Improving adolescents' standardized test performance: An intervention to reduce the effects of stereotype threat

摘要: Standardized tests continue to generate gender and race gaps in achievement despite decades of national attention. Research on ‘‘stereotype threat’’ (Steele & Aronson, 1995) suggests that these may be partly due stereotypes impugn the math abilities females intellectual Black, Hispanic, low-income students. A field experiment was performed test methods helping female, minority, adolescents overcome anxiety-inducing effects stereotype threat and, consequently, improve their standardized scores. Specifically, seventh-grade students experimental conditions were mentored by college who encouraged them either view intelligence as malleable or attribute academic difficulties seventh grade novelty educational setting. Results showed both earned significantly higher scores than control condition. Similarly, students—who largely minority adolescents—in reading D 2003 Published Elsevier Inc.