In an educational setting, every individual may not have equal access to opportunities (such as educational or financial resources) or outcomes (such as grades or evaluations), which could create a...Show moreIn an educational setting, every individual may not have equal access to opportunities (such as educational or financial resources) or outcomes (such as grades or evaluations), which could create a sense of inequality in the individual. Individuals may then attribute these inequalities to their personal efforts and abilities or to their circumstances. Past studies have focused on associations between inequalities (such as social or gender inequality) and educational aspirations (e.g., Guyon & Huillery, 2017; Chen et al., 2022). The present study assesses the main effects of perceived inequality and the attribution of outcomes to internal or external factors (also known as locus of control) on educational aspirations. The study also assesses whether the academic locus of control significantly moderates the impact of perceived inequality on educational aspirations. Utilizing a 1 (continuous measure of academic locus of control) x 3 (inequality: control vs. perception of inequality of outcome vs perception of inequality of opportunity) study design, participants’ aspiration scores were assessed. The participants included N= 190 students enrolled in an undergraduate program. The results from a moderated multiple regression analysis indicated that perceived inequality did not significantly affect educational aspirations. Academic locus of control significantly positively affected aspirations. Academic locus of control also has a significant moderating effect on the impact of inequality. Specifically simple effects analysis indicated that perceived inequality has a significant positive effect on educational aspirations when there is an external locus of control. The study provides an understanding that inequality in an educational context may not impact every individual in the same manner and may differ according to specific factors (such as locus of control).Show less
Social Power is the relative control over the outcome of oneself and others (Fiske & Berdahl, 2007). Power can be interpreted differently, which in turn can have a big impact on the power...Show moreSocial Power is the relative control over the outcome of oneself and others (Fiske & Berdahl, 2007). Power can be interpreted differently, which in turn can have a big impact on the power holders and on the ones who experience the expressed power (Keltner et. al., 2003). The literature distinguishes between power as opportunity and power as responsibility (De Wit et al., 2017). Moreover, stereo- typical gender differences especially affect women as they keep them from reaching leadership pos- itions (Tabassum & Nayak, 2021). However, not only gender affects behavior, also our socio-eco- nomic status can influences a life significantly. The change in socio-economic status is called social mobility (Reforms, 2010). A restricted social mobility seem to keep individuals from reaching lead- ership positions (Brown, 2013). Self-reports on power construal were collected with overall n= 227 respondents to find out about the possible differences in how men and women interpret power. The results show that self-identified females do interpret power more as responsibility than self-identi- fied males do. Both self-identified genders did not differ on construing power as opportunity. Fur- thermore, the study showed that social mobility has no effect on how power is interpreted. Never- theless, the current SES of an individual seems to have a small effect on how power is perceived. The current study highlights the importance of understanding the relationship between gender, so- cial mobility, and power construal and the necessity for further research.Show less
