Students whose parents have less than a 4-year college degree remain underrepresented in math-intensive majors compared to students with college-educated parents. However, support from parents and teachers may help close these gaps in high school. To explore this, we examined changes in the patterns of high school students' math motivational beliefs in a nationally representative U.S. sample of 7,600 adolescents whose parents had less than a 4-year college degree (51% girls, 46% White, 28% Latine, 14% Black). Six profiles emerged at each grade level. In the ninth grade, two profiles showed average to high levels across their motivational beliefs (overall high, above average but less for me), whereas four profiles showed low endorsement of at least one motivational belief (not me, maybe not me, important but not for me, and good but lower value). Adolescents' math motivational profiles were somewhat stable, with about half of students remaining in their same profile from ninth to 11th grade. Perceived parent and teacher supports were positively related to changing into stronger motivational belief profiles, and adolescents in stronger motivational belief profiles had stronger science, technology, engineering, and math outcomes than adolescents in lower motivational belief profiles. Our findings indicate that although adolescents' math motivational beliefs were somewhat stable, many high school students' math motivational beliefs changed across high school and that perceived parent and teacher support was positively associated with the adolescents' math motivational belief profiles. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
Starr et al. (2026) studied this question.