10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People: A Groundbreaking Approach to Leading the Next Generation—And Making Your Own Life Easier

by David Yeager

We specifically wanted to understand motivation across the identity-group divide—for example, when white teachers give critical feedback to students from underrepresented minority groups, or when men critique the work of women. Our studies showed that although all students profited from wise feedback, students whose identity groups experienced marginalization or exclusion benefited even more. The wise-feedback research was why, over a quarter of a century ago, Steele wrote: [Students from underrepresented groups] should have challenging work and high standards, instead of remedial work and low standards.… Demand more, rather than less. A lot of what’s wrong is the presumption that they can’t do the work.… [Furthermore], at the heart of the drive to retain students must be mechanisms to convince students that their instructors are on their side.