Two moments from my time as a primary teacher often come to mind when I think about children’s aspirations.
Zara was having a bad lesson. I’d tried the usual tactics, but nothing was working. I pulled her for a ‘chat’, hoping I could inspire her with some one-to-one positive reinforcement. Instead, she turned around and retorted ‘Miss, what’s the point in this? All I want is to drop out of school at 15 anyway’. Safe to say, this little chat wasn’t having the outcome I’d anticipated.
We were on a school trip. I was determined to do some important relationship building with Abdul, who’d labelled himself the ‘class clown’ in the first 20 minutes of the term. He’d confidently lived up to the title ever since. I asked Abdul what he’d most love to do in the future. ‘Play video games all day Miss’. Again, not exactly the start to the conversation I’d hoped for.
Raising aspirations
Hearing stories like these, it’s easy to understand why gaps in academic outcomes and higher education participation have long been attributed to disadvantaged pupil’s lack of aspirations. But the truth is, there is no link between low aspirations and disadvantage. Although Widening Participation programmes have historically aimed to raise the aspirations of young people like Zara and Abdul, we know now that these programmes don’t work. Instead, they have perpetuated a narrative that blames victims of structural disadvantage for failing to overcome the barriers they face. And this narrative persists. As recently as July 2020, Michelle Donelan emphasised the onus on universities to raise aspirations in schools.
How can we reinterpret stories like Zara’s and Abdul’s and move away from damaging narratives of low aspirations? The answer is found by examining the relationship between mindsets and self-handicapping.
Growth and fixed mindsets
In Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (2006) Carol Dweck brought the concepts of growth and fixed mindsets into educational settings. A fixed mindset is the belief that ability can’t improve, and qualities are carved in stone. On the other hand, a growth mindset is the belief that abilities can be developed through effort, and this belief creates a passion for learning. Unsurprisingly then, a growth mindset is a strong predictor of achievement. Research shows that students from lower-income backgrounds are more likely to hold a fixed mindset and exhibit self-handicapping behaviour.
Self-handicapping
Self-handicapping refers to the deliberate and strategic creation of obstacles to successful performance. Put simply, it’s the thought process: ‘I don’t believe I can do this’, ‘I don’t want to try and fail’, ‘I’ll self-sabotage’. Have a look at this clip - a clear example of self-handicapping:
Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon
Here we see the infamous pro tennis player Nick Kyrgios, one set down in a match at Wimbledon, completely give up. Deliberately hitting the ball in the net, he throws away the game. But nobody would argue that Kyrgios has low aspirations or didn’t want to beat his opponent. We can all understand this behaviour in a more nuanced way. Similarly, Zara didn’t have low aspirations - only a few months later we were discussing her interest in a career in law.
Students who self-handicap aren’t indicating that they don’t want to do well. Instead, they are showing a fear of failure. And who can blame them? In high-stakes, assessment-driven environments it is understandable that students will adopt strategies to redefine academic failure and protect their feelings of self-worth. Such strategies are misattributed to low aspirations, instead of seen as a response to students’ fear of failure.
Shifting the narrative
The key to fostering growth mindsets, and limiting self-handicapping, is to focus on the process of learning, not on educational outcomes. Widening Participation teams have the capacity to offer young people time and space to focus on the process of learning in a low-stakes environment. At KCLWP we do this by teaching our pre-16 participants important metacognitive skills. Away from day-to-day school pressures, we give students tools to think about learning and learn effectively. Programmes that aim to reduce inequalities in university access must offer students opportunities to learn about learning. Adults who interact with young people must also avoid seeing self-handicapping as a sign of low aspirations.
Do you work with young people? If so, consider your own methods:
- Is your approach underpinned by a discourse of low aspirations?
- Are references to aspirations in your vision, programme aims, or policies helpful?
- What opportunities do you have to focus on the process of learning with your pupils?
The belief that young people from low-income backgrounds have low aspirations has been prevalent for long enough. We have all the evidence to show it’s damaging, and we have an alternative approach. As a sector, it’s time to shift the narrative for good.