Academic achievement and self-concepts of Latvian adolescents in a changed social context

Three questions were posed. Would low achieving 13 to 14 year olds in Latvia have followed the predictions derivable from Social identity Theory and formed a counter-culture or would they display depressed scores on measures of self evaluation and other aspects of self-concept? With ethnic Russians having been ''relatively deprived'' vis-a-vis ethnic Latvians since 1989, would these effects be particularly evident in their experience and behaviour? Given that both groups are materially impoverished in comparison with their English peers would this be reflected in their self perceptions and evaluations? While differences associated with differential achievement were found across a wide range of perceptual, evaluative, attitudinal and reported behavioural measures in line with the hypothesis that low achievement is associated with depressed school-valued dispositions and behaviour, neither the relative deprivation of ethnic Russians, nor the lower material resources of both groups showed effects. Suggestions are offered as to the consequences of these results for policy makers and the challenges they present to social psychologists in education.