Stereotype Threat

"Teaching Adolescents To Become Learners" summarizes the research on five categories of noncognitive factors that are related to academic performance: academic behaviors, academic perseverance, academic mindsets, learning strategies and social skills. It examines whether there is substantial evidence that noncognitive factors matter for students' long-term success, clarifying how and why these factors matter, determining if these factors are malleable and responsive to context, determining if they play a role in persistent racial/ethnic or gender gaps in academic achievement, and illuminating how educators might best support the development of important noncognitive factors within their schools and classrooms. The review suggests some promising levers for change at the classroom level, as well as challenges for further research.

"Grading college students on quizzes given at the beginning of every class, rather than on midterms or a final exam, increases both attendance and overall performance, scientists reported Wednesday." "Testing effect" was particularly strong in students from lower-income households.

Women taking a math test will perform worse when reminded that women aren't expected to do well in math. Social psychologist Claude Steele calls this an example of the "stereotype threat." In his book, Whistling Vivaldi, he lays out a plan to reshape those expectations. An interview with Claude Steele.

The kind of environment that might trigger stereotype threat.

Here is an excerpt from a new book called "Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty: Strategies for Erasing the Opportunity Gap," by Paul C. Gorski, associate professor of integrative studies at George Mason University. The book, which draws from years of research to analyze educational practices that undercut the achievement of low-income students, is part of the Multicultural Education Series of books edited by James A. Banks and published by Teachers College Columbia University.

Against the Cinderella culture, a Catholic high school in Kentucky has a blunt message for young girls.

Peer beliefs and expectations about gender identity, gender role and gender role conformity can limit participation in school activities and reduce performance potential. Adolescent males in choirs often seem to be reluctant to perform in front of their peers. On the other hand, adolescent females who sing in choirs have quite a contrasting experience. The first of three studies comprising this thesis investigated whether gender stereotype threat contributed to adolescent male choristers' performance decrement, and whether salience of stereotype threat could affect awareness of it. The findings of a second study triangulated those of the first, and revealed common attributes which enabled adolescent male choristers to remain engaged in choral music. This study revealed however, that these traits did not protect the adolescent male choristers from the effects of stereotype threat. Whereas previous extant research on stereotype threat had concentrated on helping the targets of stereotype threat alleviate its effects, the third of the present studies aimed to reveal the perceptions of gender held by non-targets of stereotype threat as well as by the targets, preparing the way to challenge deep-seated beliefs which lead to gender stereotyping and prejudice. The findings of the studies identified how beliefs and expectations about gender identity related to attitudes towards gender role and genderrole conformity within different school cultures, and ultimately limited choice of school-based activities for adolescents. This evidence revealed implications for change to practices which may currently augment gender-role conformity in schools and limit student outcomes. As well, it added to research conducted in the field of stereotype threat in a real-world setting and, importantly, exposed a link between stereotypical beliefs and wider held prejudices.

Writing and reading as a way for teens to connect and survive when they don't "fit" and are afraid of being seen through a stereotype.

Science Correspondent Cara Santa Maria summarizes the findings of AAUW's 2010 report, Why So Few?, which explores causes of the gender gap in STEM fields. Cites over 300 experiments illustrate the validity of this research. At puberty the gender gap expands dramatically. Interventions suggested: 1) More female representation in the curriculum 2) Expose the biases.

Sian Beilock's blog on "brain science behind "choking under pressure" and the many factors influencing all types of performance: from test-taking to public speaking to your golf swing. "

Recent work suggests that stereotype threat (ST) harms perfor- mance by reducing available working memory capacity. Is this the only mechanism by which ST can occur? Three experiments examined ST's impact on expert golf putting, which is not harmed when working memory is reduced but is hurt when attention is allocated to proceduralized processes that normally run outside working memory. Experiment 1 showed that well- learned golf putting is susceptible to ST. Experiments 2 and 3 demonstrated that giving expert golfers a secondary task elim- inates ST-induced impairment. Distracting attention away from the stereotype-related behavior eliminates the harmful impact of negative stereotype activation. These results are con- sistent with explicit monitoring theories of choking under pres- sure, which suggest that performance degradation can occur when too much attention is allocated to processes that usually run more automatically. Thus, ST alters information process- ing in multiple ways, inducing performance decrements for different reasons in different tasks.

When a black teen was arrested over a $350 belt, it was hardly surprising to many who say they're humiliated in stores & those who admit they've acted on stereotypes.

Too many Americans go through life terrified of equations and mathematical symbols. We think what many of them are afraid of is "proving" themselves to be genetically inferior by failing to instantly comprehend the equations (when, of course, in reality, even a math professor would have to read closely). So they recoil from anything that looks like math, protesting: "I'm not a math person."

Read Chapter 1 and Chapter 5. "Teaching Adolescents To Become Learners summarizes the research on five categories of noncognitive factors that are related to academic performance: academic behaviors, academic perseverance, academic mindsets, learning strategies and social skills, and proposes a framework for thinking about how these factors interact to affect academic performance, and what the relationship is between noncognitive factors and classroom/school context, as well as the larger socio-cultural context. <br /> <br /> It examines whether there is substantial evidence that noncognitive factors matter for students' long‐term success, clarifying how and why these factors matter, determining if these factors are malleable and responsive to context, determining if they play a role in persistent racial/ethnic or gender gaps in academic achievement, and illuminating how educators might best support the development of important noncognitive factors within their schools and classrooms. <br /> <br /> The review suggests some promising levers for change at the classroom level, and challenges the notion that hard work and effort are character traits of individual students, instead suggesting that the amount of effort a student puts in to academic work can depend, in large part, on instructional and contextual factors in the classroom. <br /> <br /> In addition, the review also presents challenges for future research on noncognitive factors. "