The paradox of positive self-concept and low achievement among Black and Latinx youth: A test of psychological explanations

Previous studies often document that Black and Latinx adolescents demonstrate considerable positive self-concept despite their low academic achievement. We critically reviewed two common psychological explanations for this paradoxical phenomenon: selective devaluation hypothesis (lower value placed in schoolwork protects their self-concept) and external attribution hypothesis (external attribution of poor achievement protects their...