Date of Award

5-2024

Document Type

Project

Degree Name

Master of Social Work

Department

School of Social Work

First Reader/Committee Chair

Li, Yawen

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to provide insights into the relationships between role models, socioeconomic mobility beliefs and the education outcomes of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. While previous studies highlight the positive influence of role models on academic and career aspirations, the specific relationship between role models and socioeconomic beliefs remains unexplored. Our study addresses this gap by examining whether the presence of role models relates with more optimistic socioeconomic beliefs and how these beliefs, in turn, affect academic outcomes (academic engagement, academic intentions, and grade point average [GPA]). Additionally, we investigate the influence of role model characteristics to examine which role model attributes have a significant impact on socioeconomic mobility beliefs and education. Method: Data for this study was obtained via Qualtrics with a sample consisting of respondents that were 18 years of age at the time of the study. Findings: Race moderated the relationship between socioeconomic mobility beliefs and academic intentions. Higher socioeconomic mobility beliefs were associated with higher academic intentions for participants that identified as a minority, as opposed to participants identifying as White. Additionally, higher socioeconomic mobility beliefs correlated positively with increased academic engagement. Moreover, the education level of role models was related to participants’ GPAs.

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