect intention to complete college. With a diverse sample of 4803 high school students from the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment United States data, I used logistic regression and structural equation modeling to examine gender and racial/ethnic differences in the extent to which 1) motivational beliefs, including self-efficacy, perceived usefulness of education, mastery motivation, and sense of purpose predict college aspirations; 2) environmental support (i.e. parent support, sense of belonging, and bullying), mediated by motivational beliefs, predict college aspirations. Results show that each motivational belief significantly predicts college aspirations for students overall, but differences emerge when examining individual gender and racial/ethnic groups. High perceived utility of education and mastery motivation significantly increased college aspirations for Black and White students; self-efficacy and mastery motivation for Hispanic students; and high mastery motivation only for Asian American students. In addition, motivational beliefs fully mediate environmental support for Black, Hispanic, and White students, but not Asian American students. The structural equation model did not significantly explain the variance in college aspirations (R2 = 0.28, p = .31) for Asian American students, but it did significantly explain 36% (R2 = 0.36, p < .001) for Black students, 29% (R2 = 0.29, p < .001) for Hispanic students, and 34% (R2 = 0.34, p < .001) for White students. The study highlights the value of increasing high school students’ motivational beliefs, particularly mastery motivation, but it also indicates that harnessing existing motivation beliefs and environmental supports promises to foster college aspirations, ultimately benefitting both individuals and society.