Threat in Context

Abstract

Schools with very few and relatively low-performing marginalized students may be most likely to trigger social identity threats (including stereotype threats) that contribute to racial disparities. We test this hypothesis by assessing variation in the benefits of a self-affirmation intervention designed to counteract social identity threat in a randomized trial in all 11 middle schools in Madison, Wisconsin. We find that school context moderates the benefits of self-affirmation for black and Hispanic students' grades, with partial support among standardized achievement outcomes. Self-affirmation reduced the very large racial achievement gap in overall grade point average by 12.5 percent in high-threat school contexts and had no effect in low-threat contexts. These self-affirmation activities have the potential to help close some of the largest racial/ethnic achievement gaps, though only in specific school contexts.

Closing achievement gaps with a utility-value intervention: Disentangling race and social class.

“…This occurred mainly because FG controls in the current study performed considerably better than those in the previous one; in addition, CG students in the current study performed slightly less well than those in the previous study. It is likely that VA is more effective when achievement gaps are larger, and previous research substantiates this view (Hanselman, Bruch, Gamoran, & Borman, 2014). …”

Differential Benefits of Attending Supplemental Instruction for Introductory, Large-Section, University U.S. History Courses

“…To explain reduced achievement gaps between ethnicity/race groups, other researchers have pointed to social-psychological variables in their intervention research. Studies on these interventions reported reducing achievement gaps between ethnicity/race groups using a series of brief writing exercises designed to help students affirm their values (Cohen, Garcia, Apfel, & Master, 2006;Hanselman, Bruch, Gamoran, & Borman, 2014) and feel a stronger sense of belonging (Shnabel, Purdie-Vaughns, Cook, Garcia, & Cohen, 2013). Though speculative, it seems plausible that SI might contribute to students' sense of belonging, because SI provides opportunities for students to work collaboratively in small groups and interact with a peer model (i.e., the SI leader).…”

Grit and Agency: A Framework for Helping Students in Poverty to Achieve Academic Greatness

“…Because students who are marginalized (e.g., students of color from low-income backgrounds) experience greater threats to forming their academic identities (Hanselman et al, 2014;Ransaw & Majors, 2016), grit alone is unlikely to account for increased upward mobility. Students from low-income households typically begin school with less social and cultural capital than their more advantaged peers, as well as the ability to exhibit capital-related cues critical for academic success.…”

“…The school ecosystem causes some students to be increasingly marginalized, as they face greater threats to their social identity formation in academic settings (Hanselman, Bruch, Gamoran, & Borman, 2014). This makes it more difficult for these students to simultaneously maintain a cultural identity and succeed in schools, where the non-dominant forms of capital they express are often shunned by school administrators (Carter, 2005).…”