Self Affirmation Research Group (SARG)

Journal of Social Issues: Special Issue

These are the papers in a special issue of the Journal of Social Issues: Self-affirmation Theory in Educational Contexts: Exploring whether, when, why and how self-affirmation interventions are effective at reducing educational inequalities.

In 2019, we hosted a meeting on self-affirmation in education, sponsored jointly by the EASP and SPSSI. This led to a special issue of the Journal of Social Issues on Self-affirmation theory in educational contexts edited by Matt Easterbrook, Pete Harris and David Sherman.
 
Huge thanks to everyone involved -- as authors, reviewers, or as attendees at the meeting that inspired the issue.  It's fantastic to see this collection of impressive work that we as a community are producing.

 

Introduction
  1. Self-affirmation theory in educational contexts. Easterbrook, M. J., Harris, P. R., & Sherman, D. K. (2021). Journal of Social Issues.  https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12459

Section 1: Heterogeneity and moderators of the effectiveness of affirmations

  1. A meta-analysis of the effect of values affirmation on academic achievement. Wu, Z., Spreckelsen, T. F., & Cohen, G. L. (2021). Journal of Social Issues. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12415
  2. Teacher- versus researcher-provided affirmation effects on students’ task engagement and positive perceptions of teachers. Smith, E. N., Rozek, C. S., Manke, K. J., Dweck, C. S., & Walton, G. M. (2021). Journal of Social Issues. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12417
  3. Testing a self-affirmation intervention for improving the psychosocial health of Black and White medical students in the United States. Perry, S. P., Wages, J. E., Skinner-Dorkenoo, A. L., Burke, S. E., Hardeman, R. R., & Phelan, S. M. (2021). Journal of Social Issues. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12448

Section 2: Processes, adaptations, and integrations

  1. Securing self‐integrity over time: Self‐affirmation disrupts a negative cycle between psychological threat and academic performance. Binning, K. R., Cook, J. E., Greenaway, V. P., Garcia, J., Apfel, N., Sherman, D. K., & Cohen, G. L. (2021). Journal of Social Issues. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12461
  2. Self-affirmation and test performance in ethnically diverse schools: A new dual-identity affirmation intervention. Celeste, L., Baysu, G., Phalet, K., & Brown, R. (2021). Journal of Social Issues. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12418
  3. Affirming both independent and interdependent values improves achievement for all students and mitigates cultural mismatch for first-generation college students. Hecht, C. A., Priniski, S. J., Tibbetts, Y., & Harackiewicz, J. M. (2021). Journal of Social Issues. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12416
  4. Affirmation on the go: A proof-of-concept for text message delivery of values affirmation in education. Manke, K. J., Brady, S. T., Baker, M. D., & Cohen, G. L. (2021). Journal of Social Issues, (February 2020), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12435

Conclusion

  1. A new approach to schooling in a diverse society: A research fable. Steele, C. M. (2021). Journal of Social Issues. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12457