Perceptions of the School Psychological Environment in Predictingadolescent Mothers’ Educational Expectations

Abstract

Drawing on theories of educational motivation, this longitudinal study investigates how perceptions of the school psychological environment predict change over time in educational expectations among 81 low-income adolescent mothers. Results suggest that over and above the significant role of baseline educational attainment and expectations, teenage mothers’perceptions of differential treatment at school predict expectations for educational attainment measured 1 year later. Specifically, teens who report that teachers treat them as less smart than they really are and who discourage them from taking certain classes due to their status as mothers show a decline in educational expectations over time.