The
gap between White and Black Americans has been a consistent problem throughout
all levels of schooling. 70% of Black
Americans drop out of college while only 42% of White Americans drop out, and
Black Americans tend to have grades two thirds of a letter grade lower. This underperformance is typically attributed
to problems such as discrimination, segregation, and socioeconomic
disadvantages that Black Americans have endured for centuries1; many
are not prepared for the rigors of schooling.
The
achievement gap was not strictly from a lack of preparations as it was found
that even when Black and White Americans were prepared in the same way Black Americans
still performed lower. Researchers began
to look for other possible reasons for Black American’s underperformance. This lead to the hypothesis that Black
Americans underperform due to stereotype threat: a situation when someone feels
they are at risk of reinforcing stereotypes that pertain to their group. Researchers Dr. Steele and Dr. Aronson
examined if stereotype threat was one of the causes of the achievement
gap. In their study, they recruited 114
Black and White American college students to take a 30-minute test that was
comprised of various questions from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The participants were randomly assigned into
three different groups; each group was given the test adjusted for their skill
level, and the description of the test was different. In one group, the test was described as a
test of intellectual ability (stereotype-threat condition); in the second
group, the test was described as a “laboratory problem-solving task that as
nondiagnostic of ability”1;
and in the last group, the test was described as a challenge, but would not
count as a test of intellectual ability.
The results of the experiment concluded that “Black participants
expecting to take a difficult, ability-diagnostic test showed significantly
greater cognitive activation of stereotypes about Blacks, greater cognitive
activation of concerns about their ability, a greater tendency to avoid racially
stereotypic preferences…”1
Numerous
other studies have supported the negative influence stereotype threat performs
on Black Americans leading to the question: how can we reduce the activation of
stereotype threat? During the
presidential election of Obama, Black Americans performed equal to their White
counterparts. Discussing Obama or other
role models before a test appeared to reduce stereotype threat. Other research showed that discussing
stereotype threat before a test also had the same effect. While there are ways to reduce stereotype
threat, it is still an issue that persists today. This leaves us with the question, what are
other covenant ways we can reduce stereotype threat in school?
1 Steele, Claude M., and Joshua
Aronson, "Stereotype Threat and the Intellectual Test Performance,"
Attitudes and Social Cognition, accessed April 24, 2018,
http://users.nber.org/~sewp/events/2005.01.14/Bios
Links/Good-rec2-Steele_&_Aronson_95.pdf.
I have read this experiment and analyzed it before. Being a woman of color, I can personally identify with the effect of this stereotype threat. I personally hate taking standardized tests, because going into the test, I feel that I am going to underperform in comparison to the people around me. This has affected my anxiety and has caused me frustration, because I feel that even though I know the material, I cannot seem to perform well in a setting of unknown predominately white kids. I also appreciate you acknowledging that educational disparity between whites and blacks. It is 2018, and black kids are still at a disadvantage for proper education. Due to this disparity, it is assumed by too many, that Black people are simply not equip to knowledge in the way that whites are. Yet, it has been proven biologically, that there is no difference in the learning potential of the two. It is important for colleges to take these stereotype studies into account, when it comes to college admission, because a standardized test (sometimes biased even in its content) is not indicative of a Black student's capability.
ReplyDeleteWhen students are not surrounded by people that have been to college it is harder to imagine themselves going there. It is hard to break a cycle that is alreay in place. I am not sure what the percentage is about I am almost positive that the percentage of students who go to college and who's parents went to college is extremely higher than students who's parents did not go to college. The motivation is not at high for students who's parents did not go to college because they do not feel that it is necessary. For me, both of my parents went to college, so it was an expectation for me to go. Also, both of them got graduates degrees, so I feel like I have to too. These are social norm that students feel they need to live up to, or the standard they hold themselves to. SInce big test and applying to college requires a lot of knowledge (more that what you are tested) on I think providing free tutoring for standardized testing and free college counseling would reduce stereotypes because people are going against stereotypes.
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