The Relationship between Academic Status and Future Expectations among Low-income Blacks

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Abstract
The extent to which perceptions of present and future status vary as a function of sex and academic status in low- income Blacks was investigated. Using the interpretive framework of social comparison theory, it is hypothesized that the expectations of academically successful (AS) and unsuccessful (AU) Blacks represent realistic apprais als of their future status. Sixty low-income Black seventh- graders were given the Kilpatrick-Cantril scale, which assesses present and future status. The results indicate that, regardless of academic status, males possess higher expectations than females. The expectations of the AU females were the lowest of all the subjects. The results are discussed in terms of the effects of success and failure on future expectations and academic motivation.