Wise Schooing Strategies and Their Impacct on African American Students' Task Motivation and Perceptions of Professor Bias

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to: (a) examine the impact of two “wise schooling” strategies on the academic motivation of African American students, (b) examine the impact of “wise schooling” strategies on students’ perceptions of professor bias, and (c) examine what role students’ level of academic identification plays in their response to “wise schooling” strategies. For the sample of 60 African American undergraduate students, the study used an analogue format in which three randomly assigned groups of students indicated how they would respond to three different types of feedback critical of their writing from a White English professor. Students completed measures assessing their academic identification and their academic motivation and perceived professor bias in response to critical feedback. This study tested predictions based on the literature of the stereotype threat and “wise schooling” theory. It was hypothesized that students receiving “wise schooling” feedback would report higher academic motivation and lower perceptions of professor bias that students’ receiving neutral feedback. It was predicted that there would be significant relationships among the academic identification, academic motivation, and perceptions of bias measures. It was also hypothesized that students with high identification with English would have higher motivation and lower perceptions of bias when receiving either of the “wise schooling” strategies.

Results indicated that wise critical feedback increased or maintained African American students’ motivation in the face of negative feedback. However, neither of the “wise schooling” feedback strategies were found to lower students’ perceptions of professor bias when receiving negative feedback. With regard to students’ academic identification, students’ level of academic identification with English was not related to their academic motivation or perceptions of bias. Additionally, students with high academic identification were not found to have higher academic motivation or lower perceptions of professor bias when receiving either of the “wise schooling” strategies. Implications for practice and future research are presented.