Stereotype threat effects on African American and Latina/o Elementary students tested together

Abstract

PurposeThis study aimed to investigate whether a diagnostic testing condition leads to stereotype threat effects for African American and Latina/o children (N = 81) when tested together at an urban elementary school in Miami, Florida.Design/methodology/approachTo analyze the effect of stereotype threat on participants’ reading test performance, a 2 (race/ethnicity) × 2 (test condition) ANOVA was conducted.FindingsResults indicated that presenting a reading test as diagnostic of abilities hindered the performance of African American children but not of Latina/o children.Practical ImplicationsA relationship to Latina/o racial identity is explored as well as suggestions for developing interventions capable of attenuating stereotype threat effects for African American children.Originality/valueIn past research, Latina/o children have been demonstrated to be negatively affected by stereotype threat when tested alone or in the presence of a White comparison group (McKown and Weinstein, 2003; Nader and Clark, 2011). However, the Latina/o participants in this study, tested with an African American comparison group, were unaffected by stereotype threat trending toward experiencing stereotype lift. The present findings posit questioning as to whether Latina/o racial identity moderates stereotype threat effects and how it plays out in elementary schools.