Academic Competition among Students of Color

Abstract

Forty-one relatively high-achieving students of color were interviewed about the competition for grades that they felt in their high schools. Students of color are particularly interesting with regard to competition because they have sometimes been portrayed as rejecting academic achievement. The students reported competing for grades. They generally thought competition was beneficial. Students commented that they focused on grade point average to help them improve their grades and monitored the grades that other students were receiving. They made almost no comments about competition leading to learning or mastering skills. Their responses are interpreted in light of motivation research that suggests that academic competition and social comparison can lead to maladaptive motivational orientations.