Academic identity and race differences in educational aspirations

Abstract

This paper extends the work of Burke and Hoelter (1988, Social Science Research 17, 29–47) by testing their thesis that some of the deficiencies in the widely used Wisconsin status aspirations-attainment model can be overcome by taking account of results from Identity Theory. Burke and Hoelter demonstrated that with a new model, respecified to include academic identity, many of the effects of background variables operated through academic identity. The result was that the new model worked not only for white males (as it always has) but also for black and white females (where it has not fared as well). The failure of the modified model to predict the educational aspirations for black males was attributed by Burke and Hoelter to differences in the meaning of continuing on to college for black males. The present paper offers a more direct test of this hypothesis and shows that the effect of academic identity on college plans is contingent upon the meaning of attending college for blacks and whites. The implications of this for both Identity Theory as well as the status attainment process are discussed.