Ben-Zeev et al., 2017: Affirming values reduces stereotype-based concerns, and increases academic performance among undergraduate minorities in STEM
Reference:
Ben-Zeev, A., Paluy, Y., Milless, K., Goldstein, E., Wallace, L., Márquez-Magaña, L., ... & Estrada, M. (2017). ‘Speaking Truth’Protects Underrepresented Minorities’ Intellectual Performance and Safety in STEM. Education sciences, 7(2), 65.
Download PDFSummary:
Undergraduate underrepresented racial-ethnic minority students enrolled in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) programs completed a values-affirmation intervention in a laboratory. This exercise reduced stereotype-based evaluative concerns and improved performance on a laboratory test of abstract reasoning, but did not affect semester grades in STEM courses. At the same time, an intervention that taught students about stereotype threat and ways to cope also reduced stereotype-based evaluative concerns and improved both test performance and semester grades in STEM courses.
Psychological Process:
What Desired Meaning is At Stake?
What is the Person Trying to Understand?
To See the Self as AdequateApproach to Desired Meaning
What about it?
Remedy Threats to Self-Integrity that Undermine FunctioningHow?
Psychological Question Addressed
Am I under threat, because could I be seen or treated negatively because of my group identity?Am I under threat, because could I be seen or treated negatively because of my group identity?Psychological Question Addressed
Am I under threat, because could I be seen or treated negatively because of my group identity?Psychological Process 2:
Psychological Process 3:
Social Area:
Education
Intervention Technique:
Active reflection, values-affirmation