Some Effects of Participation in a Summer Upward Bound Program on the Self-Concept and Attitude of the Disadvantaged Adolescent

Abstract

In this space age of Lunar Orbiter, Apollo, Saturn, Telstar, nuclear reactors, and cybernetics, the chief cause of low achievement of deprived adolescents can still be ascribed to the fact that far too many teachers honestly believe that these adolescents are educable only to a very limited extent. Since students rarely exceed the expectation level of their teachers, it is devastating for deprived children to have teachers who have a low expectation level for their students' learning. In fact, students with adequate intellectual endowment may do poorly in school because they perceive themselves as not able or are perceived so by their teachers. The teacher's negative image of deprived children lowers their self-image and, consequently, affects their academic achievement as well as their classroom behavior.