Why Believing You Can Matters: Academic Goals, Support, and Grades

Brumley, L. D., Nauphal, M., Schwartz, L. A., & Jaffee, S. R. (2021). Psychosocial correlates and consequences of adolescents’ self-generated academic goals and appraisals. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 31(1), 204–217. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12593

Introduction

Brumley and colleagues (2021) examine not just whether adolescents set academic goals, but whether they view those goals as achievable and supported—a distinction with direct implications for practitioners supporting youth in under-resourced contexts. Grounded in bioecological and goal theories, the study tests how individual factors (externalizing problems) and contextual factors (social support/strain; adverse childhood experiences [ACEs]) relate to academic goal processes and later grades.

Methods

99 adolescents (ages 13–16; 87% Black/African American) completed baseline interviews in primary care; 80% completed a follow-up 2–3 years later. Youth self-generated personal goals; coders categorized goal content, and youth rated their top goals’ achievability and support. Measures included externalizing symptoms, cumulative ACEs, and a social network interview capturing supportive versus strained ties. Analyses used maximum-likelihood OLS regressions predicting (a) number of academic goals and (b) appraisals, then follow-up grades controlling for baseline grades and sex.

Results

Academic goals were most common (87% named ≥1). More externalizing problems predicted fewer academic goals. More supportive/less strained networks predicted higher achievability and support appraisals. Critically, appraisals (achievability, support)—not goal count—predicted higher follow-up grades. ACEs were not significant predictors in main models.

Discussion

The practical takeaway is motivationally precise: adolescents’ beliefs about feasibility and achievement better than simply listing more goals. Social relationships appear to shape these beliefs, while externalizing problems may limit goal generation. Limitations include small sample size and self-reported grades, but effects align with developmental theory and point toward modifiable social processes.

Implications for mentoring programs

Mentors should prioritize helping youth (a) make goals feel doable (plan steps, anticipate barriers) and (b) map reliable supports while reducing social strain (healthy-relationship coaching). For youth with externalizing problems, add structure: brief check-ins, concrete study routines, and reinforcement for incremental progress—aimed at strengthening appraisals that sustain academic follow-through.

Read the full paper here.