Post #5: Stereotype Threat

What is it and how does it impact people?

June 28, 2015

Claude M. Steele and his colleagues conducted research on the underperformance of African-American students and other underrepresented groups in postsecondary education. His theory is based on the idea that many students are not underperforming because of skills or preparation, but because of other external factors, specifically those related to fear of fulfilling negative stereotypes of one's social group. The research team used the term "stereotype threat" to describe this idea. Stereotype threat is the theory that the awareness of negative stereotypes affects the performance of a person in situations that emphasize the stereotype either real or supposed. If you would like to read more into the specific research and theory, I recommend starting with the article "Thin Ice: Stereotype Threat and Black College Students" from The Atlantic written by Claude M. Steele. I found this short NPR interview with the professor discussing his work and his book Whistling Vivaldi to be interesting as well.

Having just left teaching in urban Chicago, this immediately brought to mind our students and our efforts to prepare them for college. I actually forwarded the Atlantic article to a couple fellow educators immediately after reading it. I found the theory extremely relevant to the work my school does, but cannot distinctly remember talking about this theory. We certainly discussed issues around transitioning to college, imposter syndrome, and academic preparedness; however, I think this would have been a great discussion for our college team and for our staff as we work to help students find success in our secondary classrooms and at the university level. Our school places a huge emphasis on college admissions testing, so I wonder how much stereotype threat is happening in the background. Our student population is large majority low income and almost 100% non-white. The teachers, however, are majority white and obviously are college educated. I wonder what I could have done more or differently in my classroom if this was an issue, or that our school could do as it helps students find success. We specifically have issues with keeping our African-American male students through graduation, and I am certain stereotype threat is an issue for many of these scholars. Our school is predominantly Hispanic with only about 9% of students being African-American. Perhaps controlling for stereotype threat could make a huge difference for this group of students. Obviously there are other issues to address as well, but this could be another positive resource.

In my own experiences I don't recall specific situations where I underperformed as a student as a result of being a strong female math student. For as long as I can remember, I was always an analytical, slow to decide, double-checking learner and test taker. I don't think I would attribute this to steretype threat, but I suppose it's possible. I was still aware of the stereotype that men were better at math or that females were underrepresented in math fields. I can remember always feeling most competitive academically, and particularly in math, with male students over female. Perhaps my most relatable experience would be in college as a female with a concentration in math. In some of their research and experiments, Claude M. Steele and his associates would try to actively remove the stereotype threat. They would either describe the task in such a way that it seemed to not relate to the stereotype, or they would give directions that implied the task was deliberately unbiased relative to the stereotype. In college, most of my math courses were taught by female professors who were passionate about promoting women in math. I'm sure this was a huge advantage to me as a female in math who might otherwise be faced with stereotype threat. They were large supporters of mine and took sincere interest in my success. I felt believed in. I also went to a smaller school where many more of my classmates were female than might be the case at another university.

I found this topic more interesting to research than I originally thought it might be. I was picturing a different issue when I saw the subject "stereotype threat." I can imagine how the fear of negative stereotypes easily creeping in to the work I am doing learning computer coding. I can also see how my own confidence is a critical factor, and I want to keep this in mind. I have feared being perceived as incompetent or not quick enough of a learner, but I don't know that I considered this a result of being a female. Perhaps it is. I enjoy learning things that make more aware of the people around me and more self aware. I think having learned more about this topic will allow me to be more socially intelligent as well.