Expectation Formation for All? Group Differences in Student Response to Signals about Academic Performance

Abstract

Theories of adolescent expectation formation hypothesize that socially and academically disadvantaged students are less responsive to signals about their academic performance when forming educational expectations. To test this hypothesis, I examine variation in student responses to new information about their academic performance by a rich set of background characteristics. I find little support for the hypothesis. In contrast, low-SES students who are high performing or come from supportive home environments appear to be the most responsive to new information about their academic performance. I discuss the implications of this finding for research on expectation formation among adolescents.