“He who can, does; he who cannot, teaches?”: Stereotype threat and preservice teachers.

Abstract

Stereotype threat is defined as a situational threat that diminishes performance, originating from a negative stereotype about one’s own social group. In 3 studies, we seek to determine whether there are indeed negative stereotypes of students who have chosen a career in teaching, and whether the performance of these students is affected by stereotype threat. Responses to open-ended questions (Study 1, N = 82) and comparisons in closed-ended response format (Study 2, N = 120) showed that preservice teachers are perceived as having a low level of competence and a high level of warmth, in keeping with the paternalistic stereotype. We conclude that a stereotype does indeed exist that attributes lower competence to prospective teachers. In Study 3 (N = 262), a group of preservice teachers was subjected to stereotype threat. In keeping with the stereotype threat model, that group performed worse on a cognitive test than the group of similar students who were not under stereotype threat; the performance of students in the field psychology did not differ in response to the threat condition. This study is the 1st to show the effects of stereotype threat on students preparing for a teaching career.