TY  - JOUR
A1  - Juang, Linda P.
A1  - Schachner, Maja
A1  - Aral, Tuğçe
A1  - Schwarzenthal, Miriam
A1  - Kunyu, David Khisoni
A1  - Löhmannsröben, Hanna
T1  - Effects of a brief self-affirmation writing intervention among 7(th) graders in Germany
BT  - testing for variations by heritage group, discrimination experiences and classroom diversity climate
JF  - Social psychology of education : an international journal
N2  - We tested whether a brief self-affirmation writing intervention protected against identity-threats (i.e., stereotyping and discrimination) for adolescents' school-related adjustment. The longitudinal study followed 639 adolescents in Germany (65% of immigrant descent, 50% female, M-age = 12.35 years, SDage = .69) from 7(th) grade (pre-intervention at T1, five to six months post-intervention at T2) to the end of 8(th) grade (one-year follow-up at T3). We tested for direct and moderated (by heritage group, discrimination, classroom cultural diversity climate) effects using regression and latent change models. The self-affirmation intervention did not promote grades or math competence. However, in the short-term and for adolescents of immigrant descent, the intervention prevented a downward trajectory in mastery reactions to academic challenges for those experiencing greater discrimination. Further, it protected against a decline in behavioral school engagement for those in positive classroom cultural diversity climates. In the long-term and for all adolescents, the intervention lessened an upward trajectory in disruptive behavior. Overall, the self-affirmation intervention benefited some aspects of school-related adjustment for adolescents of immigrant and non-immigrant descent. The intervention context is important, with classroom cultural diversity climate acting as a psychological affordance enhancing affirmation effects. Our study supports the ongoing call for theorizing and empirically testing student and context heterogeneity to better understand for whom and under which conditions this intervention may work.
KW  - Brief self-affirmation writing intervention
KW  - Adolescents of immigrant
KW  - descent
KW  - School-related adjustment
KW  - Classroom cultural diversity
KW  - climate
KW  - Germany
Y1  - 2023
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-023-09789-9
SN  - 1381-2890
SN  - 1573-1928
PB  - Springer
CY  - Dordrecht
ER  -