Self‐affirmation and test performance in ethnically diverse schools: A new dual‐identity affirmation intervention

Abstract

AbstractLower ethnic minority achievement (relative to national average achievement levels) remains a concern in many countries, and affirmation interventions offer a promising approach to help reduce the relative achievement gap. We compared the effects of a conventional self‐affirmation intervention with a dual‐identity affirmation on test performance in a super‐diverse school that primarily served students from ethnic and cultural minority backgrounds (56% Black), in London, UK (N = 179, Mage = 12.29). A randomized design consisted of a new dual‐identity condition, a traditional self‐affirmation condition, and two control conditions—a “one‐group” condition and a non‐affirmation control condition. Teachers implemented the interventions in class, and test performance was the outcome measure. As expected, Black pupils outperformed non‐Black pupils when they undertook a dual‐identity affirmation exercise, while non‐Black pupils outperformed Black pupils in the traditional self‐affirmation condition. Stereotype threat partially mediated this effect: dual‐identity was less threatening for Black pupils than for non‐Black pupils, increasing the test performance of Black pupils. We propose dual‐identity affirmation as a promising affirmation intervention to reduce threat and improve the academic performance of lower achieving ethnic minorities in ethnically diverse settings. Implications for teachers as key players in affirmation interventions are discussed.