Spirituality Research Studies in Higher Education by Hicks Terence;

Author:Hicks, Terence;
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780761867418
Publisher: University Press of America, Incorporated

Students of color are often challenged by their White teachers and peers to defend themselves against negative stereotypes that bring their academic abilities into question (Fries-Britt & Griffin, 2007; Fries-Britt & Turner, 2001; Griffin, 2006). The students’ ability to effectively resist these stereotypes directly impacts academic performance (Steele, 1997).

According to Steele’s theory of stereotype threat, African American students are aware of the negative stereotypes that exist about their racial group and fear that any failure on their part will validate those stereotypes. The threat is that of being “negatively stereotyped, with being judged or treated stereotypically, or with the prospect of conforming to the stereotype” (Steele, p. 614). Competent and high-achieving students who are confident in their abilities are most affected by stereotype threat because they tend to have a strong desire not to be seen through the lens of a stereotype (Steele). The African American high-achieving students in Griffin’s(2006) study experienced a double dose of stereotype threat as they straddled two peer cultures: White students and African American students. White students questioned their academic abilities, and African American students assumed that the high-achievers deemed themselves better than everyone else.

The burden of stereotype threat and that of negotiating one’s race in the academic environment was a theme that resounded strongly in the literature, specifically regarding the experiences of students of color.

But since learning is fundamentally contextual, I would argue that there are extra social, emotional, cognitive, and political competencies required of African American youth, precisely because they are African American, if they are to commit themselves over time to perform at high levels in high school. (Perry et al., 2003, p. 4)

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