CHAPTER 12 ACHIEVEMENT

1. Why is achievement a particularly significant issue during adolescence? Discuss this in terms of DEVELOPMENTAL changes (biological, cognitive) and the SOCIAL TRANSITIONS that take place during adolescence.

2. What does Steinberg mean when he says, "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer" when referring to educational and occupational achievement?

3. What is NEED FOR ACHIEVEMENT? How is this related to actual achievement? What kind of parenting or home environment leads to a high motivation to achieve?

4. What is FEAR OF FAILURE? How is this related to achievement? How does this belief interact with an individual's need for achievement when dealing with achievement situations?

5. Describe how an UNDERACHIEVER may use SELF-HANDICAPPING STRATEGIES. What are two underlying motivations that compel adolescents to use these strategies?

6. Define and differentiate INTRINSIC and EXTRINSIC motivation. How do these motivations influence scholastic effort and achievement? How do parents and teachers influence the development of these motivations?

7. How do adolescents': a) beliefs about INTELLIGENCE, b) orientations towards MASTERY vs PERFORMANCE, and c) feelings of SELF-EFFICACY interact to influence students' attitudes and behaviors towards learning and achievement? Try to come up with different scenarios or combinations of these beliefs, and predict the most likely achievement outcome.

8. Why do adolescents' academic motivation decline in the transition from elementary to junior high?

9. In what ways may adolescents be interpreting their successes and failures (i.e., success/failure ATTRIBUTIONS)? What four factors do adolescents consider when making attributions? How does these attributions affect subsequent effort and achievement?

*** Numbers 3 to 9 were all about individual BELIEFS that influence adolescents' achievement. Another way to help you organize and summarize the information in this section is to make a list of these major beliefs and concepts, define each, and think about what characteristics (in terms of these concepts) will most likely lead to high achievement. (e.g., low fear of failure (why?), high intrinsic motivation (why?) ***

10. What are the three factors or mechanisms by which PARENTS or the home environment influences adolescents' achievement motivations and persistence? More specifically, how do parents communicate their expectations to their child?

11. Do PEERS have a positive or negative influence on adolescent achievement? Justify your answer.

12. What are the reasons for why low-SES children generally have lower educational achievement than middle-class children? What kinds of intervention are most helpful for low-SES children at risk for academic failure? When should these interventions be applied?

13. What are the reasons or factors accounting for ETHNIC DIFFERENCES in educational achievement?

14. How would you summarize the current state of educational achievement in the U.S. (in terms of attainment, performance on standardized tests)? What are trends that are cause for concern? How has the situation changed during the past 20 years?

15. Why is there low educational achievement despite the higher rates of educational attainment?

16. What ethnic group is most at risk for dropping out of high school? What are the risk factors (both individual and in the environment) that increase the likelihood of dropping out?

17. What is the best predictor of an individual's eventual occupational success?

18. According to Donald Super, how do OCCUPATIONAL PLANS change from pre-adolescence to adolescence? Describe what takes place during the period of CRYSTALLIZATION and SPECIFICATION.

19. How does PERSONALITY (traits, interests, values) affect occupational choice? From this view, what would determine whether a career decision is a good one? What are the limitations of this perspective?

20. Why is it that adolescents' occupational aspirations and achievement closely parallel that of their parents and peers in the same socioeconomic class? What are the factors or reasons that account for this? (there are five)

21. In what ways does the broader SOCIETAL CONTEXT influence adolescents' occupational choices? (e.g., prevailing sex role stereotypes)